Scrolling down my Facebook newsfeed I came across a statement which said, “Science students don’t go beyond the written.” At first, I was taken a bit aback because the statement was made by someone who usually participates in discussions and contributes fairly to it. When I confronted this person regarding the issue, by mentioning how stereotyping kills confidence, I was rhetorically answered with the word, ‘chill’. Now, this is not the end to it. The fact is he is not the only kid with this kind of mindset, but most people I come across every day reveal the same.
The sole reason I’m addressing this issue is not that I hold any grudge, (honestly, I love this person) but because it is high time people understand the repercussions of stereotyping. I am aware of the horrors of stereotyping because I’ve been a victim to the same. The usual phrases like, “Fat people can’t dance“, or “short height wale logo se kuch nahi hoga, kyunki pehle height pe pahunch toh jao” cannot be dealt casually, and rightly so. For it results in demoralizing every fat person from dancing or every short person from trying, despite the fact that given a chance they would do it better than most other people.
Furthermore, there are stereotypes about gender issues. It is a myth that men don’t get harassed. They do. And the stereotypes which lead to these myths are, “Ladka ka hi kuch galti hoga“. I have a guy friend who was stalked and harassed to the extent that he had to leave the city and his coaching midway. This not only affected his studies, but also his health. Painstakingly he confessed that had he stayed back, he could have scored better. Conversely, had he stayed back he could have been either blamed or killed for something he didn’t even commit.
There are millions of stereotypical notions apart from ‘Pink’ and ‘Blue’ which are spreading like wildfire every day. Just by the way, science students can be ardent readers, who have explored much more than anybody’s comprehension. And even if they don’t, so what? Who even made these stereotypical arguments that said so? I’m pretty sure someone who has no clue about understanding details and beyond. I didn’t know the apparent difference between Marvel and DC. So what? Being a non-conformist, I have always broken rules and stereotypes. One of them being, “Jharkhand-Bihar ke log gawar hain“. After all, I got no chill, mate. To breaking, and fighting these stereotypes, more often than not.
