Stop Stereotyping!

2012 is an election year, and many politicians are placing campaign ads all over the country, trying to discredit their opponents and making themselves look like the resolutions of all the misfortune.

Some are using the concept of Trolling the Media(when someone intentionally makes a sensationalistic or offensive message to attract the media – aka get a lot of news coverage). Trolling the media isn’t something new, it has been used throughout history for marketing, as some had said “provoke to get coverage”.

Although it is effective in getting coverage (besides the usual positive or extremely negative comments or responses from the public), it can also create stereotypes that can hurt the fostering of diversity.

United States is a mosaic of individuals that makes it a rich and culturally diverse country. Besides the American Indians, we all are immigrants, we came here to seek a better life for us and our future generations, we have created a melting pot of all cultures and races, no matter where you from, what color of your skin or what do you look like or whom you love, We are the people that made America great, and we are proud to be Americans.

However, when politicians or influential individuals starts trolling the media, it puts a different perspective of our individualism, maybe we aren’t as united as we thought we were because of our personal agenda, personal bigotry or jealousy?

One example is the recent news coverage of an emerging superstar, Jeremy Lin, a basketball player whom was born in Los Angeles and grew up in San Francisco, an underdog but exceptional player within his professional that now turns into an overnight media sensation. Many used this time to downplay his success, even though he worked hard to reach his dream, and becoming the first American player to be of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.

But because of him looking differently, controversy erupted shortly after his great performances to put New York Knicks in people’s radar. First, a well respected heavy weight boxer Floyd Mayweather tweeted: “Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he is Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise”.  Then Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock had to apologize for his tweet which insulted Lin’s sexual ability, using a negative stereotype about Asians. And then Madison Square Garden showed a fan’s video of Lin’s head popping out of a fortune cookie, and fans have taken to calling him “Yellow Mamba” allegedly a play on Kobe Bryant’s nickname of “Black Mamba”.

It continues, on Feb 18^th early morning, ESPN commentator and ESPN mobile website used the phrase “Chink in the Armor” regarding Knick’s loss to the Hornets Friday night. Although it was pulled immediately, it was read and distributed throughout the Internet. The website writer was fired and the commentator was suspended for 30 days, and Lin had said that they have apologized and he is fine with it.

Is it? Stereotype isn’t fun, we all grew up with it, no matter who you are, what you do, what color your eyes or hair or skin, or even what social status you are, we all endured with being mocked and being stereotyped, some had it more than others but we all had gone through.

The effect of stereotyping can and will affect the way we live, the way we work, the way we interact or do business with others, it can also play a great role in whether you can successfully landing a large prospect or business deal when it comes to working with diversity within the community. Stereotypes can destroy confidence and the ability to work and function successfully. They damage relationships: inside or outside of the workplace.

Stereotype is hard to avoid, but it is easy to understand and learn to be sensitive to the manner, when you work with a community and building a relationship, you need to understand their culture and social structure, hence help reduce the stereotype within.

The most powerful way to diminish stereotypes is by education, and it starts now, not when an incident happens.

Businesses should start educating its staff to understand the damage stereotypes can do, businesses who wishes to work with the diversified communities should also get involved and understand the cultures and social development of such community before entering into business agreement.

The more you understand, the lesser stereotype will become a stigma in everyone’s life.

If you don’t know where to go, reach out to the community and ask for direction to foster a strong world of diversity enrichment for us and our kids.

In the era of social media, marketing and branding must become engaging. 66% of adults within the United States are using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter for a variety of purposes like interacting with families and friends or discussing their hobbies and likes. The most actively engaged of all social media users are individuals who are from diverse ethnic groups. Creating a social media strategy that is culturally sensitive while being engaging is fundamental in any marketing campaign.