I have a Korean grandmother, and because of this, I am quite sensitive to the effects of stereotypes. Whenever I hear a person making jokes about how Chinese people name their children, or hear people throw out random sounds in a crude attempt to recreate beautiful languages, I am hurt. Whenever I achieve a high grade and someone makes it a matter of fact because of my Asian heritage, I am hurt. And when I don’t achieve high grades, I am embarrassed because I haven’t lived up to what society expects of me. None of us are truly free when we live in a society that widely accepts stereotypes without hesitation. When society and people chain others through broad generalizations, the result can become unpleasant. Although it can be difficult to see, stereotypes have affected the lives of millions of people throughout history, and it still does today.

In recent months I have studied the Holocaust. This has opened my eyes to the horror that our world lives in. It can be a beautiful place, full of love and happiness, but it also is a place where evil resides, coming from the dark corners of human morality and seeping, pervading its way into the human mind, where, once it takes hold, becomes difficult to remove, and can lead to unjust acts which will haunt humanity for decades, maybe even centuries.

This injustice is perhaps most effectively seen throughout the Holocaust. The hatred towards Jews leading up to and during the Holocaust was built off of false stereotypes. Stereotypes that portrayed them as greedy; stereotypes that portrayed them as rude; stereotypes that shouldn’t have had a bearing on people’s lives: having large noses and being ugly. These stereotypes led people across Europe and the world to hate people of Jewish ancestry because one man was able to harness these fears and stereotypes and pit entire nations against one group of people because of what they were generalized to be. Even after this, humanity still hasn’t learned its lesson. Despite what stereotypes have done to millions of people and families, still we appropriate them today. Many people in the United States consciously or even subconsciously become friends with people who share the same beliefs as them, or are the same race as them. This can ostracize minority groups and allow for stereotypes to be appropriated simply because of the lack of exposure to other cultures.

But it also hurts the individuals affected by these stereotypes as well, not just the group. No matter how flattering or positive the stereotype is, when a person doesn’t choose to or can’t live up to it, they are scorned and become hurt. Hurt by the confused faces when they explain themselves. Hurt by the lack of empathy that comes after the explanation. And hurt by the sharp words that cut into the very soul of a generalized person, trying to compress them into a cookie cutter version of themselves. A study published in The Journal of Adolescent Health shows that by the age of 10 or 11, gender stereotypes have already taken a stronghold in children’s minds. Boys are taught to be aggressive while girls are taught to be passive. This leads to adverse behaviors, such as increased drinking and violence in men, and increased risk of sexual or physical abuse in women. Why? Because boys are taught to play sports and be rowdy, while girls are taught to be pretty and quiet, even at their most impressionable time in life.

While there are still undeniable grievances that society has committed to various groups, people have come to the realization that not all members of one ethnic group, or religion, or hobby, or one anything are the same. Because of activism throughout the United States and the world, people’s eyes have been opened to the common values that we hold. And yes, we are human. We seek categorization and order. But now it is time to put archaic generalizations to rest. Each stereotype uttered is another brick in the wall that divides us. But guess what? The foundations of this wall aren’t strong. They were built upon weak ideas, those ideas that corrupt, and slander, and shame, and the storm of acceptance and enlightenment is coming.

Why do I stand defiant in the face of these stereotypes? Because as a Christian, I’ve been taught love. As a child, I’ve been taught acceptance. And because as a human, I know, from the core of my morals, that the culture of labeling and generalization that the world has today is wrong. No woman should be told she can’t work as well as a man. No Asian should be forced into a career of mathematics. No man should have to play sports when he doesn’t want to. No black person should cause suspicion because of their skin. These are just a few of the bricks in our wall that we have built. Now it’s time for us to be the people we should be. Now it is time for us to rise up, it is time for us to come together, and it is time for us to learn love and to teach acceptance.

What do you want to do? Do you want to be the one to strengthen this wall, creating a world where we are all distrustful of one another? Or do you want to be the one to tear down the barrier that stands between us, creating a world that recognizes the common worth in everyone? For my heritage, for my beliefs, and for my morals, I know what I’m going to do. Do you?