As much as I like to consider myself as individualistic
and an “out-of-the-box” thinker, I sadly failed to be original when drawing my
stereotypical scientist. Before I even picked up a pen, I knew that I was going
to draw an old white male with crazy hair and scarily curious eyes just like
the majority of people, from children to adults to my own peers. Even though my
actually drawing looks more like a stick version of bozo, the notorious
stereotype was still present.
The
stereotype of scientist, along with all other existing stereotypes, has several
negative consequences. One of the noteworthy consequences is the fact that the
stereotype may deter young scientist, especially women and minorities, from
continuing on the path of discover.
As young children, many of us are amazed by the world around us and are
determined to discover more through experimentation. Sadly though, we quickly
learn that the only people who actually do this in life are white males. This
is never blatantly said, but we still quickly pick up on it through snide
comments from peers, lack of encouragement from teachers, and the media’s and
textbooks constant barrage of white male scientist. This discourages
minorities’ and women’s love for science and indirectly forces them into a
non-scientific field therefore further perpetuating the stereotype along with
further reducing the world’s scientific literacy.
Along
with discouraging potential scientists, the stereotype also amplifies people’s
hatred for science. The majority of people in the world are not white males.
So, by making the face of science a spitting image of Albert Einstein we are
making most people feel like the science is irrelevant to their lives since
they cannot personally relate to the person behind the science. In addition to
not being able to relate, most people also do not have the literacy needed to
understand science’s complex jargon, which results in people turning away from
science and goods science writing and towards non-scientific, overly personable
sources, like celebrities.
As both a female scientist and a science writer, I believe
that I have the duty to eliminate the prominent scientist stereotype from
society, beginning with myself. This can be done by showing the world that the
science community is not only made up of old, crazy white men. Even here at
Ursinus, we have an array of scientific students and teachers, from the typical
old white guys all the way to young, minority women. By getting this fact out
there, we are not only providing scientific role models for everyone in the
world but also bringing science from a remote, incomprehensible subject to one
that much more personable and accessible therefore increasing the world’s
scientific literacy potential.
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