Stereotypes you hate being lumped into

[Neverhoodian]

I'm sure we've all been unfairly lumped together with common misconceptions and stereotypes at least once in our lives. Which ones particularly irk you? Here's a few of mine:

The only child: No I wasn't an inconsiderate, spoiled brat as a kid. I wasn't lonely because I didn't have siblings either. I never really thought about it one way or another, to be honest.

The Bible-thumping "family values" Christian: I am very tolerant of other religions, and I am a strong advocate of secular government. I am also pro-choice, pro-evolution, pro-gay marriage, etc.

History Majors: Dammit people, stop asking if I'm going to be a teacher! I already decided I'm not going to (not that there's anything wrong with the profession).

 

[Lyx]

Every fucking bipolar stereotype!


....oh wait, that basically means almost all stereo-types, right? Ups...

 

[mik1]

Fat Ignorant American: I'm proud to be from the country I'm from there are fat ignorant people here. Im sure there's some in almost all western countries. Its unfortunate how so many people are quickly judged.

 

[Aetera]

Every fucking bipolar stereotype!


....oh wait, that basically means almost all stereotypes, right? Ups...

THIS. I have type II Bipolar disorder. Bipolar depression. I don't get crazy, tear-your-face-off manic episodes. my downs aren't "I HATE EVERYTHING and I'm going to weep and jump off a cliff now!" I go long periods of time feeling literally nothing at all, to short, super-creative bursts. FFFFFF I hate bipolar stereotypes. I hate people finding out, since they tend to avoid me afterward, or treat me like I'm about to explode with the slightest provocation.

I also hate lesbian stereotypes. Just because I'm not attracted to you doesn't mean that I hate you and want to castrate your gender. Most of my best friends are guys. I get along better with my guy friends most of the time. Much less drama. Oh, I also don't know anything about fixing cars. Not a vegetarian either. :/

OH. A lot of people are confused when they first meet me, due to the supposed incompatibility between the nerd stereotype and the more, eh, don't know what I should call it, the more "punk" stereotype. A lot of people have refused to believe that the sketchy looking girl with short blue hair, tattoos, multiple piercings, wearing the black leather duster and steel-toed boots, smoking behind the building is also the biggest Tolkien nerd EVER and plays World of Warcraft. And D&D. And has worked at GameStop. Heads have asploded.

 

[Sacman]

Just because I play guitar and have long hair does not mean in anyway that I like Metal... in fact I like very few metal bands...<.<

 

[Valagetti]

Just because I play guitar and have long hair does not mean in anyway that I like Metal... in fact I like very few metal bands...<.<

I used to be like that, just shorter hair. Though I usually got the hippie sterotype, which must of been more tolerable than the metal stereotype.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

I confuse people who find out more and more about me. And yes I do it deliberately in a lot of ways.

I'm a writer, which means people assume I'm quiet, self-effacing, witty and measured in my speech, which is true enough, I do have a tendency to be calm, cool and collected when I'm talking to people, just because that's how my parents raised me to interact with the world. If you go in loud and aggravating people will form opinions about you, if you meet them on a lower setting then they feel more inclined to open up.

I'm a guitarist, which people either assume means I'm the moody introverted type (which again has some truth to it) or I'm the crash, balls-out rocker in the vein of a glam rocker, which also has some truth to it. This one is particularly jarring to people who then actually see me perform, because on stage I am very much an extrovert, attention deficit pay-attention-to-me type.

And I'm a nerd of various things, including comics and games, which leads people to assume I'll be a hopeless shut-in incapable of normal human contact.

The most fun I ever have is when I convince people who know me as the writer and nerd to come see something where I'm performing, because then they get perplexed as they try and fit me into one of their categories and absolutely fail.

So basically I try and defy stereotype with every little thing you learn about me. I am me, not my hobbies.

 

[Sacman]

Just because I play guitar and have long hair does not mean in anyway that I like Metal... in fact I like very few metal bands...<.<

I used to be like that, just shorter hair. Though I usually got the hippie sterotype, which must of been more tolerable than the metal stereotype.

