We all face stereotypes and it not uncommon for Indians to experience this. Let alone experience, even we do it.
Stereotyping is something we love to do, but we don’t realize how insulting it can be to the other person.
Stereotyping is mostly negative, and most of the people don’t even realize they are stereotyping others!
” You play football? But you are a girl!”
” Pink is a girl’s color, you should not wear it.”
However surprising these sentences might sound, but they are true. Stereotyping can be based on gender, age, religion and even on the region you belong from!
This all came into view when a Twitter user posted a stereotype he experiences because he is from Punjab. And honestly, there is not one region in India where we haven’t stereotyped our way in. This tweet gave a spin to these stereotypes and people tweeted more like these!
It began with a Twitter user who posted this, ” I say Punjabi, they hear butter chicken.”
I say Punjabi, they hear butter chicken.
— Slightly Grumpy 😤 (@roooossshhiiiii) May 25, 2019
And people could relate to it so much, that it did not take much time for them to revert back with their own tweets.
https://twitter.com/Lame_sperm/status/1132258242329923584
I say Gujarati, they hear Khaman-Dhokla. https://t.co/Ku7dQxUky3
— Sherlock (@Mituls23) May 25, 2019
I say Kanpuriya, they hear Vimal
~Bolo Zubaan Kesari https://t.co/5KP6F8HVJ1
— I don't like you but I (@Farji_Insaan) May 25, 2019
https://twitter.com/SanataniRudra/status/1132285275026219014
https://twitter.com/_pawanvarma_/status/1132285668611117057
https://twitter.com/Jhalla_wallah/status/1132286540845993986
https://twitter.com/itsjazzy0607/status/1132288812149870592
https://twitter.com/diplomatic_bae/status/1132287673169719296
I say JNU, they hear deshdrohi
— Jatin Gour / جتن گور / जतिन गौड (@jatinGour) May 25, 2019
I say Baniya, they hear Kanjoos. https://t.co/mHc7Waswfh
— Hazel🖤 (@DammnGirll) May 25, 2019
I say Bengali, they hear मछली.🐟 https://t.co/wzYyD6G6ss
— #MrFoodie (@NabheWalaRaman) May 25, 2019
This must be a cliché but even so …
I say Gujarati, they hear garba.— Sheetal ✍ शीतल ✍ شیتل (@ssoniisshh1) May 25, 2019
These stereotypes associated with these places are so popular that we have forgotten that are many more things about a person or a place. They might be funny, but they are also offensive. No one person/place is one thing. They have much more depth to it than these stereotypes!