Commonplaces

There are many commonplaces in my life. For instance I think a big one is the negative stereotypes on Muslim Americans and Middle Easterners. The commonplace idea here is that Middle Easterners are terrorists. I think this developed from the attacks on September 11th. Due to the fact that those who attacked were Muslim, people just assume that the rest of Muslims are the same way. I have to disagree with those though, because I have a father from Iraq and his family is from there and they are absolutely the furthest things from terrorists. I hate when you walk around and see a lady with a scarf on her head and you hear someone talk behind her calling her a terrorist. This is the same thing that happened to Jews during WWII, and those who were believed to be a part of the communism scare.
Another commonplace I find quite often is that the wealthy are rude and arrogant. Of course this is true sometimes. I believe some celebrities to be rude and arrogant and that they demand way to much respect just because they are famous. But I also have to disagree, because I know many people who are of wealth and they are the nicest most generous people out there. I think this rude and arrogance ideology has developed from the media portraying celebrities and other rich people to demand more than what I can even imagine and not give any away to those in need. It is hard to think of wealthy people as “good” when they have so much and others have so little. I tend to think why don’t they share it with others, but then again they have their reasons. But then there are those who do share their wealth, and are respectful, and honestly do not flaunt their money at all. So I would have to disagree that all wealthy people are “bad.”
I also believe a commonplace is that smart people are nerds. I find this hard to believe, because I think being smart is actually a good thing. I remember in elementary school, the students who were smart and scored well on exams were nerds. People used to make fun of them for doing well. I think this commonplace is more common with younger generations. I believe as we mature and get older we see that being smart is a good thing. Now that I am in college being smart is something we as students all try to strive for. We know if we are smart we will get a better job, earn more money, and succeed more easily throughout life. But for little kids, being smart makes them a dork. I remember doing well in class, and not trying to tell anyone, afraid I would get made fun of. Today though, I am glad I am smart and will gladly flaunt it around.
Another commonplace is the idea that the poor will never succeed in life. People assume that if someone comes from a bad or low income neighborhood they will most likely never succeed. They see the horrible schools children are put into, the amount of welfare that is dispersed in these areas, and that lack of parenting that many parents give because they are too busy on drugs or trying to find a job. People believe that these low income generations will have more kids and then those generations will grow up to be the same way. It is hard to escape these circumstances, and many think most never will. I have to agree to this in some extent. Lower income families just do not have the resources that a middle or upper class family gets. It is hard for them to get through school and make it to college like most of us are lucky enough to do. I do have to disagree somewhat though. There have been times when I hear of the girl who had no parents and was able to do so well in high school she received a full ride to Harvard or some other Ivy League school. So it does happen, and kids can succeed. So to say that all the poor will not is false.