In Matthew Arnold Sterns novel Doria, it was stated that he wanted to explore

how societies get split apart and what can be done to bring people together.
One of the things that divides us are the preconceived beliefs we have of
each other beliefs reinforced by stereotypes. The 20th anniversary of the
L.A. Riots, along with recent events, remind us of the tragic consequences
when people take stereotypes to their extremes. So, it is important for us to
know how stereotypes are created so that we know how to combat them.
There are three main sources of stereotypes: oversimplification, applying
behaviors of some on the whole group, and outright lies.

Oversimplification
We should know that Asians dont have yellow skin, Native Americans dont
have red skin, Africans dont have black skin, and Europeans dont have white
skin. Yet, we stick with these color labels because they are easy ways to
describe people. Easy, but inaccurate. These terms arent just inaccurate,
theyre offensive. We know that red man and yellow man are slurs, and the
Latin word for black niger is the root of the most offensive slur of all.
Why are these slurs? When we oversimplify how we describe people, we strip
them of their humanity. Call someone a European, or an African, or an Asian,
and you say that person has a heritage, a culture, and an identity. Call that
same person white, black, or yellow, and youve taken that away. You base
that persons identity on only one characteristic and an inaccurately defined
one at that.

Applying the Actions of Some on the Whole

There are Asians who are bad drivers, gay men who lisp, and Irish who get
drunk. Does that mean they all do? Of course not. Yet, these are the basis of
stereotypes.
A number of stereotypes come from behaviors that were imposed on that
ethnic group. Take watermelon. It used to be a joke in and of itself. Sterns
father had a book of comedy skits that was published in 1936. Some of the
skits were simply introduced as A watermelon feast. Read that, and you
automatically knew what was going to happen: African Americans wearing
tattered clothing use lazy jargon to show how stupid they were. So, how did
watermelon come to be associated with African Americans? Because that was
what they ate as slaves. Then, who gave them the watermelon? The same
people who make fun of them for eating it.
As bad as those stereotypes are, they are not nearly as destructive as when
someone of an ethnic group commits a violent act and all members of that
group get blamed for it. Even people who look like they may be part of the
group get attacked. This is what happened to Balbir Signh Sodhi, a gas
station attendant who was attacked and murdered in the days after 9/11
because he was thought to be a Muslim. He wasnt. He was a Sikh, but he
was killed because he wore a turban. (None of the 9/11 hijackers did.) This is
an example of a stereotype brought to a murderous extreme.

Outright Lies
But the stereotypes that do the most destruction have the least to do with
reality. These are outright lies, and they are designed to incite mobs to
violence.
The best known of these is blood libel, the false accusation that Jews kill
Christian children so they can use their blood to make matzah. Never mind
that the Torah specifically forbids human sacrifice or the consumption of
blood. Still, blood libel led to violence against Jews throughout Europe and the
Middle East, even into the twentieth century. Unfortunately, accusations of
blood libel continue today.

What We Can Do
If stereotypes can be so destructive and even lethal what can we do
about them?
We should educate people about the dangers of stereotypes, but pointing
them out only gets us written off as being politically correct. We get accused
of being overly sensitive and are told, Were just having fun. We mean
nothing bad with it. Were not racists. Its just tradition!
Instead, the first place we have to begin with changing stereotypes is with
ourselves. These beliefs become so ingrained in society that we may adopt
them without realizing it. Do you find yourself tensing up when an African
American teenager approaches you on the street? Do you say something is
weak or unpleasant by saying, Thats so gay! Or accuse someone of trying
to Jew you when they overcharge you on a sale? Check your own words
and feelings first.
Next, we need to stop contributing to the problem. Stop supporting sports
teams with offensive names. Stop watching current TV shows and movies or
buying products with advertisements that make intentional use of stereotypes.
We may be able to let Stephen Foster, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Charles
Dickens off the hook as products of their times, but artists today have no
excuse. (And a reminder to writers, stereotypes arent just offensive, theyre
poor storytelling.)
Then, we need to start interacting with people from different races and
cultures. Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites make it easier to
connect with people around the world. By meeting different types of people,
we can break down our preconceived beliefs as we learn from each other and
see each other as fellow human beings.
In Doria, Stern described how individuals can change the way society
behaves. The small things we do can lead to big changes. We can battle
stereotypes through awareness and making changes in our own behaviors.
As Gandhi said, Be the change you want to see in the world.