Stereotypes & Prejudice

[Tochukwu Godson]

For me, I noticed that biracial was prejudiced. I don't know why this issue is cropping into society gradually. The author did justice to this topic too.

[ciecheesemeister]

I thought that the author dealt quite well with the realities of stereotyping and racism. The one place where I thought it was too simple of an explanation was the idea that Clarence was a ne'er do well and a potential rapist because of one incident (albeit a horrific incident) in his childhood. It didn't help that his parents never confronted his problematic behavior.

[Amara911]

Prejudice against family, biracial couple, friendships are common with the black community especially Africans in cases like racism (black lives matters) in America. It is seen that stereotype of some kind of things affect the way one visions life and people around them.

[kdstrack]

Two other examples would be the way Joey treated Lena as though she were his property. He believed he could abuse her without consequences. The grandfather stereotyped Kieran as a weakling and thought that martial arts would toughen him up.

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

For me I saw family, nurturing kids. I think the author tried to cut off the stereotypes but the pressure was alot on how to take care of the kids.

True, nurturing kids is a major concern that's addressed by Jeannie.Joey and Jamal are used to cover the subject of the influence fatherhood. Lena and Maureen play the part of showcasing a mother's responsibility in holding the family together

[Lucille27]

I think this is something I enjoy a lot from the female perspective in my readings. They portray stereotypes and prejudices in a very realistic fashion, but they still manage to criticize them instead of reinforcing them.

[victoriasimons]

The stereotypes and prejudices in the book definitely seem to be based on these unconscious biases that you mentioned. These are often formed from ideas of tradition, custom and 'norms' of how things have always been. Particularly in the instance of interacial marriage, we can (to an extent) understand why the characters feel the way they do, regardless of our personal beliefs.

[Luluwa79]

A good example that shows how Jeannie reveals prejudice is the moment where Kalayla, an 11-year-old girl, is paid a few dollars to watch over laundry at the Clean Duds Laundromat. She's too young for the job but poor enough to qualify. I'd categorize it as a form of Social class stereotyping.

I don't see a stereotype problem with that. To me, it is the same as if I pay a teen to cut my grass. It teaches them responsibility and gives them some spending cash. At what age would you think that it's no longer an issue?

To me it's a stereotype problem. If you say it's teaching how to be responsible, what of its negative impact on them?

[Laurina Michael Olowoniran]

One of the stereotype issues is the racism issue. The author showed this in Maureen's story and that of her parents. You can imagine the extent of the effect of this issue to both thier daughter and granddaughter. I don't even know if we can eradicate this in our society.

[Eutoc]

A good example that shows how Jeannie reveals prejudice is the moment where Kalayla, an 11-year-old girl, is paid a few dollars to watch over laundry at the Clean Duds Laundromat. She's too young for the job but poor enough to qualify. I'd categorize it as a form of Social class stereotyping.

I don't see a stereotype problem with that. To me, it is the same as if I pay a teen to cut my grass. It teaches them responsibility and gives them some spending cash. At what age would you think that it's no longer an issue?

Exactly. There isn't anything wrong with paying the kid for that. It becomes a problem when the task is too arduous for the child and when they are under-payed for a legal work. I did similar chores for my neighbour when I was about that age, and I didn't demand a pay.

[Maconstewart]

A good example that shows how Jeannie reveals prejudice is the moment where Kalayla, an 11-year-old girl, is paid a few dollars to watch over laundry at the Clean Duds Laundromat. She's too young for the job but poor enough to qualify. I'd categorize it as a form of Social class stereotyping.

I don't see a stereotype problem with that. To me, it is the same as if I pay a teen to cut my grass. It teaches them responsibility and gives them some spending cash. At what age would you think that it's no longer an issue?

Exactly. There isn't anything wrong with paying the kid for that. It becomes a problem when the task is too arduous for the child and when they are under-payed for a legal work. I did similar chores for my neighbour when I was about that age, and I didn't demand a pay.

Agreed, Eutoc. I know of many "well-to-do" families that have their children work for others, doing small jobs. That is how they learn responsibility, time management, and handling their finances. It also helps to keep them from feeling entitled.

[Yvonne Monique]

Stereotypes differ from each country and culture. What is normal in some countries, is still considered a big taboo in others. I think authors have an important role to address these stereotypes and make people aware that times have changed.

[Faithy_Goody_Star]

One of the kinds of prejudice I noticed in this book was that against biracial marriages. And this was first revealed when Maureen told Lena about her decision not to receive the help offered by her mother-in-law. The reaction of Lena towards her decision said it all.

[JeanyJean]

This book touches on very sensitive issues. Prejudice and stereotypes based on race are real life issues that people deal with

[Wangai Onyango]

In Kenya, my home country, we have forty-two tribes. This is a very ethnically diverse nation. Now, human beings have a tendency to prefer the familiar and loathe the strange. This leads to the proliferation of xenophobia.

A parent can tell you, "My son, you can marry a wife from any community but do not bring me a Kamba (one of the community stereotyped for practising witchcraft) wife. This can be tough to comply with because you may be eyeing a certain fine Kamba lady.

One finds that, when your parents are from two different communities, you are stigmatised in your day-to-day life. You get sidelined by people of both tribes of your origin and are referred to as a "nyumbu", which is very offensive because you are portrayed as a mule.

I believe that this is what Kaylyla goes through at some point, but she probably has it rougher than I ever did because of the inherent racism present in much of the West.