“Mequon stereotype” wrongly characterizes Homestead students
Stereotype: a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a certain group of people or things. There are many stereotypical images that come to mind when people from other areas think of Homestead or just Mequon in general.
The Urban Dictionary describes Mequon as “the affluent, white, waspy, country-club-going suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lots of money, out of control kids and nonprofit work.” While there may be some people who specifically fall into this category, there are also others who are put under this stereotype only for the reason that they attend Homestead.
Students of Homestead and residents of Mequon are likely to hear this stereotype when encountering people outside of the 53092 or 53097. As one of these people, I have received this stereotype in many situations, but the most prevalent is when I attend my dance studio in West Bend. Although many of the dancers there know me very well and are some of my closest friends, they all seem to have a fixed image of the people in Mequon and the students at Homestead, including myself. Madison Jochims, freshman at West Bend West High School said, “When I think of Mequon I think of rich people who have a good education, but are very stuck up and think that they are better than the general population.”
“It’s more of a suburban North Shore Conference stereotype that I receive,” Christopher Eckhardt, junior, said. “Even on my Instagram people comment things such as ‘frat’ just because I dress nicely.”
It seems as though people outside of the area seem to look at our school as a place with name brands and money falling out of our pockets. Even outside of the state, some people associate the area of Mequon with the common affluent stereotype. “One time when I was in Florida on vacation, a man who worked at a country club found out that my family and I were from Mequon, and he replied with ‘Oh. You’re from the rich and snobby part of Wisconsin,” Kalla Taylor, sophomore, said. This only further proves the point that this stereotype is widespread, with the associations that all people in this area are rich or well-off.
This view of Mequon residents is not only false in many cases, but seems to give our area a bad name. People from other zipcodes possess prejudice and bias already formed against us, without truly knowing each of our individual backgrounds, which is unfair for so many reasons. Many Homestead students work various jobs and buy their belongings by themselves. They work hard for their achievements and don’t solely rely on their parent’s money to get them where they need to go.
The way in which others view Mequon residents plays into what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, novelist, calls “the danger of the single story.” Because we live in a certain zip code, others automatically adopt a single, narrow-minded view of us: that we are spoiled, entitled and unappreciative. This view eradicates feelings of empathy in others’ minds, causing them to forget that each one of us has an individual story that may not correlate with the Urban Dictionary’s definition.
Despite their unfairness, the stereotypes never stop and probably never will. At this point, this image is deeply rooted deep into others’ minds, and there’s really no turning away from it. Embrace it or detest it, it won’t fade.
Meg Niedfeldt is currently a senior and this is her second year on the advanced staff. Meg dances 15-20 hours a week at a studio 40 minutes away and doesn't...
Molly Riebau is the Editor-in-Chief of The Highlander Newsmagazine. Aside from journalism, she loves watching The Bachelor (more than any...
Will • Feb 2, 2016 at 2:40 pm
“Ive suffered through white privilege all my life”
Dan Shillinglaw • Feb 2, 2016 at 5:27 am
There is no getting around it, it is true that the median family income in Mequon is high and no apologies required by it’s residents on that score. Where ever this is true there will always be some (money stones) thrown at the folks who live there. It also follows that the students of the single high school in Mequon, Homestead, might be treated similarly. Others might say that these students are rich and privileged which may be true but is there anything wrong with that? These students can’t control their parents incomes or their choice of where to live, they are like all students everywhere, they play the cards that are dealt them. It is also true that the outgoing class of 2014 scored the highest median ACT scores in the state at 26. Generally students from affluent areas do achieve at a high level but this is not just they come from well-to-do parents. A high percentage of the parents in Mequon are highly educated and stress this achievement for their kids all their lives. And like anywhere not all the students at Homestead come from rich parents but rather from two parent incomes when combined allow them to live in a decent house in Mequon which gives their kids the opportunity to attend one of the highest performing high schools not only in the state but also in the country. But here is the point, these students must achieve on their own like anywhere else and do so in an environment which requires it. Only the small minded, the envious throw insults or insinuations at students at Homestead. It always was and always shall be where achievement is earned not given.
sally • Feb 2, 2016 at 1:16 pm
PREACH
Pete Raymond, 1971 Alum • Feb 1, 2016 at 7:07 pm
Mequon is certainly different now than it was when my family lived there, 1960 through 1978. My 3 siblings and I, all Homestead graduates, appreciate the time during which we came of age in what was once a sleepy little town in which more cows inhabited all of Mequon than humans. But I’m not sure any of us would like to live there at the present time.
