by densetsushun Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:59 pm
defacto wrote:
One last word on stereotypes. There have been studies shown that they aren't all that bad. Well first of all without stereotypes Humans would have went extinct 10s of thousands of years ago. If you gave every wild animal you met the benefit of a doubt (Oh THIS tiger wont eat me even though the last ones all ate my friends. I would be a bigot to think so!) you would be dead.
It's just that we apply stereotypes to everything. But studies have shown that most people view other races more positively than they really are through sterotypes. For example people might think that Asians are more hard working and intelligent than they really are or that Blacks don't commit as much crime as they really do.
Studies have also shown that stereotypes are potentially damaging to those receiving them. In a study where black people were asked to take exams, they performed far better in the ones where they did not have to answer what race they were than in the ones where they did have to jot down race.
Similarly, women performed far worse on tests where they had to specify a gender. Asians perform far better when they have to specify their race, and similar to the female one, Asian women perform far worse when they have to jot down their gender but much better when they have to specify a race.
DISCLAIMER: The following uses of the word "you" is not meant do be directed at anyone in general.
Stereotyping is good for keeping the unknown out, but we're living in a world where we're mixing and mingling with all kinds of people from all walks of life. Stereotyping just means you're too lazy to get to know the different people who have different facets to them.
On the issue of "political correctness" and the "PC culture", it's funny when people throw this term around because it's an easy cop-out for having to deal with how someone else thinks or feels. Just because you don't get offended by stereotypes(whether or not you're on the receiving end) doesn't mean someone else won't or shouldn't. What's worse is when people throw the term around to prevent criticism being thrown at them, especially in public forums and spaces. You publicly declare your opinion, you should be prepared to have to defend it or get criticised for it.
Edit: On the topic of certain people being predisposed to certain behaviour, it depends largely on how they're brought up and the culture they grow up around. You can clearly see this in certain aspects like the different views countries have with regards to political topics or even things like culture(things like videogames being constantly pointed at when shockingly violent acts occur).
. I guess it'll have to wait till tomorrow... if I remember 
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