I am having an awful time trying to lay this topic out.. before coming to this forum.. I never THOUGHT about these things.. still learning as I go...
So often in posts here...if it isn't the grammar police, it may be the "Generalizing" police / someone is accused of "stereotyping"...just speaking out of our own experiences, the slip of a word...most of us are smart enough to not use "ALL" when speaking of another gender!....but are still corrected....we've offended ...
When this is taken too far.. I feel it renders us so Politically correct we loose any flavor, leaving us near "walking on egg shells" with our words...
The Human race naturally "generalizes" (was reading a # of articles, this is the consensus at least 50% of the time anyway.. lengthy article but I feel this is the reality for most of us -IF we can admit it.... Where Bias Begins: The Truth About Stereotypes -Stereotyping is not limited to those who are biased. We all use stereotypes all the time. They are a kind of mental shortcut.
For me, it's NEVER NEVER NEVER meant to speak there is no exceptions ....if we have to note, dissect every variation, every possible exception with our speech adding a
to every idea that comes forth in discussion.. we would be conversationally paralyzed!!
Yrs ago, I read "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus"..so many things the author said in his chapter on MEN were NOT TRUE of my husband - (he's never needed a cave, never cared about sports/ that whole competition thing....pages devoted to this.. sometimes people just DON'T fit the typical norms...but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be discussed...articles written, experiences given/ books devoted to those who may fit that... it's all good!
The problem comes when people assume that stereotypes are facts - stereotypes/generalizations only give good indications of probabilities, and as long as you're always aware of the possibility that this situation is an edge-case where the "general rule" doesn't apply, there's no harm in it.
In our touchy-feely, inclusive, non-discriminatory society it's become deeply un-trendy to stereotype or generalize. People feel that because stereotypes have been over-used, or used to excuse discrimination or bigotry, there must be something inherently wrong with stereotyping. This is itself stereotyping !
What people really disapprove of are:
* Unfair generalizations
* People mistaking statistical guidelines for hard facts.
What keeps stereotyping from prejudice...is being Open Minded...understand we are all multifaceted -regardless of the circles we hang in...take time to get to know people as individuals.. not automatically judging a book by it's "cover" or the label another slapped on ....
..and it helps to just 
when we don't FEEL or see things through the same lenses..(we won't all choose a similar lifestyle, we will gravitate to like minded people where we feel accepted /understood )... the world is BIG & vast enough for us all, and our diversity.
Just your thoughts on this complex issue..
Can you see HOW/ WHY people do this.. do you feel you are above this in your daily life / interactions / words when talking to others ??
When you hear the descriptions below ..is there no categorizing going on...what is relateable to You/ what is rebuffed ? are you always fair & Balanced...an open slate to invite someone new into your group.. It would be nice if the world worked like this.. but I sure do not see it...
Your thoughts on this :FIREdevil: topic...Have you been hurt by unfair generalizations, wrongly stereotyped ...and it BURNS you? Let us listen and hopefully do better with our communication and understanding of our differences..
So often in posts here...if it isn't the grammar police, it may be the "Generalizing" police / someone is accused of "stereotyping"...just speaking out of our own experiences, the slip of a word...most of us are smart enough to not use "ALL" when speaking of another gender!....but are still corrected....we've offended ...
When this is taken too far.. I feel it renders us so Politically correct we loose any flavor, leaving us near "walking on egg shells" with our words...
The Human race naturally "generalizes" (was reading a # of articles, this is the consensus at least 50% of the time anyway.. lengthy article but I feel this is the reality for most of us -IF we can admit it.... Where Bias Begins: The Truth About Stereotypes -Stereotyping is not limited to those who are biased. We all use stereotypes all the time. They are a kind of mental shortcut.
For me, it's NEVER NEVER NEVER meant to speak there is no exceptions ....if we have to note, dissect every variation, every possible exception with our speech adding a
to every idea that comes forth in discussion.. we would be conversationally paralyzed!! Yrs ago, I read "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus"..so many things the author said in his chapter on MEN were NOT TRUE of my husband - (he's never needed a cave, never cared about sports/ that whole competition thing....pages devoted to this.. sometimes people just DON'T fit the typical norms...but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be discussed...articles written, experiences given/ books devoted to those who may fit that... it's all good!
Quote:
| According to Pamela Rutledge, the director of the Media Psychology Research Center ...she says Generalizations are neither good nor bad. Instead, they are "useful". "Stereotyping is a way of processing information," she said. "It's a way to take something that's not familiar and put it in your brain next to something that makes sense. People make mental models all the time, and the first one is usually inaccurate." She explained that stereotypes form out of a necessity to quickly sort and interpret the barrage of data that we're hit with every day. We organize people into categories based on appearance (also gender, age, marital status, education, wealth, occupation, religion, race, weight, and community. ) because it's fast and easy. It's like the Cliff's Notes of mental processes. Obviously, the key is to go back to that hastily sketched mental model whenever possible and examine the components more carefully. A generalization works is a temporary, umbrella-like idea , but to really interpret accurate information, it'll take more time. |
In our touchy-feely, inclusive, non-discriminatory society it's become deeply un-trendy to stereotype or generalize. People feel that because stereotypes have been over-used, or used to excuse discrimination or bigotry, there must be something inherently wrong with stereotyping. This is itself stereotyping !
What people really disapprove of are:
* Unfair generalizations
* People mistaking statistical guidelines for hard facts.
What keeps stereotyping from prejudice...is being Open Minded...understand we are all multifaceted -regardless of the circles we hang in...take time to get to know people as individuals.. not automatically judging a book by it's "cover" or the label another slapped on ....
..and it helps to just when we don't FEEL or see things through the same lenses..(we won't all choose a similar lifestyle, we will gravitate to like minded people where we feel accepted /understood )... the world is BIG & vast enough for us all, and our diversity. Just your thoughts on this complex issue..
Can you see HOW/ WHY people do this.. do you feel you are above this in your daily life / interactions / words when talking to others ??
When you hear the descriptions below ..is there no categorizing going on...what is relateable to You/ what is rebuffed ? are you always fair & Balanced...an open slate to invite someone new into your group.. It would be nice if the world worked like this.. but I sure do not see it...
Quote:
| CEO / blue collar worker.... conservative / liberal.... Alpha male / Beta male ...Mother in law/ Stay at Home Mother .... Gamer... sports enthusiast...Gym rat...Politician/ Lawyer / Preacher ... Feminist / Pick up artist / Traditionalist.... Bad Boy/ Nice Guy.... Christian / Atheist... low drive / high drive.... city dwellers / country folk ...Rappers.. the Kardashians /the Duggars , etc etc etc |
Put the internet to work for you.
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