Stereotyping II and Self Assessment

I do not remember attaching stereotypes with people. But I must admit one thing, that deep inside me, I did have some negative feeling about the many people due to their occupation, status or lifestyles. I know people are bound to opt for certain professions in life which might be against social norms as they have no other choice, still, I did carry a slightly negative impression of the stereotyped people.

When I was assigned this project, I was wondering if I actually had stereotypical attitude for certain people. At that time, my mind did not answer actively, because I do not generally attach people with stereotypes; but later, I got a long list of people for whom we have negative points of view. Of them, I chose nurses.

I personally like them, because they serve us. But I did not have any kind of strong judgement about them. Shameful but true, I did have doubts about their character too; not because it was my view, but because I had heard a lot about them from the people around me. I heard about them being cheap, not worth keeping in company, not deserving respect, and that they are low standard “beings” etc. Whenever I heard such statements and points of view about them, I felt slightly bad and often stayed silent. This means I was a part of the lot that thought stereotypically.   

I am thankful to my professor who made me do this assignment. When I met the nurse Miss ***** for the first time, I had certain fears in my mind as to how she would treat me, how she will answer my questions honestly and so on… But after meeting her for almost one week, I came to know of the pain which she and many other stereotyped people were going through while living in our society. Now my views have changed. Now I know why they deserve respect. It is because first of all, they serve us whole-heartedly. They tolerate all the harsh words of their authorities and body-penetrating gawk of the impious men. The nurses truly exemplify humanity. They treat the rich and the poor, the old and the young, the male and the female with equal care and responsibility. How many of us actually let everyone in our life gain the same place in our hearts and minds??? Perhaps none of us, but they do! They have to perform one of the toughest jobs of the world, to look after those who are completely dependent on them and yet are not related to them. They deserve honor because these “sisters” are the real healers of the injured souls. If being a nurse had been such a big offense, then imagine the hospital without nurses. It is not possible to run a proper healthcare system without a nurse.

I have learnt that every profession and every person in this world is important. Nothing is useless and no one is worthless. Now I will be able to answer the people who talk rubbish against nurses, and other stereotyped people; probably I will be able to show them the brighter side of the picture!  

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