Camille: Stereotypes Obscure the Person Inside

Camille Taylor

WJBC Forum

A homeless person …a gang member…a terrorist. What images popped into your mind? Did you see a person of a particular race, gender, or age? If so, why did you get that particular image?

A stereotype is an idea about a thing or group that may be untrue or only partly true. It’s a judgment based on one or two pieces of information that don’t tell the whole story. They are often shared by many people such as “Politicians are dishonest” or “Rich people are snobs.” The problem with the stereotype paintbrush is you start to believe these untruths or partial truths without taking the time to get to know the individuals behind them.

Not In Our Town is a movement that has been active for about 20 years in our community. The vision of Not In Our Town is to eliminate hate, address bullying, and to make a safe, inclusive community. In order to do that, we know that there is no room for believing stereotypes which often leads to prejudice, discrimination, and hatred.

Last week, members of Not In Our Town mobilized when a sign that perpetuated a stereotype was displayed outside a local business. I was involved in a demonstration on the street outside the business and tried talking to the owner about why the sign was offensive. Unfortunately, the media headlines published “angry protestors” and “free speech” as the main focus. We were not angry, just full of conviction, and freedom of speech was never the issue. The issue was and always has been to make Bloomington/Normal a community where all people can live without fear of being stereotyped, discriminated against, or feel prejudice.

Last week I also spoke to about 25 young people at the McLean County Diversity Project Scholars’ Retreat at East Bay Camp. I shared the history and vision of Not In Our Town as well as why stereotypes, discrimination, and prejudice hurt people. These young people gave me hope, because they wanted to understand and to learn. We had a good exchange of ideas and several hope to get involved with efforts to make their schools more inclusive and safer from bullying next year.

After talking to the scholars of the McLean County Diversity Project, I would say our community’s future is in good hands, because these young people share that vision of hope. I’m Camille Taylor for the WJBC Forum.

NIOT:B/N Raises Awareness of Public Palestinian Slam

Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal protesters took to the street this month in front of a Twin Cities taxi business, they raised awareness that stereotype-based humor, especially in public, is a form of bigotry. 

"The message was heard," NIOT:B/N leader Willie Holton Halbert maintained after the hour long protest

A sign outside of Checker Cab, 1513 S. Main St., Bloomington, read "Things I trust more than Obama, a Palestinian on a motorcycle."

"Checker Cab's sign is a passive-aggressive use of a racial and ethnic stereotype to promote a political agenda," said Marc Miller, one of those protesting. "We do not care about political views. We do care about stopping the promotion of hate."

Miller said Aaron Halliday's sign is a form of bullying. After receiving complaints, Halliday posted an explanation on Facebook that stated he had no intention of offending anyone. He said the idea for the sign came from a friend who sent a list of slogans from Facebook.

"Now when I read this, the only thing I could think of was action movies where the hero is trying to get away and is chased on a motorcycle by a man (typically) who is wielding a knife or a gun. Picture Indiana Jones being chased through the desert. This is what I thought of when I read this. It was not meant to offend anyone. It was in my opinion, humor," Halliday said.

A local woman with connections to Palestine is among those upset by the sign.

"I am very grateful that people feel this is wrong," said Adrianna Ponce, a professor at Illinois Wesleyan University's School of Music. "We are against bigotry and I think that it's a pity that this sign is up."

Ponce is originally from Venezuela but is now married to a Palestinian and her son was born in Palestine. She also spent five years teaching music to Palestinian youth. Her son told her about the sign.

"I have seen a number of comments on Facebook and have talked to a few people and am glad that there are a lot of people taking a stand against this sign," she said.

NIOT:BN's Darlene Miller noted support in the form of passers-by honking their horns.

"We also spoke to Mr. Halliday about our very diverse populace in B/N due especially to three universities and State Farm," she related. "People from all over the world come in and out of Bloomington continuously. His signage would rightfully cause fear in some of these visitors. He seemed interested in that thought. We’ll see."
 

NIOT:B/N to Lead Protest of Cab Sign

Not in Our Town: Bloomington/Normal is helping lead a protest against a standing display in front of Bloomington's Checker Cab that has carried political messages among other things conveying Mexican and Palestinian stereotypes.

NIOT:B/N is inviting area residents to join them from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday on the sidewalk in front of Checker Cab, 1513 S. Main in Bloomington, at the corner of Main and Lincoln. The sign, under the premise of what the owner purports to trust more than President Obama, has listed "Mexican tap water" and, currently, "a Palestinian on a motorcycle."

"Checker Cab in Bloomington has posted a racist sign for all to see," NIOT:B/N leader Marc Miller related. "We have tried to convince him to take it down, but his response is a wink-and-nod that the words are really inoffensive and misinterpreted, and besides he has free speech.

"The core principle of Not In Our Town is: Intolerant words should not go unchallenged. Declare 'I object to these words and the damage they cause. They have no place in our community. Bigotry should not go unchallenged. Silently tolerating bigotry is wrong. It has no place in our community. We improve our lives and our community when we refuse to tolerate bullying, hatred, and intolerance.'"

NIOT:B/N is supplying signs for protestors. The demonstration will be peaceful, and protestors will be instructed neither to block traffic nor the entrance to the business.

If the sign pictured here is removed during the protest, the protest will end. Come a few minutes ahead of noon -- off-street parking will be necessary.