What stereotypes do you perpetuate?

[LifeOnWry]

Some say stereotypes exist because they have some kernel of Truth (with a capital T.) I agree, but think such Truths are more about the eye of the beholder than the behold-ee, and anyone who wishes to discuss that is welcome to go start a thread in GD about it. This is intended as a fun thread for all of us to mock ourselves a bit. So - are you a soccer mom who drives a minivan? A big-pants, hip-hop kid who hangs out at the local mall? A bonafide pocket-protector nerd with tape on your glasses? College student who attends political protests and drinks too much on weekends? A gay guy with exceptionally good fashion sense? What is it about you that occasionally makes you go, "Oh. I just perpetuated a stereotype." And... what stereotypes do you defy?

Me, I'm a middle-aged suburban stay-at-home mom. I generally vote along conservative Democrat lines, I'm on the parent-teacher organization and I cook with Campbell's soup far oftener than I'd care to admit. I have become mildly geezerish, yelling at neighbor's kids to get off my lawn from my kitchen door. I used to drive a minivan, but now I drive a plain ol' sensible Saturn sedan. I call local companies and notify them when their outdoor flags need replacing.

But - I wear high heels almost all the time as opposed to tennis shoes, I occasionally dye my hair funky colors like purple, I listen to more punk music than I do Celine Dion, I don't watch sitcoms, I don't diet and I NEVER attend home shopping parties.

[Alice The Goon]

I'm a Poor Single Mother. I live in low-income apartments, I drive a 15 year-old car, my kids get Free Lunch. I shop at Super K-Mart (because I hate Walmart), I sometimes make things like hamburger gravy over rice to stretch the grocery money, I buy our clothes mostly at thrift stores.

However, I don't get a dime of assistance from the state, I work really hard, and I'm fairly intelligent. I know how to act appropriately, I don't have "uncles" constantly going in and out, my children and exceptionally polite and well-behaved.

[Soul Brother Number Two]

I am a jolly fat man.

[pokey]

You know the one about Canadians being overly polite and modest to the point that it annoys everyone? I perpetuate that stereotype.

[Tracy Lord]

I'm an energetic and snarky redhead, a Pacific Northwest coffee chugger, a thrifty college student (although that's more by necessity than anything else ) and (okay, this one I'm a little embarrassed about) a young woman who LOVES pink.

[Priam]

I'm a gay man who shrieks like a little girl when excited or scared. I was, up until a couple of years ago, the creepy introverted geek ala Napoleon Dynamite (more Kip than Napoleon). I'm the skinny guy who eats quite a lot of junk food and doesn't gain a pound. I was the good little Catholic boy at one time.

Those are just off the top of my head

[DaddyTimesTwo]

Hello, I'm a dad and I say "Go ask your mother" way too often.

Damn it, mommy is home with the kids and she just does more stuff around here! I'm not that lazy! Really.

[matt_mcl]

I am a femme, frequently outrageous, committedly non-monogamous gay man who loves drag shows and the Pet Shop Boys, dances with my hands, was an unathletic loner as a kid, and who keeps cats. After I get my cheques for the last two translations, we'll see if we can't get the apartment up to speed ^_^

As a Canadian, I am left-wing, in favour of gay marriage, have been known to smoke pot, am fluently bilingual, and frequently apologize to people for stepping on my feet.

As a Quebecer, I am libertine, more left-wing than most Canadians, and ... uh... I like poutine and smoked meat.

As a translator, I am very anal-retentive about grammar.

[EmeraldGrue]

Like pokey, I am the stereotypically meek Canadian, one of those people who stops at the red light at the empty intersection in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the light to change.

[jayjay]

I am a gay male theater-queen. I love showtunes. I'm also non-monogamous (as is my partner...duh...) and would, if I had the energy and the body, probably be VERY promiscuous...

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by jayjay

...probably be VERY promiscuous...

