What do you think of all the stereotyping nowadays?

[folders4]

This has always irritated me about people, the way everything is stereotyped nowadays. I mean just because you don't wear the brand names or go out to parties all the time/get drunk/smoke or whatever?

Why should other people be allowed to judge us on looks? Just because you wear darker colours doesn't mean you're a goth or emo. Because you don't drink people assume you're boring and not worth being friends with? Certain games (for example: Call Of Duty games) are meant for guys?

I know almost everyone has been brought up to think this way, but why can't we make our own decisions? We should like someone for who they are, not who they look like. Why do people follow the crowd and label people without getting to know them first? Why do we even label people? I don't think we should label people the way we do, we label them without thinking about the consequences, how they feel when called an emo/goth/chav or whatever new stereotypes people have made up.

What do you think?

 

[Aetera]

I've actually found most stereotypes that people first appear to be turn out to be completely untrue upon getting to know them. A frat boy took care of me and got me help when I blacked out due to an asshole(who was not a frat boy) "fixing" my drinks. One of the nicest and most accepting girls back in high school was the "preppy" head cheerleader.

I hate people that assume, just because I smoke, that I'm a rude, inconsiderate asshole. I'm an extremely polite smoker, thank you very much. I make sure that I'm downwind when smoking around people, and I distance myself from non-smokers. I wait to exhale if people pass near me. I always use ashtrays. I always smoke outside. Stop giving me dirty looks.

The biggest, seeming-stereotypical football jock back in my High School was actually a really nice guy, and cried when our class watched Dead Poets Society.

Stereotypes and labels are just excuses to not get to know people.

 

[WalrusPowers]

I've had people look at me funny for busting out my laptop and playing DOS games at school. Heck, I've even had people kick me in the shins as they walk past. I'm a nice guy and I have plenty of friends, but for some reason, people take one look at me and automatically assume I'm a loner nerd.

IT SUCKS ARSE. And the sooner society stops adopting these bullshit stereotypes, the better.

 

[Lost In The Void]

Don't worry its better than the old stereotypical actions [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_in_the_United_States]

 

[Elamdri]

This has always irritated me about people, the way everything is stereotyped nowadays. I mean just because you don't wear the brand names or go out to parties all the time/get drunk/smoke or whatever?

Why should other people be allowed to judge us on looks? Just because you wear darker colours doesn't mean you're a goth or emo. Because you don't drink people assume you're boring and not worth being friends with? Certain games (for example: Call Of Duty games) are meant for guys?

I know almost everyone has been brought up to think this way, but why can't we make our own decisions? We should like someone for who they are, not who they look like. Why do people follow the crowd and label people without getting to know them first? Why do we even label people? I don't think we should label people the way we do, we label them without thinking about the consequences, how they feel when called an emo/goth/chav or whatever new stereotypes people have made up.

What do you think?

If they weren't true most of the time, then they wouldn't be sterotypes, as a friend of mine used to say.

That being said, there is somewhat of a difference between how children stereotype vs. how adults stereotype. Children tend to organize themselves according to cliques and those give rise to various stereotypes, but they're largely arbitrary classifications, children don't tend to use them for any meaningful purpose. For example, if someone is stereotyped a nerd, you've managed to classify, but really what purpose does the stereotype serve?

Adults stereotype largely as a decision making mechanism. It's basically a way to allocate risk in decision making by choosing an outcome that is more likely to occur based on a perceived set of odds. Police will profile young, impoverished black males because of a perception that there is a higher odds of them being criminals. Employers will refuse to hire fat people because there is a perception that they will be less productive. TSA agents will profile Middle Easterners because there is a perception that the odds of them being terrorists will be higher.

The problem that people have with stereotyping is that it is something that we both disagree with and yet practice at the same time. It's sort of an evil of necessity. We recognize obviously that just because something is a stereotype doesn't mean that it is true of everyone. But at the same time, we realize that if the odds are in favor of the stereotype being true, then adhering to the stereotype can help us make decisions with the least amount of risk that the decision will be wrong.

 

[Casual Shinji]

We all judge eachother on looks when we first meet; That's just how the human brain works. We automatically seek out the people that look good and dismiss the ones that look bad in our eyes. But those are always just first impressions. A person's looks generally tends to change the more you get to know them.

 

[Lawnmooer]

Using stereotypes is bad, observing someones behavior and treating them as a unique individual is good.

I get stereotyped all the time...

Because I have poor balance and often stumble, slur my words occasionally and have a condition that makes my pupils go either very large or very small for no reason, people assume I'm a drug addict.

Because I like playing computer games and know the parts of a computer, people think I sit on my own in the dark all day and night and have no friends.

Because I have short blonde hair people think that I'm an idiot and that I like R&B music (I don't even get that one)

Because I have a beard people don't think I'm trustworthy, and think that I'm a bad person.

None of the above stereotypes are true for me, but luckily I'm social enough that people usually find out that I can be approachable and find out that all their stereotyping was wrong (And they also state "Oh I didn't realise that .... because I was thinking that .... made .... true!")

 

[Jonluw]

Because you don't drink people assume you're boring and not worth being friends with?

