Pit Bull Stereotyping Essay

A man with many female friends is a ‘player’ whereas a woman with many male friends is promiscuous. A female who speaks her mind is rudely intrusive, but one who does not is naive. People that dress up are conceited yet people that dress comfortably are slobs. Stereotyping: everyone does it and everyone is a victim of it. It is not necessarily a conscious decision but rather a habit people have developed in order to simplify their social surroundings. Labels are given to everyone and everything—even to animals. Pit bulls are a primary example of a canine group commonly stereotyped for being aggressive and unpredictable. Their bad reputations have spread fear among the public and so various cities in the United States—namely Denver, Cincinnati and Miami—have implemented breed specific legislations which are laws that target …show more content…
Specifically, pit bull bans have been employed and their execution has led to much public dispute about whether or not pit bulls are dangerous and whether or not these laws are efficient in reducing the number of recorded dog attacks—especially those involving pit bulls. Breed specific legislation against pit bulls is immoral and it harms the dogs along with their reputations instead of targeting irresponsible human behaviour as the source of the issue. Breed specific legislation is unethical because it discriminates based on physical appearances. It is important to note that "pit bull" is not an actual breed but rather a word used to describe a group of medium short haired dogs with square heads, short muzzles, wide-set eyes and barrel-like chests. Essentially, breeds commonly classified as pit bulls are the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Bulldog, the Presa Canario as well as many others that share the above characteristics (Beyond the Myth: The Truth About Pit Bulls). When pit bull bans are implemented and the dogs need to be rounded up, police officers go