Stereotypes & Bias
📋 What it is
A stereotype is an unfair assumption about a whole group; bias is a hidden lean toward or against people — both can be un-learned.
🗣️ Coach says
A stereotype squishes a whole group into one assumption ("all ___ are ___"). Even when a group average is real, the person in front of you may be nothing like it — so judging one person by a group assumption is unfair. Bias is a quieter lean we may not even notice. The good news: both can be noticed and un-learned. Catching yourself ("wait, that’s a stereotype") and getting to know individuals melts them.
🧠 Memory hook
Stereotype = "all ___ are ___" (unfair to the person in front of you). Bias = a hidden lean. Both can be NOTICED and un-learned.
😂 Giggle
I asked the tactile paving why it had bumps.
It said, "I'm just trying to point people in the right direction."
😲 Whoa!
Everyone has some hidden biases — they come from what we’re exposed to, not from being a bad person; noticing them is step one.
✅ Quick check: Why is judging one person by a group assumption unfair?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
Because even if something is true on average, it can be wrong about the person in front of you, and it takes away their chance to be seen as themselves.
Groups are varied; judging an individual by a group assumption is unfair whether or not the average is true.
🪄 Trick question: Does having a hidden bias make someone a bad person?
Careful — think it through, then reveal.
No — biases come from our surroundings; what matters is noticing and un-learning them.
Bias is common and learnable-away; awareness, not shame, is the fix.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Catch one stereotype in a show or ad and name why it’s unfair to real, varied people.