A social issue that is heavily prevalent in our society is one that, while it does affect some racial groups more than others, still affects us all: racial stereotyping. We live in a society where we believe that "all Asians should be smart", "all Muslims are terrorists", and "all African Americans are good at basketball". While in previous years, and still now, a lot of members of racial groups tend to conform to their stereotypes, this does not apply to all. As an African American female who is well-spoken, wears no hair extensions, and shops at Whole Foods, I have often been told that "I act white" or "I am trying to be white". It is unfathomable to me why someone would say that "I am not black" because I behave a certain way. But I do not let the stereotype define me. Stereotypes do not define me, because I define me. As a society, we continue to keep the pure ignorance of stereotypes alive because we continue to accept them and conform to them, not challenge them. I believe that Transcendentalists like Thoreau would have challenged these stereotypes. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent his entire life challenging the stereotype that African Americans should be treated as lesser beings due to the color of their skin. As a society, we must not continue to conform to these beliefs, but challenge them. We must educate one another about our cultures, so that we can decrease the ignorance that runs rampant in our beliefs. These beliefs, while conceived by beliefs from decades ago, continue to exist today because the media strengthens them. On an episode of What Would You Do?, three different people attempt to steal a bike that is chained to a post in a crowded park in broad daylight. None are secretive as to what they are doing, one even brings out an electric saw to attempt to rid the bike of its chain. One person is a Caucasian male, one is a similarly dressed African American male, and one is an attractive Caucasian female. Most people disregard the Caucasian male as he hacks and saws at the chain, a large crowd of spectators with many calling the police occur as the African American male attempts to steal the bike, and several men come and help the Caucasian female steal the bike, thus becoming accomplices in theft! While these three people were actors, people reacted this way towards them because the media implants this thought process into our brains. TV shows like Family Guy and The Jerry Springer Show, while for the purpose of "entertainment" create these racial connotations in our minds and solidify them. This begs the question: How do we stop racial stereotyping? There are many places to start, but the largest proponent of this issue is the media. Television networks do not continue to broadcast tv shows that no one is watching. They continue to broadcast programs that extend these stereotypes because we continue to watch them. We are all guilty of it. But this disregard of hurtful stereotyping for the purpose of entertainment shows that, as a collective society, we do not want to change the status quo. This is a pressing issue, but not enough members of society want to change it, because there are only a handful of organizations fighting racial stereotyping. One organization is the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media, and in days of research, this organization has been the only one that I could find. What does this say about us America? We boast a nation of equality and freedom, but we still weigh each other down by the racial chains we place on one another before even speaking. While African Americans can now go to the same school as Caucasians and Asians and Hispanics, the racial roles that were created decades ago still exist, though slightly altered. It is impossible to change our races, so the only thing that we can do....is change our thoughts.