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The generalization will always be there. Acting on it or voicing it is where emotional intelligence comes into play.
Exactly.
Maybe I'm not articulating my point well enough. I don't think that asking if generalizations are wrong is really the right question. What should be asked is how do we best handle our generalizations. It's what comes after the generalization that is important. A thoughtful, decent human being will acknowledge their generalization and have an open enough mind to hold the judgment of individuals are being more relevant than their groups as a whole. A thoughtless simpleton will continue to hold their generalizations no matter how much evidence to the contrary is presented.
Maybe I'm not articulating my point well enough. I don't think that asking if generalizations are wrong is really the right question. What should be asked is how do we best handle our generalizations. It's what comes after the generalization that is important. A thoughtful, decent human being will acknowledge their generalization and have an open enough mind to hold the judgment of individuals are being more relevant than their groups as a whole. A thoughtless simpleton will continue to hold their generalizations no matter how much evidence to the contrary is presented.
Unfortunately in forums such as this, and in the media driven national discourse, much of the generalizations offered are of the latter kind you describe.
To quote Metallica, sad but true. (And quoting that group, someone will now stereotype me. Lol)
As long as people understand that there are exceptions to the generalizations and exceptions, they are valuable tools. Science is largely made up of generalizations.
That's totally acceptable...if she's white.
Now, if you see a black man with a hoody pulled over his head, gold teeth, a crip walk and his pants at his knees and assume he's a thug...you're definitely a racists.
I assume all young black males are dangerous. I literally won't turn my backs to them or go places that I know they frequent.
I'm not racist, and I don't hate them. I'm just a cautious person. I drive like a grandma too. I'm just not a risk taker I guess.
You are a TSA agent, and can do only 1 deep check out of 3 people. You have a 40 years old Buddhist monk, a 90 years old white lady from a small town in Kansas and 25 years old Palestinian guy with a beard.
Who are you going to check really good knowing that your kids are also on that flight?
You are a TSA agent, and can do only 1 deep check out of 3 people. You have a 40 years old Buddhist monk, a 90 years old white lady from a small town in Kansas and 25 years old Palestinian guy with a beard.
Who are you going to check really good knowing that your kids are also on that flight?
Tsa often checks the grandma. Understand the point but they are a truly, truly bad example.
Instead of the terrorist thing, how about a tough one like a teacher has a glass of disinterested students and which they generalize their focus of attention on.
No it's not wrong. It's biological, only a head in the sand retard would ignore their base instinct in the name of political correctness. Kind of like the airline employee who failed to profile Atta on 9/11. He was following Bush's instructions not to profile Muslims, even though Atta gave him chills and looked evil.
I do it all the time where I live. If someone is moving fast, dirty, with bad teeth and looks like they've not showered in a month I assume they're a Meth addict. Especially since, taking the local environment into consideration, meth addicts commit a lot of property crime here. When I see them it gets my cackles up.
Generalizing and profiling keeps you safe. It's when you quit doing that despite your instincts screaming at you that we get into trouble.
I often wonder if truly legit people care...it seems to only be the shady people and or people with a shady past that complain about it.
Aren't we taught to profile and generalize right out of the womb?
Obviously, there are no absolutes.
However, stereotypes don't become stereotypes by having no basis in reality either.
Otherwise you could say that "all Irish people like cats" and it would become a stereotype.....but it won't because it has no basis in reality.
I never really understood why acknowledging that some characterizations have a statistical basis for becoming a common trait among certain groups is necessarily wrong or racist.
And why are positive stereotypes socially acceptable, but negative ones aren't?
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