I just have to add that there's no "probably" about it. I have a history, back when I was young and cute and not anywhere near as fat as I am now...

Which reminds me ("fat as I am..."), I'm also a Judy fan, a Bette Midler fan, and a Madonna fan. You can cut the stereotypes with a knife around here...

[Beware of Doug]

I am an overage mama's boy with an unsatisfying social life who posts to a lot of message boards.

[My Darn Snake Legs]

One doesn't have to fit the whole stereotype, does one?

I'm a Texan and I like guns and beer, though not at the same time. I'm loud and boisterous, but I'm also polite to the ladies and if you say that about mah momma again we'll have to step outside.

On the other hand I'm a bigot or a homophobe and I don't have boots, spurs, or a ten gallon hat. Unfortunately that's what people here in OH think about Texans so I am forced to defend my great state more often than not.

[Snooooopy]

Originally Posted by My Darn Snake Legs

On the other hand I'm a bigot or a homophobe ...

One or the other? A guessing game! Great! OK ... hmm ... could you give us a hint?

[Ephemera]

I'm a Trekkie virgin; a sometimes overemotional bi man that likes romantic comedies; and your typical angry young liberal although that's died down since November when I just stopped caring.

[AskNott]

I perpetuate the stereotype that tall men are charming. Sorry, I can't help it. Men in fedoras have a certain jenna say kwa, even if they don't speak French worth a peso.

[Ranchoth]

Virgin wallflower geek/nerd. I meticulously research things for fun, I've replaced or augmented most of the major components in my computer, and I've never been on a date.

I'm also a struggling would-be author who agonizes over whether or not he's just a hack who'll never make any money. I've already got the facial stubble, I just need to get a battered fedora and a bad drinking/smoking habit.

[picker]

I'm a long-haired bearded ultra-liberal pot-smoking sandal-wearing tree-hugging musician without a day job.

I'm also a compulsively on-time, uptight, anal-retentive, list-makin', order shoutin' wheelin' and dealin', coffee-chugging concert promoter & manager.

Wow, two opposite stereotypes at once. No wonder I'm a mess....

[roger thornhill]

Originally Posted by My Darn Snake Legs

On the other hand I'm a bigot or a homophobe

No you're not. Neither a bigot nor a homophobe would admit to it.

[matt_mcl]

Oh, and as a New Democrat, I drink way too much coffee, fight lost-cause elections, am a university student, insist on the use of gender-neutral language in both official languages, and don't have a steady job ^_^

[wolfman]

I'm a computer geek guy. I'm a fat, ugly, opinionated, bushy bearded, long haired, Monty Python, Simpsons , Star Trek and comic book guy loving slob who thinks that only points of clothes is prevent nekidness and to be as cheep as possible, and thinks that proper spelling and grammer and writting style are pedantic skills better left to tech writters.

I'm also a manly many type. I believe that knowing how to fix a car, recognize a pitch, identify a hockey player, shoot and skin an animal, chop up a tree, build a fence or a house, sew up your own wounds with fishing line, and start a fire with sticks and twine are important skills to practice, and that you should never bitch about pain, protect women even to the point of looking like an ass, cook your damn steak rare, say fuck-all to wusses afraid of food contamination, and appreciate a well crafted beer, whiskey or whisky.

[Kaitlyn]

Perpetuate:

I'm the Asian girl dressed up as a Japanese anime or video game character at the sci-fi convention.

I'm the girly girl who cries at the end of the predictable chick flick when the girl realizes that the down-to-earth guy is the one she really loves.

I'm the shopping-is-a-competitive-sport woman who can spend six hours at the mall trying on clothes, not buy anything, and consider it a successful shopping trip.

Defy:

I'm the fashionably dressed 30-year-old woman at the comic shop coming through boxes of old What If comics looking for a #16 to complete my Shang Chi collection.

I'm the girl in the mini-skirt who gets in line an two hours before the amusement park opes so that I can go running to the best roller coaster in the amusement park line and ride it 10 times in a row before the line starts to back up.

