Why do we create stereotypes?

This has been something on my mind for a long time. Why do we create stereotypes. The recent Trayvon Martin trial has really brought that out to me. If you don't know, here's what happened: (this is just what I've gathered from reports here and there, I could be wrong.) George Zimmerman was a volunteer neighborhood watch man. One night he was standing gaurd when he saw Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old black male wearing a hoodie in possession of skittles and an ice tea. Zimmerman thought it was suspicious that Trayvon was in the neighborhood, so he called 911 and followed him. Trayvon tried to go home knowing that Zimmerman was watching/following him. Dispatch told Zimmerman to stop following, he did not. Apparently Trayvon then attacked Zimmerman and so Zimmerman pulled out his gun and shot Trayvon Martin in self defense. 

Okay hold on. So your telling me, that grown man following the teenage boy is allowed to shoot the teenage boy in self defense? When did that become okay? That boy was 17 years old. He had only lived for 17 years, and George Zimmerman decided that he had the right to take away that boys life because he looked suspicious? Even if he was being attacked by Trayvon. He had more of a reason to be using self defense at that point! Zimmerman could have used his voice, he could have pushed the boy off of him, he could have stopped following Trayvon when he was told to, he could have not made assumptions. 

I don't know what truely happened that night. No one really knows, except for the two people there and God. 

One thing I think is safe to assume, is that a life could have been saved if only stereotypes were not made. Possibly on both sides. Zimmerman claims that he saw a 17 year old black male in a prominently wealthier white neighborhood so he automatically assumed something was wrong. Well, on Trayvons side, he probably saw a creepy middle aged man sitting in a truck watching him, then getting out to follow him. He probably assumed something wasn't right. 

It's not fair really. Those stereotypes were there and they are there and they always will be. I can't tell you why, but I can tell you that they really suck. When you think about it though, we can control how people stereotype us to a certain level. 

Take me for instance, I am a white female who grew up not wanting for necessities, as an only child. What would you stereotype that as? Spoiled. Rude. Ungrateful. Lazy. There's probably more  that people can assume from me being an only child. They may be right though, I probably am all of those things. It doesnt matter though, if I don't let it matter. If I decide not to act that way, if I decided to not let people view me that way, then they won't, and they can't. Just because that's what I was born into does not mean that I can't be a nice thankful normal hardworking person. It all depends on how I make it. If someone is born into poverty, it doesn't mean they are bad people. They can decide where they go. No ones keeping them there. We decide our own paths. We choose what stereotype we fit into. 

Secondly, sometimes stereotypes aren't so bad. If you are walking and a man in a white van pulls up and tells you that if you get in he will give you candy, you probably shouldn't do it. There are certain things that create safety stereotypes. The people put into those categories are put there only because of the way they act. I'm generally not going to be afraid of being alone with a man who is shaved and showered and polite. Yet it's safe to say that being alone with a man who won't cut his hair, clearly hasn't showered, and stares at my butt while telling me repeatedly how beautiful I am, would terrify me more than anything. That's what I consider a safety stereotype. 

I don't know. There are some things we just can not control. Stereotypes is one of them. And to be brutally honest, we created those stereotypes ourselfs by our actions and how we judge others. So if your unhappy with your stereotype, change it. You don't have to be a "thug" you can be a businessman. Nothing is stopping you. In the end, things like stereotypes will get us in the worst trouble we've ever been in, or it could save you from a possible threat. I guess if we just kept to ourselves and treated everyone with respect, stereotypes would hold no flame. It's all in our hands. Be kind no matter what you may think. If your afraid for your life, be polite and turn the other way. Don't be offended if someone is afraid of you, if you do things like yell profound language and throw things around them, then they have every right to be worried. It's up to you. You can be who you want to be, and you can see who you want to see. That's all.