Disclaimer: The following are my personal, self evident opinions on the issue of racial stereotyping. These are my preconceived notions on the subject prior to my research.

Racial stereotyping always has and always will be a prominent yet sensitive issue in the world. The stereotype can be as mild as the well to do, white collar Caucasian or as offensive as the ruthless, "hoodlum" African American. The problem of racial stereotyping stems from obvious factions in humanity and are perpetuated through lack of knowledge and inter-racial experiences. I say that racial stereotyping is a problem because leads to racial profiling. That is, it causes one to impose judgement on another individual on the sole basis of their ethnicity. Certainly many other, more significant factors play into the character and lifestyle of a person that their skin color.
While this judgment may give an advantage to some, it most often commands a handicap to others. It is simply unfair to expect an individual to fit into the "racial mold" created by a culture when one does not have any knowledge of the individual.
While racial profiling is not fair and just, it is not always incorrect. After all, in most cases racial stereotypes arise from some demonstrated characteristic of an ethnic groups culture. Even though it may sometimes seem that the majority of individuals in an ethnic group serve to proliferate a certain stereotype, it should play no part in the evaluation of a person.