[Dunderman]

I'm a leftist vegetarian nerd student who despises basically everybody. I like computers and have a small circle of friends who are also nerds. We get together and do nerdy things. I have opinions about everything, especially gay rights, women's rights, saving the whales and racism.

_{Well, I'm not a vegetarian as such. Close, though. Closer than most, anyway.}

[Zonyx]

I'm fairly Irish. 'Nuff said.

[BrotherCadfael]

I'm a computer guy who wears business dress and has good people skills.

I guess I'm the exception who proves the rule...

[Justin_Bailey]

I'm Italian and I can't talk without flailing my arms every which way. I also eat pasta at least once a week.

However, I don't go to church, I don't wear big gold chains and I don't wear a "wife-beater."

[levdrakon]

As a gay man, I am frighteningly good with plants. In fact, I'm even better with plants than other gay men who are into plants. I scare them. When they try to match plant knowledge with me I make them run away like little girls.

Even if you're a professional, or a biologist or something I'll still sneer at you if you tell me such and such plant is difficult to grow when I've not only grown it, it bloomed and went to seed and I grew more from the seed.

[Coil]

I guess I help perpetuate the tall blonde Swede stereotype.

[Anaamika]

Well, I'm the young lady who does like pink, and shiny things. My head will turn every time I see a shiny thing. I'm like a bird like that.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Up until recently, I was a collector of comic books and action figures who was unemployed and lived with my parents. I'm not in the greatest shape of my life, my hair is starting to thin in my mid-20s, and I have a beard. I was a real late bloomer and still have never dated much.

HOWEVER, I am very aware of the negative "Comic Book Guy"/"Cat Piss Man" stereotype of comic collectors as antisocial nerds and pathetic losers, so I do my best to fight it: I played in several bands in college, I have a couple degrees, I finally have a decent job and I wear a suit and tie to work, I have wonderful friends, I dress well when I go out, and my personal hygiene is pretty darn good. Also, to further confound the stereotypes, I would wear my faded Green Lantern and Flash T-shirts to my law school classes, and my nicer vintage-retro-looking shirts and two-tone wingtips to comic conventions (with plenty of deodorant to counteract everyone else!).

[Jennshark]

I am the dyke with a ponytail hanging out the hole in my ball cap, driving my Nissan X-Terra to Home Depot to buy blades for my table and skill saw. I'm the butch late-30s neighbor walking her three dogs, painting the outside of her house, trimming the trees and hauling things to the dump. I'm the big girl sitting across the aisle from you in McDonald's wearing all men's Old Navy clothes, white gym socks and LL Bean mocs. This "mode of casual me" renders me all but invisible to many straight men (except those that ask me at Home Depot "Do you work here?") and all snotty Nordstrom saleswomen.

~and~

I'm a very well-dressed English professor wearing a Ralph Lauren suit with a tasteful scarf and expensive loafers. I'm the woman who can be depended on to see both sides of heated political/pesonal issues and offer diplomatic resolutions (another form of trimming trees and transporting unwanted things to the landfill.) When in professional mode: men "see" me, suddenly notice I'm blonde and well-bosomed, hold doors for me and make small talk. I get quick service in tony department stores and bars. Hah! If they only knew that I was wearing Hanes Grandma Underwear for Dykes underneath it all!

[Hypno-Toad]

I'm the white guy who can neither jump nor dance.

I'm a gamer who will debate the pros and cons of different role-playing systems and will say, "Missed your dex check!" if someone drops something. I also have no dating life.

As a weightlifter, I will take WAY TOO LONG describing my workout routine in excrutiating detail to anyone who asks.

As a doper, I am really bothered by poor typing, grammar, or spelling. I am VERY embarrassed if it's my own mistake.

[Green Bean]

I'm a bleeding heart New York liberal Jew.