OT:Judging people before getting to know them is pretty much necessary for social interaction, I think. When you dress a certain way, you send out certain signals. That's how the world works. If I want to walk around the street in a fursuit, I'll have to accept the fact that people will assume I'm a furry.

Incorrect stereotyping that has no ground in reason or logic is problematic though.

 

[Aur0ra145]

I judge people based upon their merits alone.

Also this,

OT:Judging people before getting to know them is pretty much necessary for social interaction, I think. When you dress a certain way, you send out certain signals. That's how the world works. If I want to walk around the street in a fursuit, I'll have to accept the fact that people will assume I'm a furry.

It annoys the fuck out of me when people dress badly (i.e. goths, emos, rednecks, ganstas', etc.) and are appalled when people immediately group them in with the others of their likeness. I mean, wtf, you brought it upon yourself to be lumped together with others. I can't express in words how important appearance is when you're out in the world. It's everything.

Ranting... I REALLY dislike the populations that say, "I just want to be accepted for who I am." and then IMMEDIATELY judge based solely on your clothing. Yes, I'm speaking to you gothic/emo/ish group. Hot Topic is not your secret heaven. You don't have to wear eye liner to enter. And most of all, isn't that entire 'culture' based around certain mindsets of how to function and be around others? So how the fuck can you judge somebody by their clothing. Then become INCREDIBLY offended with others do it to you. Double fucking standard if I ever saw one.

Case and point. I used to be into heavier music. I never did the entire 'dress like a goth' thing because it didn't help when say, looking for a job that isn't situated in a mall. So, now days I generally won't be found dead in something other than: cowboy boots, jeans, button up shirt, or polo with aviator sunglasses on top of my head. So one day I'm in the mall shopping for a present for my sister. She's a senior in high school, yadda, yadda, yadda. For some reason I remembered a band I used to listen to a long time ago called "Monty's Fan Club" and like most bands I used to listen to, they are generally well off now. So, I made the decision to go into Hot Topic to see if they had said CD. And dear lord, the amount of verbal abuse streaming from the mouths of 17 year olds in the store (mostly concerning my cowboy boots and polo) was astounding. It made me think, "How can these, 'accept me for who I am people' really be this way? Isn't this hypocrisy in the highest form?" Anyways, I told them to stop judging people based upon their outer appearance and rather judge them based upon their merits alone, just like how they want to be treated. Evidently I used to big of words because the comment sailed miles over their head.

I left in disgust of today's youth.

/rant

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

Yeah, I'm always stereotyped...

Mostly it's because I rarely dress in anything other than Black or White (I'm terrible at telling if colors match, so I just wear those 2 colors... you can never be wrong!), and I always am listening to Death Metal at pretty much maximum volume...

...so people end up thinking I'm a reclusive emo thats one insult away from bringing an AK to school...

...which is really so far from the truth...

 

[DefunctTheory]

Stereotypes are, for the most part, based on a kernal of truth.

And to be honest, I haven't seen anyone use a sterotype in at least a year, unless it was a joke, or the assumption that people with pants around there knees listen to rap.

 

[Laser Priest]

Some people would rather pretend that they know a person than actually think.

Then if they see one small detail that matches the stereotype, they write it up as the stereotype being correct. Really, it's generally just bullshit where someone would rather live in their illusion of superiority than actually get to know anyone or think that there is any depth in their life.

 

[Seagoon]

Someone needs to lighten up.

People have always and will always stereotype. Its nothing new and really, who even cares? I aint getting my panties in a bunch cause someone joked that I banged a sheep. I just smile and point out that their country are our biggest export market. Enjoy your nice, juicy, tender rump roast!

Nice one! enjoy your haggis!

I don't mind stereotypes as long as people understand that they are only stereotypes and not in fact true. I'm from ye olde England, were obviously all of our buildings are from the 18th century, we all wear bowler hats and use slang such as 'jolly good show!,' 'I say, old boy!' and my personal favorite: 'spiffing!'

In actual fact, if you spoke like that in England you would get knifed by a 9 year old boy, shat on by hobo and mugged by pack of hoods... sad truth...

 

[Jonluw]

Sneeeep.
I left in disgust of today's youth.

/rant

That's what happens when you expect teenagers (well, people in general but teenagers in particular) to act reasonably. We're a pack-oriented bunch and dislike it when people don't subscribe to our tastes. God am I glad I'm finished with middle-school.

I don't think you should blame it on today's youth though. People have hated "today's youth" since thousands of years ago.

 

[sopherera]

The vast majority of people stereotype, label and judge on appearances. I'm notoriously bad, but then, if a person lets their appearance define them then it's hard to look past what you see. I think some people need to be less sensitive, develop a sense of humour and allow their personalities to do the talking, rather than their clothes, music tastes etc.

 

[Zaik]

It's been done since the dawn of time, however it's a bit more prevalent today because there are a bazillion million people, and it's more or less impossible to see each as an individual.

Once upon a time you might have known all your neighbors within 30 miles, because there were just 30 of them.

Now it's not unreasonable for a small city to house 30,000. That's insane, how could you even fathom 30,000 individuals, all being different from each other?