Reading through this site over the past few weeks, I seem to come across many, many similar posts all talking about how bad stereotypes are and how wrong stereotyping is. I swear for a couple of these posts, the only difference was in the titles.
Enough is enough! Stereotypes and stereotyping is not the enemy and is not at fault. We teach our children through the use of stereotypes (staying away from strangers), we find criminals through the use of stereotypes (we've all heard of profilers) - stereotyping serves a purpose and is necessary.
Idiocy on the other hand is what allows stereotypes to run amuck and become strued into something else. That is where the problem lies. If you're complaining and writing about stereotypical behavior, great - but at least be accurate. It's not the stereotyping that is annoying - it's the inaccurate labels being placed because of idiots. And yes, I stereotype all racists as idiots because they are. When I meet a racist who is not an idiot, I'll consider changing my stance on that.
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wow. I believe you have a point.
Sincerely,
Ashleymarie Sey DeBondt
visit my art website Behind the Brush
or for my photographic work my deviantart page
At first, I thought stereotyping was bad but now that I read your blog I agree with you- stereotyping is a necessity. Telling kids to stay away from strangers is a really good point and probably what convinced me the most. And yes, people who are racist are idiots.
I would not say all stereotyping is necessary. Humans are always going to generalize because that's part of the way our brains work, and because it's easy to generalize.
"Idiocy on the other hand is what allows stereotypes to run amuck and become strued into something else."
Into what, exactly, and which stereotypes? I think you probably mean racial stereotyping like what we see going about in media, like black characters being obnoxious, Mexicans being lazy, Asians being smart, etc., but your meaning isn't quite clear.
Yes, that is what I meant. I mean, it's fine to teach children to stay away from strangers, or to never talk to someone their parents (depending on the age of the child) have not "approved" of. But racial slurring or teaching children to stay away from "Mexicans" (for example) is not merely stereotyping in strangers - it twists the stereotypes of strangers into "some strangers are worse than others" when the message they are trying to teach is that strangers are bad and can harm them.
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"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
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You never cease to amaze me.
It always blows my mind how people stereotype stereotyping (say that 10 times fast). Yet, why would they exist in the first place if a stereotype did not originate from a tiny grain of truth?
Perhaps more should consider this, and laugh it off rather than becoming offended because society dictates we should. The world would be a better place.