Stereotyping is a Form of Discrimination

Stereotypes are a part of our every day lives. When we see a person, we have a preconceived idea about them simply because of what they look like or what they are wearing. Although it is not quite the same as saying something outright, stereotyping is a form of discrimination.
A stereotype is defined as a widely held, oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. For example, one stereotype may be that bananas aren't good if they aren't yellow. Does that make it true? Not at all.

 
 

Do these bananas look yellow to you? No... because Dacca bananas aren't yellow. But they sure are good.
We use stereotypes without even realizing it. A couple weeks ago in class, some of the boys were talking about Kevin Hart. One of them yelled out that I had no idea what they were talking about because I am white, and white people don't watch Kevin Hart.
Another boy in my class, who was not part of the conversation, jumped in to say that he watches Kevin Hart all the time, and he is white.
Having the first boy assume that I don't watch something because of my skin color was slightly offensive, even if I don't watch it. The deeper stereotypes go, the more offensive they become. 
A while back I was talking with some of my friends about the freakiest thing that has ever happened while we were out alone. One said that she got lost, another said that she walked into the wrong kind of store and got the wrong kind of attention. One of the girls said that she saw a big black man standing on the side of the street.
I stopped her right there. I asked why that was so freaky. She stuttered a little and finally just said that he "gave her a bad vibe" and "looked like trouble". 
That is the kind of stereotype that needs to be stopped. For all we know, he could have been the nicest man on the planet. He could have been a heart surgeon who donated thousands of dollars to charity every year.
Why is it fair to throw these labels on people because of their skin color or where they live? Why is it okay to assume that every white girl loves Starbucks and Sweaters and that boys who care about their looks are gay?  
I know some people who argue that stereotypes can help you. What if that man that my friend saw really was a bad person and would have hurt her? What if the girl with bright pink hair and tattoos that my brother saw really was a mean person?
Lets say that on average a stereotype is correct one out of ten times. Does this make it worth loosing those nine potential friends just to avoid the one bad one? If that stereotype was about apples, would you eat the nine good apples or just throw them away with the one bad apple?
So now I ask you, what you do think about stereotypes? Which ones do you see and which ones influence how you think and act?