Ask Okun Column” #4, otherwise known as “If It Looks Like a Duck…”

A student asked me to pen some thoughts about stereotyping. More specifically, why do adults assume that students are using drugs if they look a certain way or associate with a certain group. This will now be dubbed the “if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck" column!

I believe that we all have certain stereotypes regarding groups of people, no matter how “politically correct” we aspire to be. It is how our brain organizes information. It is probably how we avoided getting eaten by dinosaurs in the cave days. (Let's hear it for evolution!) There are some adults who look at a kid wearing baggie pants and carrying a skateboard and believe that they use drugs. Conversely, they might assume that the kid who fell out of the “J Crew” catalogue is NOT using drugs. These are stereotypes that may or may not be true.

People are always advertising "who" they are, or who they would like others to believe they are. Sometimes we would like our peers to see us differently than our parents. This is as true for me at the age of 35, as it was at the age of 15. I guess the problem arises when you tell half the world that you are “duck” and the other half that you are “not a duck.” I do not want to put the onus specifically on students who feel misunderstood or misrepresented. I do believe, however, that they have some power to change things. For example, if they do not want adults to think that they do drugs, maybe they should not walk around school with a big pot leaf on their backpack.

To me, it all boils down to communication. With any misunderstanding, lack of communication is usually the culprit. So, where does this leave us? I could throw out the adage about making assumptions, but instead I think I will encourage people to talk to one another. If you are concerned that your student, child, sibling, friend is using drugs—talk to them! If you feel like you are being viewed in a light that does not truly represent who you are, stop quacking and do something to change it!