In our time, there were a few “pockets” of affluence; there were doctors, lawyers and other higher paid professionals who raised their families in ALL neighborhoods. But there were proportionately more, I think, white collar professionals who commanded a far lower salary. And, though far fewer in number, I imagine there may have been several blue collar families, both of whose parents worked to give their children a better opportunity than what they had.
The composition of the Homestead student body was certainly reflective of that demographic fact. Did we know in general who the doctors’ kids were, for example? Sure we did. But those kids were not stereotyped from my view, nor were any others treated as such. Most of us worked. We needed to have a part-time job if we wanted clothing, a car (and all things necessary to drive it), and for many of us, a college education.
While finishing a college degree long after my Homestead days, a student in one class asked where I’d gone to high school. When I replied “Homestead”, his response was “oh – rich boy, huh?” Not by a long shot. The gross income of my family during the 18 years we lived in Mequon never topped $30K. But my siblings and I have riches that neither money nor abundant affluence can buy……and none of us would trade them for anything!
Snarky Snarkster • Feb 1, 2016 at 4:13 pm
wow I’m so sorry for your privilege
I bet you’re stopped and frisked on the newly renovated streets and face discrimination and systematic oppression on a daily basis
I empathize, I really do
M • Feb 1, 2016 at 3:25 pm
This is satire, right? Seriously, this reads like it was written by a middle schooler and has the world view of one as well. If you’re gonna pretend to care about social justice, why not write about an actual issue as opposed to “our sheltered rich white community is regarded as such and that’s mean.” How about the gross racial profiling done by Mequon cops? How about the bullying of less well-off kids that school administrators don’t seem to care about? How about the bloated athletics budget? But, no. You don’t actually care. You just want page views and attention.
Dave • Feb 1, 2016 at 1:50 pm
Mequon is a terrible place to live this article is nothing but wrong. Growing up in Mequon, if you didn’t have the “brands” you weren’t shit. And kids are even worse. They start rumors about other kids that effect the individual. So happy I got out of Mequon.
Former Highlander • Feb 1, 2016 at 1:37 pm
Upon entering college, I have realized how blessed I am to be from such an affluent area. I have met so many people who cannot even imagine the lifestyles so many of us Mequonites live and will continue to live. We are given connections in the job market, for jobs we need less than other people. Stop complaining until you get outside of the Mequon bubble and appreciate what you were lucky enough to be born into.
Kate • Feb 1, 2016 at 12:29 pm
This article is completely misdirected. The stereotype of being affluent and white may be annoying to you, but has it ever tangibly hurt you? Have you ever been pulled over, randomly searched at an airport or denied a job you were qualified for on account of a stereotype about your race, gender or physical appearance? You may feel you are wrongly characterized but the truth is you have only benefited from the assumptions made about your hometown. You say Mequon is given a bad name, that you get called “spoiled, entitled, or unappreciative.” And then you prove it: you are spoiled by living with a stereotype that only benefits you and then complaining about it.
Eric • Feb 1, 2016 at 8:35 pm
This young lady seems like she works hard for what she has and so do her parents. She sounds like she appreciates what she has, but she doesn’t appreciate being stereotyped. She’s asking for the reader to look past the surface. Her parents didn’t write this article for her or do her homework. Be careful whom you stereotype because it will define your narrow minded view and you will not see people for who they truly are in any zip code.
Dave Calendar • Jan 31, 2016 at 9:43 pm
excellent
Joan Richards • Jan 30, 2016 at 9:36 pm
This is a well written article on a topic of interest to those living in the mentioned zip codes. As the author suggested the stereotype of ‘filthy rich kids’ could fit any number of communities across our nation. I am a former Wisconsinite and in my day,it was Whitefish Bay where everybody had mansions to live in and the expensive cars. I like the conclusion the author makes that stereotypes are hard to discredit, but she realizes the futility in attempting to do so.