Challenging stereotypes
I recently had an interesting meeting with a high profile entrepreneur/investor who was looking to forge a partnership. Half way through our conversation, she stopped me and said, “Make no mistake about it, we’re not interested in average one man band/selling from home type businesses, we’re interested in businesses who are really going to make a difference and change the future of the economy.”
- Image by .A.A. via Flickr
It struck me that even for an entrepreneur of her calibre, she couldn’t help stereotype one man band/selling from home businesses as not ‘making a difference and/or changing the economy’. This offended me no end, because, certainly as a business in the making, I would like to think that any and every business contributes to this economy and makes a difference.
Ultimately, everyone’s got to start somewhere right?
It got me thinking about how easy it is has become for us to fall into this trap of stereotyping. Whether it’s about social roles, women in business, rich vs. poor – society and the media have brainwashed us in to believing things we don’t’ want to believe.
I’ve always felt strongly about stereotyping, probably because all my life, I’ve challenged them. When I arrived in England 11 years ago for example, I was pretty taken aback that almost every conversation I had with people I was introduced to, began along the lines of, “Wow! You speak English really well for an Indian!” Most times, I was tempted to say, “Yeah, I picked it up on the flight here…” but I chose to confuse them even further by saying was the only language I’d ever spoken at home.
Another interesting but superficial one is the stereotype of judging a book by its cover. The wide belief seems to be that if you look, talk and walk a certain way you will be more successful in life.
It’s something I faced when I first walked into corporate life. Straight from the backstreets of Mumbai, my favourite work clothes were torn jeans and bandana. For the first couple of years, not only did I not make any friends, I simply sat back and watched my peers rise up ladder with me firmly planted on the bottom rung. While I was completely oblivious to the fact and/or why I was being surpassed, my husband was clearly irked by it. “Trust me honey, if you look the part, people will start taking you seriously!” Begrudgingly, I tried to walk the walk and talk the talk for a couple of years. I dressed smart, straightened my signature curly hair and said what I thought people wanted to hear. Sadly, the change proved his point. Not only did I find senior management suddenly taking notice of what I had to say, I got a promotion before the year was out. Frustrated with the result, I reverted back to being myself and am now happily back where I started.
The more I think about it, the more responsible I feel for playing my part in these sad, superficial prejudices that exist. Stereotyping after all, is a product of society. The more ingrained socially created stereotypes become, the harder it is to fight the urge to believe them.
The question is – how do you fight the urge to stereotype?
It’s all too easy for us to form opinions about sexes, races, individuals – because it’s easier that way. The harder way is to think the opposite of what your thought processes are saying about the object of your stereotype. If I said the words “public school” what comes to mind? Or better still, I said “Jordan” – what’s your thinking? Waste of space or business woman?
Maybe the way is to deliberately challenge our own thinking. When I told friends and family I was going to spend the rest of my life in England, the social perception was that I was moving to a racist country. Despite the genuine concern and warnings, I took the leap refusing to believe what I was told. 11 years on and I’ve still to experience any racism. Stereotyping of what a typical Indian is like? Sure, but open racism? Never.
Today, sat here, on the brink of starting up my own freelance writing business and my worry is that I don’t want to be pigeonholed as another freelance copywriter. Writing to me is so much more than churning out copy. It’s about talking, communication, creating, passion, making a difference and so much more… I also believe that my plans for the future extend beyond what I started out as in business today.
I guess I’m going to meet all kinds of people along this journey I’m embarking on and hoping not to be typecast into a particular role or perception is perhaps pie in the sky.
At best, I can only hope that if that person is you, reading this post, that you won’t judge me for the name of my business, the way I look, or even the posts I write. I hope you will give me a chance and get to know me first. Because, I am ‘me’ and I promise you, I’m nothing like you’d expect. 
12 Responses to Challenging stereotypes
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I’m delighted to see that you’ve never experienced racism here in the UK, Bian, although you have experienced stereotyping.
One thing I want to mention, though, is that there could be quite a fine line between those two. More sensitive people might consider what you view to be stereotyping, as racism.
Where does sterotyping end and racism begin, I wonder? What are your views on it?
Twitter: SuzeStMWrites
Hi Suzan
You’re right, I think there is a fine line between the two but I also think how you perceive it depends on your sensitivity and sometimes even your maturity.
I think as I’ve grown older and wiser, I am less sensitive to some of the assumptions people make. If it’s offensive, I subtly put them right or simply think – “ignoramus!”…
B
Hi Suzan,
Thanks for the comment. You’re right, I think there is a fine line between the two but I also think how you perceive it depends on your sensitivity and sometimes even your maturity. I think as I’ve grown older and wiser, I am less sensitive to some of the assumptions people make. If it’s offensive, I subtly put them right or simply think – “ignoramus!”…
I’m delighted to see that you’ve never experienced racism here in the UK, Bian, although you have experienced stereotyping.
One thing I want to mention, though, is that there could be quite a fine line between those two. More sensitive people might consider what you view to be stereotyping, as racism.
Where does sterotyping end and racism begin, I wonder? What are your views on it?