[js_africanus]

Is there a stereotype of WASPs being funky? 'Cos I'm confirming the hell out of that!

[caveman]

1) I'm a nerd: overweight, awkward, with bad skin who runs linux, reads comic books, wears glasses and revels in many traditional icons of geekhood. (but I do have a gorgeous girlfriend, and no longer live with my parents)

2) I'm a hipster wannabe: shaved head, goatee, Buddy Holly-style glasses, occasional attendance at shows featuring obscure/local bands, movie snob tendencies. (but I actually enjoy said music, and don't feel superior about it)

3) I'm a country boy: I like to shoot, drive pickups, make and eat BBQ, listen to country music and drink inexpensive beer. (but I'm ultra-tolerant and my girlfriend is adorably ethnic)

4) I'm an Italian-American: I cook lots of pasta, I make my own sauce, I listen to my mother, I talk with my hands, I'm olive-toned and hairy, and I've been known to wear a wifebeater, at least one of which is stained with tomato sauce. (but I'm not Catholic or involvled with any family that's not genetic)

[Troy McClure SF]

My real last name is McClure, and I drink. A lot.

[AbbySthrnAccent]

Reinforces: I am a soccer (baseball, football, basketball, swimming, water polo) mom, who drives a mini van.

Defies: A Texan without boots or a 10 gallon western style hat and don't wear jeans. Hubby and son have jeans but don't have western boots or hats either.
The hat of choice around our house has always been a bucket hat. Everyone at our house screams like a little girl at the sight of a snake and we haven't had a gun or rifle under the bed in 18 years.

[Time Like Tears]

I think I perpetuate a lot of stereotypes about my generation by trying my best not to perpetuate stereotypes, if that makes sense.

If this isn't a stereotype yet, it will be...I am in my early 20's, very intelligent, good at a little of everything, but I haven't been to college, didn't graduate high school mostly because it was boring, and I am regretting it now.

Hmm, I have three tattoos, 9 earrings, too much jewelry and black clothing. I listen to a wide range of music, but mostly hard rock. I have just managed to find my natural hair color again, but am already considering going back to black-ish. I have a tattoo that includes a pentacle, and no, dammit, for the last time, I am NOT a Wiccan! My political views are centrist bordering on anarchistic, I am cynical minded and trust no one until they prove themselves worthy. This seems to be rather typical of folks my age.

On the other hand, I'm a young woman in the Deep SouthTM, a Daddy's Girl who can talk him into or out of almost anything, an expert in behaving myself in polite society (even though I never do!), and I can charm the pants off just about anyone. Typical Southern Belle, when I need to be. I look durn professional in a suit, with my glasses on and my hair swept back, only one earring per ear.

Basically, I am walking contradiction. A pile of stereotypes and abnormalities. I am completely normal.

[tremorviolet]

I'm a redhead and I can get so instantly, blindingly angry that I scare people. And then an hour later I am sooo over being mad and totally embarassed about perpetuating the stereotype.

I'm a single gal with cats (who I'm secretly convinced are going to eat me one day when I crushed by stacks of falling newspapers).

I'm the whitest white girl ever and I really, really can't dance (unless I'm drunk and then yous till wouldn't call it dancing).

But, I'm also an engineer with multiple tattoos who's a liberal (very rare in the civil engineering world). I'm the only rower I know who can row with long, fake fingernails. And I'm a Southerner, born and bred, but I can talk faster than anyone you've ever met...

[levdrakon]

Originally Posted by AbbySthrnAccent

Everyone at our house screams like a little girl at the sight of a snake

You sure you ain't texans? I'm related to a few.

[Epimetheus]

Originally Posted by Kaitlyn

Perpetuate:

I'm the Asian girl dressed up as a Japanese anime or video game character at the sci-fi convention.

I'm the girly girl who cries at the end of the predictable chick flick when the girl realizes that the down-to-earth guy is the one she really loves.

