Stereotypes
The Underlying Issue
The Basics of Human Rights
Human rights have many issues related to it, many of which are serious problems that need to be addressed. Yet there is one thing most, if not all, of these issues share in common. When human rights are brought up, it is claimed that we are all equal, yet stereotypes are always what degrade each and every one of is in some way into being something we aren't.
Stereotypes are traits, physical or personality wise, claimed to be had by specific people. This is where a lot of people have been mistreated on false speculation. For example, I'm sure you've heard this saying multiple times in some form or another: "You can't hit a girl." While this is true, there is an underlying issue with the claim that can cause abuse of human rights. You are not allowed to hit anyone under most laws, not just women. This saying assumes women either need extra protection or are somehow above others, both of which are not true. These things can be seen for males too. Men are often paid more for doing the same job as a woman, this is implying the men are doing a better job which yet again is not true.
Every person with equal is capable of doing great things, the fact that we attribute specific things based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and etcetera is something that needs to be fixed. While it is not the most obvious abuse of another's human rights, it does lead to unnecessary conflicts. Most other forms of human rights abuse can be linked to some form of stereotype or assumption that one type of person is better than another or worth something else compared to another human life.
Stereotypes and the Correlation to Human Rights
Stereotypes are not just an image, they are a message. They are a constant poison making us have irrational thoughts about a person before we even meet them. It makes us view others differently for no reason other than the fact that it is "all that we have to go by". Even positive stereotypes are bad for people as it puts higher expectations on these people. It makes us disappointed when these normal people can't do or aren't what we expected.
Why it's Important
Stereotypes promote and justify other human rights violations and can cause more just by existing. They are simple, but effective and we all know them. It's a scary thought to think about how many stereotypes a person knows yet we don't know the truth. We choose to lazily let stereotypes slide or accept them as fact.
If you wish to help give everyone an equal chance, it starts with you. There is no organization for this problem as it's so integrated into our society, we don't recognize it as an underlying issue in human rights. To combat this problem, we simply have to think more about why we believe certain things. We have to better ourselves by seeking the truth.