Stereotypes throughout the Past, Present, and Future

In society, it is evident that stereotypes exist. Whenever we see someone, we unconsciously place them within a stereotype based upon how they look or how they act. This instinctive categorization has been happening for centuries and has no intention of stopping.

Since the moment Europeans arrived in America, stereotypes agains the Native americans have been formed. The mere fact that the Native Americans dressed different and looked different caused the Europeans to treat them as inferior creatures. This stereotype has extended from the past to the present today. In Sherman Alexi's story, Victor's father states "Besides, why would you ever want to fight a war for this country? It's been trying to kill Indians since the very beginning." Stereotyping and discrimination against Native Americans have existed for centuries and will never truly go away.

But why do stereotypes exist? Why do they continue to last? A stereotype in definition is "a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing" as defined by Merriam Webster. At first, stereotypes may have been used by white men to justify their superiority to other cultures. By giving certain people certain traits, it was easier to justify why these certain groups should be denied right or privileges. Additionally, the reason why stereotypes may still exist today might be due to the continuation of tradition by society. These stereotypes have been alive for so many years and are kept alive through the lingering influences of the past on society; stereotyping is unconsciously done and is unavoidable. Ultimately, it will be hard for stereotypes to be completely eliminated in the future.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Think about it. Ever since a young age, we've been taught that the United States provides to every single citizen the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But what defines liberty? What is the pursuit of happiness? Why are these so valued in America? As stated in the declaration, every man is "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Even life, a term that may seem easy to define for people, can be interpreted in different ways. 

For many years, the ideas of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness have been depicted as a stable foundation of rock on which the country is built upon. These rights have been considered a fundamental part in how the United States was built and how it still operates today. Contrary to popular belief however, the meaning of these rights have been constantly fluctuating throughout history and among the minds of the people. While taking a look back into the past, it is obvious that the rights delegated to our predecessors were different to the ones we have today. For example, while in the past the right to the pursuit of happiness for women meant raising children and supporting her husband, currently women take the pursuit of happiness very differently; They are free to seek out a career in a field they wish to study or engage in the activities that define them as a person. 

In addition to this, each definition of each right differ in the minds of different people. For example, some people may define the right to life as the right to be alive. Others may define the right to life as the right for people to live their lives as they wish and to make their own decisions as an individual with his or her own life. The meaning of each of these is subjective; each of these symbolize different things for different people and is dependent on the personal experience and thought process of each person. There is no absolute or definite meaning for each of these rights and it will be inconceivable to come to a consensus due to the relentless push of time and the individuality of each person.