I'm the shopping-is-a-competitive-sport woman who can spend six hours at the mall trying on clothes, not buy anything, and consider it a successful shopping trip.

Defy:

I'm the fashionably dressed 30-year-old woman at the comic shop coming through boxes of old What If comics looking for a #16 to complete my Shang Chi collection.

I'm the girl in the mini-skirt who gets in line an two hours before the amusement park opes so that I can go running to the best roller coaster in the amusement park line and ride it 10 times in a row before the line starts to back up.

Well hello!

[brianjedi]

I'm a fried food-loving, sweet tea-chugging, NASCAR-watching Southerner, a liberal college student and journalist and a computer geek.

Yes, I know, a technology-literate liberal Southerner is the biggest contradiction ever, but it's true.

[ErinPuff]

Perpetuating: I'm a liberal feminist college student.

Defying: I'm a Christian.

[WhyNot]

Well, I'm a polyamorous neopagan who wears lots of long, flowy skirts, likes to dance topless around bonfires and is really into herbal medicine, acupuncture and massage therapy. I have three altars around my house with varying levels of crystals on them (but only 'cause I think they're pretty.) I like camping, walking skyclad (naked) in the woods (but always bring a towel with me to sit somewhere.) I make my own herbal medicines, from plants I grow or wild-harvest myself. I enjoy smoking the green, and have occasionally been known to say "Dude, that's sooooooo wonderful!" with a glazed look in my eyes. I know what Qi is, and how to move it. I talk to plants.

Around here, I'm probably considered a pinko commie left-wing liberal whackjob.

Around my pinko commie left-wing liberal friends IRL, I'm considered a stodgey, stick-in-the-ass conservative right-wing fascist who won't shut up about Scientific Research being a good thing.

[Khampelf]

You know the old saw about all extraterrestials trying to lie low on Earth winding up in Civil Service jobs? I'm living that one.

[F. U. Shakespeare]

I'm from West Virginia, and I play country and western music (the old kind, not the modern "Suburban and Southern" variant).

I'm half Greek, and always seem to be working in restaurants. (Has anyone ever heard this sterotype? It was really prevalent while I was growing up, but has become much less so).

I'm a quarter Irish, and I drink like a fish.

I'm an engineer/mathematician, and I tend to over-analyze every-day things.

[The Devil's Grandmother]

You know Tina The Brittle Tech Writer from the Dilbert cartoons? I’m her, only with better hair and glasses. I’m uptight, I hate my job, <pauses to shake tiny impotent fists of death at Wolfman>, a rules-lawyer and on-time to meetings.

I wear birkenstocks and no makeup. I drive a pickup truck usually wearing a man’s plaid shirt. I’m noisily pro-gay-marriage and left-wing. I’m a feminist. I have cats and plants that I talk to. I like power tools, camping and sports. I hate the color pink. I wear nearly no jewelry. I was fired once because my supervisor thought I was a lesbian. At another job, a coworker apologized to me when he verbalized his homophobia (I was baiting him on purpose ‘cause he was a jerk). I am, however, married to man (an evil computer programmer! But I forgive him because he can construct a decent sentence).

[AbbySthrnAccent]

Originally Posted by levdrakon

You sure you ain't texans? I'm related to a few.

I'm quite sure we are all Texan.

[Kyla]

I'm a vegetarian liberal from California. My parents were/are hippies and I have a pair of Birkenstocks.

However, I bathe regularly, shave my legs (well, not so much in the winter), have never done any sort of drug, am disinterested in either the Grateful Dead or Phish, love baseball, and enjoy mocking the crazy, disconnected-from-reality ("sign this petition to free Mumia, dude!") people I went to college with.

[Ephemera]

Originally Posted by roger thornhill

No you're not. Neither a bigot nor a homophobe would admit to it.

I think he meant to say "not". The phrasing's pretty awkward otherwise and, as you said, a bigoted homophobe wouldn't admit to it so publicly.