Twitter: SuzeStMWrites
Hi Suzan,
Thanks for the comment. You’re right, I think there is a fine line between the two but I also think how you perceive it depends on your sensitivity and sometimes even your maturity. I think as I’ve grown older and wiser, I am less sensitive to some of the assumptions people make. If it’s offensive, I subtly put them right or simply think – “ignoramus!”…
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Hi Bian
Firstly
If your “high profile entrepreneur/investor” is typical of her ilk (am I in danger of stereotyping here
?), she worries me:
Only interested in “businesses who are really going to make a difference and change the future of the economy.”
The old coal mines, steelworks and woollen mills did that, didn’t they? The open-24-hours supermarkets, ‘sweatshops’ and online banking do it, don’t they?
Many believe that some of it’s good; some bad.
Does this lady really believe ‘anything goes’? Or does she mean to say that she is interested in businesses that will contribute to the ‘health’ well being and sustainable economic growth of the community they operate in (local, countrywide or global) and, by doing so, create a successful business?
They’re two very different messages…
Secondly
A successful person is surely one who has achieved success on his or her own terms.
Stereotyping is probably hugely down to conditioning – we don’t come into this world with preconceived ideas about people and things – we learn them.
You tried the conforming route and, to the eyes of the outside world, it worked for you: You succeeded. Didn’t make you happy though because you weren’t being authentic to what was important to you.
You had the courage of your convictions to follow your own path: Good on you
! And let us know where we can see more of your writing…;-)
Twitter: Linda_Mattacks
Hi Linda
Thanks for your comment.
Do you know, given that this entrepreneur is a high profile investor – she seemed to have a preconception of who was going to make a difference. She basically was looking for “the dragons” of the future and was discounting small businesses as being capable of that. I pointed out that she was making a huge mistake by overlooking any start up as not being a future dragon.
I interviewed Levi Roots when working for BT Tradespace and he started out being a musician and selling his Jerk chicken at the Nottinghill carnival… when he went on Dragon’s Den, he had nothing apart from a £20 note in his pocket. He now gives a lot of his time speaking to the younger generations about being entrepreneurs of the future. He does that and a lot of other stuff free to make a difference… when I informed the aforemention investor of the above – it shut her up.
Bx
PS you’ll be seeing more of my writing soon … so watch this space for the launch of my blog.
Hi Bian
Firstly
If your “high profile entrepreneur/investor” is typical of her ilk (am I in danger of stereotyping here
?), she worries me:
Only interested in “businesses who are really going to make a difference and change the future of the economy.”
The old coal mines, steelworks and woollen mills did that, didn’t they? The open-24-hours supermarkets, ‘sweatshops’ and online banking do it, don’t they?
Many believe that some of it’s good; some bad.
Does this lady really believe ‘anything goes’? Or does she mean to say that she is interested in businesses that will contribute to the ‘health’ well being and sustainable economic growth of the community they operate in (local, countrywide or global) and, by doing so, create a successful business?
They’re two very different messages…
Secondly
A successful person is surely one who has achieved success on his or her own terms.
Stereotyping is probably hugely down to conditioning – we don’t come into this world with preconceived ideas about people and things – we learn them.
You tried the conforming route and, to the eyes of the outside world, it worked for you: You succeeded. Didn’t make you happy though because you weren’t being authentic to what was important to you.
You had the courage of your convictions to follow your own path: Good on you
! And let us know where we can see more of your writing…;-)
Twitter: Linda_Mattacks
Hi Linda
Thanks for your comment.
Do you know, given that this entrepreneur is a high profile investor – she seemed to have a preconception of who was going to make a difference. She basically was looking for “the dragons” of the future and was discounting small businesses as being capable of that. I pointed out that she was making a huge mistake by overlooking any start up as not being a future dragon.
I interviewed Levi Roots when working for BT Tradespace and he started out being a musician and selling his Jerk chicken at the Nottinghill carnival… when he went on Dragon’s Den, he had nothing apart from a £20 note in his pocket. He now gives a lot of his time speaking to the younger generations about being entrepreneurs of the future. He does that and a lot of other stuff free to make a difference… when I informed the aforemention investor of the above – it shut her up.
Bx
PS you’ll be seeing more of my writing soon … so watch this space for the launch of my blog.
Another great blog Bian!
It make me so sad to think that there are people who think this way.
I do sometimes think there is a perception that sole traders can’t be sucessful, and I have seen this as a craft business.
With my business – specialising in cards etc.. when I have talked on various forums, some responses have been quite negative, as if I don’t know anything, that I shouldn’t be there, that ‘I’m only a small craft business’ compared to other businesses who maybe dealing with thousands of pounds / orders a day.
I think business is a large ocean of possibilities and there is room for all of us
and as you say, you may start small but you never know what could happen 
Twitter: NitaJoyDesigns
Another great blog Bian!
It make me so sad to think that there are people who think this way.
I do sometimes think there is a perception that sole traders can’t be sucessful, and I have seen this as a craft business.
With my business – specialising in cards etc.. when I have talked on various forums, some responses have been quite negative, as if I don’t know anything, that I shouldn’t be there, that ‘I’m only a small craft business’ compared to other businesses who maybe dealing with thousands of pounds / orders a day.
I think business is a large ocean of possibilities and there is room for all of us
and as you say, you may start small but you never know what could happen 
Twitter: NitaJoyDesigns