Tuesday, 1 July 2025 | Term 1 | Week

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Day | Views 484

Claudia's Lion Club of Warkworth prizewinning speech

Hi, my names Claudia, and I'm a blonde. Now by stereotype, that'd make me: an airhead who lacks motivation and stares at her reflection for as long as it takes the rest of the world to see pigs fly. I get dumb blonde jokes thrown at me regularly and my intelligence questioned constantly because of this stigma blondes have; crazy, dumb, and really not achieving anything in life. After doing a bit of research, I found a man who stated that "Brunettes command your respect, blondes just don't do the same" as if the colour of my hair determines how much respect you must you have for me. As if the colour of my hair, defines who I am inside. We pass these judgements so easily and freely, it's almost scary.

Now this stereotype and discrimination based on my hair colour doesn't affect me too much, it's not a big deal and compared to the rest of the world's issues, it's petty. But it's the point of inequality that hits me, stereotyping and discriminating, the constant comparisons and questioned motives, creates an inequality unfair on all. Like the rest of the globes stereotypes, racism and gender inequality are all based on pre-written roles, forcing people to meet cliches and expectations. Just because you fit under a label, people assume so much about you, without even knowing you. It's unjust and has become the new age of discrimination. Since when did we forget about "Don't judge a book by its cover?"

Gender is a social construct. People often don't know, but sex is what you are anatomically, while gender is what you feel you are, yet we get these two so mixed up that often we expect our personalities to follow with what we look like, this creates inequality in the way that we expect and rely on having perfectly dependable little boys and girls. We are supposed to expect that girls will play with dolls in pink frilly dresses, surrounded in sugar and spice and everything nice, because that's what "girls" are made of, while boys play with trucks with muddy clothes and messy hair, running around the lawn pretending to kill each other. At such a young age we get these stereotypes ingrained in our heads, forcing us to become what is expected in society. This cliche is affecting the creativity and freedom in young minds so some feel they do not fit into this mould if they don't follow all the guidelines. We deprive our youth of expression of who they are because of the inequality of this stereotype, forcing the phrases "boys will be boys" and "that's not very ladylike" down kids throats to create small clones that fit into this black and white world.

Racial stereotypes may be the most fierce and cutthroat of all. So deeply ingrained in our history, we've forgotten any other way. Racist stereotypes started so early on in the world's history, you would've thought we were over it by now, yet we're here in the 21st century still hearing horrific stories of "white superiority" as if we haven't had enough time to realise how wrong we are. In New Zealand we're pretty sheltered from this discrimination. Yes, events happen and New Zealand's let down, but compared to America we're doing alright in the way of forward thinking. I could use so many examples from all around the world but America could be the most disappointing illustration of racism in 1st world countries. The protests, the riots, the police horrors, and down right prejudice towards anyone with different ancestry- it's really frightening to think how far our technology and lives have evolved but how stagnant our mindset towards difference has stayed. People with even the slightest bit difference in their make up can be shunned and looked down on purely because of a false stereotype created for them against their will and innocent lives are taken and shattered because they were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Discriminating against a person because of their race is bringing all our evolution and growth as a species crashing down.

If we didn't have this pre-written persona to play, we'd be free to live our lives as openly as we'd like. We don't need a personality already made up for someone as soon as you meet them. We don't need to listen to stereotypes and let them affect our respect for someone, or assume things about them, without knowing them. We don't need judgement, discrimination or prejudice towards anyone. We all need learn to appreciate the power of getting to know someone. Instead judging them straightaway. Don't judge a book by its cover.