Answer:
Stereotypes are the idea that everyone within a certain group shares the same characteristics. The problem is that people don’t function solely as members of a group. We know this to be true about ourselves and our close friends. Most of us fit into different categories and have a variety of interests. We might like watching sports but be non-athletic. We might like rock and roll as well as classical music. But when we think about other people, particularly people who are a different race from us, we often have a harder time understanding that complexity. Many stereotypes are negative, such as assuming that certain people are lazy, criminal, or poor.