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Certainly, many people do get caught up in the 'lemming effect.' You know, the kids and the 4cyl Honda noisemakers they think are so fast, 'rednecks' and noisy diesel monster pickups, 'white trash' and cars up on blocks in the front yard, etc. But this is certainly not always the case or even most of the time the case, and is a bit unfair basing an opinion of a person on a stereotype rather than on the person him/herself.
I have argued this with others all the time and b/c I said the stereotype was true they jumped all over me, my point the whole time is there is nothing wrong with young black people driving old gm big body cars or suburban white kids and Asians racing 4cyl. Honda's it's just the way things are.
Stereotypes are not always wrong, nor are they always derogatory or harmful. Sometimes they just are what they are - no more and no less.
I can't answer yes or no. There's sometimes some truth to stereotypes, but you can never say that everyone in a particular group acts the same way or has the same interests. If you do, I can't help but think that you're small-minded and too quick to judge others.
If there's actual facts to back up whatever your stereotypes may be, then that's one thing, but just coming up with generalizations about an entire group of people doesn't work for me.
Last edited by AnUnidentifiedMale; 05-14-2009 at 07:49 PM..
A friend of mine (from Ireland) living here in the US told me a story of his work colleagues and bosses giving him a hard time about coming in with a hangover every day. Every day, there was some comment about the Irish lads drinking up a storm after work.
He thought it was a discriminatory way to be portrayed (as a drunken Irishman) and considered making a stink about it as being harassment, or invoking stereotypes , etc... (maybe he'd even consider a lawsuit or complaining).
Then he paused, laughed hysterically and knowingly, that it was entirely true. Thought he'd mention his experience with "discrimination" to the "higher ups" just to get a rise outta them!
There are basic stereotypes that are not only fairly accurate, but they're rather harmless. And they really don't mean a whole lot.
For instance, young black men seem to like big old GM cars - from back in the 70s & 80s - and want to put huge spinners on them and have thumper stereos.
That's a stereotype that is, relatively speaking, true. I live in North Omaha and see them every day.
Stereotypes are often regional, which makes wrong most of the time when you consider the entire country....and of course if you were to consider the world, they're way off. I live in Arizona and the example you gave above, isn't at all true here.
Stereotypes also become outdated, especially from one generation to the next but, many people don't recognize that. They often still make the same generalizations they've always made about different groups of people, even when people from younger generations don't recognize it as an accurate stereotype....that's when it looks more like racism or discrimination rather than just stereotyping (harmless or not). The stereotypes you're placing value in today, will lose their origins as time passes and there's a good chance you won't realize it because, believing in them, prevents you from seeing that.....it's like going through life, wearing blinders.
Most of the time, stereotypes are truthful to an extent. They aren't usually reflective of an entire group, and the defenders of the group (those who shoot down the stereotype) will usually try to play up those who are an exception to the stereotype. In a PC society, most stereotypes are taboo to actually say, but I think that a vast majority of people have similar stereotypes about certain groups of people...they may just not come out and say that they agree with that stereotype.
An example. There is this columnist for the Orange County Register who writes on a weekly basis about some illegal immigrant doing something amazing. She writes about the 1% of illegal immigrants that are some benefit to our society and neglects the other 99% that are part of the "stereotype". People ALWAYS point to her articles when they refer to "how beneficial illegal aliens are to the American society" (especially groups like the ACLU). Most people have a negative view on illegal immigrants, but don't come out and say those stereotypes because of the fear that they will be labeled racist.
I am sure many of you can think of other examples that follow my given one.
I agree. It's not a simple yes or no answer. In fact, it is almost a case of: "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" Some stereotypes originate from a grain of truth. That is, a grain of truth about an individual (or small group) that is generalized to a much larger group. However, some stereotypes do not originate from any truth about an individual; rather, they are merely socially constructed. For instance, we can believe that an individual (or society can dictate that an individual) will behave a certain way. Thus, when we interact with that individual, we may interact with them in such a way as to elicit a behavioral confirmation. Oftentimes we believe that this behavioral confirmation is a confirmation that the stereotype was accurate. However, this may really just be a confirmation that our own actions can produce stereotypical behavior in others.
Another point deals with our own perceptions. A famous person once said: "if you define a situation as real, then it is real in its consequences." Thus, if we expect a person to act a certain stereotypical way, then we will indeed see that behavior in that person. Clearly, the stereotype is real in our minds (i.e., our perceptions). But, does that really mean the stereotype is accurate, in general?
I will follow up what I said earlier by defining stereotypes -- in my own words Stereotypes are a way of categorizing information. Thus, we see an individual that belongs to a particular category (with certain traits), and we then attribute those traits to everyone that belongs to that category. So, stereotypes are a broad generalization based on a small sample.
You wanted to know if stereotypes are mostly true. I would say it depends. Are you asking if the stereotypes are true for the small sample that one bases it on? If so, then my answer is: maybe, maybe not. If, on the other hand, you are asking if the stereotype is true for the larger category, then I would emphatically say no. There are too many people in a category that do not conform to the stereotypes. Think about it, if the stereotype were true about a whole category, how would it be possible for millions of people that belong to that category to not conform to the stereotype? What possible explanation could there be? And, ultimately, what would that explanation say about the applicability of the stereotype?
Stereotyping is such a complex phenomena. But, I will stick to what I alluded to in my previous message. Stereotypes may say more about the person doing the stereotyping than it does about the "group" being stereotyped.
Stereotypes exist for a reason b/c there is some truth to them or at least that's what I have heard. I see stereotypes as like half-truth's or exaggerations in some cases. You always heard as a kid "well that's just a stereotype their not all like that" but as I have grown up I have seen most stereotypes to be dead on. Like the yuppie who locks his doors when he spots a black person or the burnout hippie kid and you immediately think " I bet that kid smokes pot" and 9 times out of 10 it's true. I always used to say "that's just a stereotype it's not true" but as I have traveled the country many times over again whether it's a stereotype about a stuck up rich guy or a poor homeless man. I would say for the most part stereotypes are true but not always, obviously. All my southern friends are all stereotypical southerner's and my yuppie friends fit the yuppie mold well like a mold. I would say most stereotypes are true more often than not. What do you think?
Stereotypes usually have a kernel of truth but no one likes to talk about them because they were used as justification to oppress people for hundreds of years.
So whether or not they are true, just let it go.
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Stereotypes are a way of categorizing information. Thus, we see an individual that belongs to a particular category (with certain traits), and we then attribute those traits to everyone that belongs to that category. So, stereotypes are a broad generalization based on a small sample. 
