Being a Bangladeshi going to an international school with people from all over, I have inevitably been the target of stereotypes. Some are funny, some are hurtful, but very few are accurate. There have been far too many instances in my life where I have been expected to behave a certain way, do a certain thing, or be a certain type of person. For what ? Because of my nationality and religion. First of all, I am not a terrorist because I am Muslim. I am Bangladeshi, not Indian and no, we are not the same. I don't eat curry all day and also, I don't always smell bad (maybe after PE). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay I almost never let stereotypes get to me, but every once in a while someone says something you won't forget. One of those moments happened during a 9th grade science class. Our teacher handed back our exams after he finished grading them and we were all nervous but excited to see how we would do. As high school students, we started comparing scores. I got one of the best grades in the class and was over the moon, but I limited my excitement to fireworks in my head. Out of nowhere, someone managed to extinguish my inner celebrations with a few words. “Oh, you just got an A because you’re Bangladeshi.” No. that's not why I got an A. I got an A because I worked hard. I got an A because I paid attention during class and took notes. I got an A because I sacrificed my sleep to stay awake and study. The person who said this was implying the stereotype that Bangladeshis are naturally intelligent. While this is certainly true for a small fraction of Bangladesh, it does not apply to the majority of us, and certainly not to me. This stereotype bothered me a lot because my nationality, or rather a stereotype, was credited for my success, instead of the hard work and effort I put into it. I felt like my hard work was being compromised and I couldn't accept it. Obviously, this stereotype isn't as bad as others, but it shows that all stereotypes can have an impact on a person. Although it is extremely difficult to change society's long-held views, we can follow in Alexie Sherman's footsteps and do our best to break stereotypes and try to show people that these stereotypes and overgeneralizations do not are not true. I found the following quote very relevant to this topic. “Stereotypes are derived from the actions of the 1% and applied to the rest of the 99% of people.” Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay General, I believe that stereotyping is an intense problem that occurs daily. Despite the fact that it happens all the time, people are still hurt by their stereotypes, even if they might be our own people like Sherman Alexie. You have to learn not to judge people before meeting them and wait until you get to know them to form an opinion. Rather than stereotyping someone, really find out what their religion is or what they look like. So remember, the next time you see someone who is very intelligent or has a preferable opinion, don't try to disappoint them rather than value their diligent work. And if you see someone with some confidence, don't expect them to have no spirit. Everyone is different, so.