Stereotyping In The Outsiders

Stereotyping is an issue that affects all ages, genders, and races. According to nobullying.com everyone stereotypes, the problem comes when you consciously stereotype. In S.E. Hinton’s young adult novel The Outsiders, stereotyping is a big issue. There are two gangs in this novel, the greasers, and the SOcs. The greasers live on the east side or rough side of town. The Socs live on the west side and are known as the west side rich kids who have all the breaks. People judge their personality just based on if they are a greaser or Soc. Stereotyping is an unfair way to judge people because you never know their whole story. It is wrong to judge someone just by who they hand out with, or what gang they are a part of. In The Outsiders, Cherry, a Soc, and Ponyboy, a greaser, are at a Drive-in movie. As they walk to get snacks, Cherry is telling Ponyboy that not all Socs are bad. Just like not all greasers are bad. “‘That’s like saying all you greasers are like Dallas Winston. I’ll Bet he’s jumped a few people.’ I digested that. It was true. Dally had jumped a few people. [...] But not all of us are that bad” (34). Cherry is a Soc, but she knows that you can’t judge people by who they hang out with. Cherry took time to talk to Ponyboy rather than judging him by the way Dally acted. Once you

To sum it up, stereotypes are almost always incorrect. Appearances don’t show a person’s actions or intentions. Without taking time to get to know someone, their true personality will not show. Also, who a person hangs out with, does not define who they are. For those reasons, stereotypes need to stop. Everyone stereotypes people based on what you can see at a glance, but these stereotypes are often wrong. Just stop assuming, and talk to people. If everyone just took the extra time to stop and talk to people before stereotyping them, it would truly make an impact on their life and