A Hippie stereotype would be better... so I'm not asked to play Through The Fire and The Flames or Enter Sandman every time I pull out my guitar...<.<

 

[Ulixes Dimon]

The creepy kid
The smart kid

I may be smart and I may be spooky but it doesn't mean I enjoy being defined by those two things.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

Owning a horse just because I live in Corrales.[footnote]That's Corrales, the small village outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico[/footnote] Not ALL of us own horses. Only most of us.

Also, any stereotype related to being a twin/triplet. Yes, I know I look nothing like my brother. I OBVIOUSLY must be lying about being related.

 

[Melian]

I'm cute and I have glasses. OBVIOUSLY I must be really smart and know everything about everything ALL THE TIME! Newsflash: I don't.

 

[Sacman]

"She's pretty dude, she's probably easy." or "shes too nice, you could walk all over someone like that" are the 2 I don't really like. Hate is a strong word & that's not how I feel about such stereotypes but they are a bit annoying regardless.

That's the complete opposite of my reasoning... usually when the thought, "She's pretty." or " She's too nice." crosses my mind it's usually followed up by, "She's too good for me..."

 

[ultrachicken]

I'm sure there's some in almost all western countries.

Fixed that for you.

I haven't been subjected to a lot of stereotyping, luckily.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

"Because he is physically disabled and limps around, he must be mentally disabled, too." My god. The majority of people around me assume I have a mental handicap because I have cerebral palsy. I'll have girls smiling and nodding at me like I have a mental age of 8 as I walk by at college.

 

[theevilsanta]

This is a sorta weird one. For various reasons I hang out with a lot of "theater people", so to speak. And as soon as they learn I'm a med student and not in any way associated with theater other than being an audience member they completely dismiss me as having nothing valuable to add to the conversation and not able to do goofy theater antics. I'm essentially stereotyped as boring and not important to talk to.

I get that they're always trying to make connections and hopefully advance their career, etc. But it's really obnoxious. I had one of the best experiences ever the other week when a "theater person" and I got into a conversation about Shakespeare's The Tempest. The discussion led to a talk about science fiction literature (The Tempest is totally sci fi). Not only was he able to keep up a conversation on the topic, but he actually stayed and conversed for like twenty minutes. That was a big deal.

 

[Plucky]

"He looks too hyper, shove him to the side with the wheelchairs or the fat kid"

Asbergers don't make people stupid, maybe people just don't realise that they dont have to poke somthing because they could get away with it, i did rollthrow a jock kid into a door once after he grabbed by erm...male organs....took loads of punches and headbutts to get him off me though.

 

[eclipsed_chemistry]

I hate being Asian and having everyone assume that I love anime and all things tech-related. Yes, I do love Cowboy Bebop and Code Geass, but who doesn't? I'm also quite outdoorsy and athletic. Not saying anime is a bad thing, I just hate having everyone assume that I've seen/love every anime ever without even knowing me.

 

[theevilsanta]

"Because he is physically disabled and limps around, he must be mentally disabled, too." My god. The majority of people around me assume I have a mental handicap because I have cerebral palsy. I'll have girls smiling and nodding at me like I have a mental age of 8 as I walk by at college.

It's so bizarre how people do that. I had a friendly acquaintance at college that was treated essentially like he had a mental disability of some sort by people at social events. I always prided myself on having no hesitation on asking him (an electrical engineering major) about the viability of hybrid cars.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

"Because he is physically disabled and limps around, he must be mentally disabled, too." My god. The majority of people around me assume I have a mental handicap because I have cerebral palsy. I'll have girls smiling and nodding at me like I have a mental age of 8 as I walk by at college.

It's so bizarre how people do that. I had a friendly acquaintance at college that was treated essentially like he had a mental disability of some sort by people at social events. I always prided myself on having no hesitation on asking him (an electrical engineering major) about the viability of hybrid cars.

I think it may be a "better safe than sorry" approach. Or maybe something about our appearance evokes pity? I don't know. Being polite is one thing, condescension is another.