Stereotypes are as old as human culture itself. They reflect ideas that groups of people hold about others who are different from them. But most stereotypes tend to make us feel superior in some way to the person or group being stereotyped. Stereotypes ignore the uniqueness of individuals by painting all members of a group with the same brush. It’s faster and easier to use a stereotype to characterize a person or situation, than it is to provide a more complex explanation.
As I said, stereotypes work for those who don’t like to think. You see, you gave a more complex explanation, unlike the original poster who made a broad-brush, one sentence statement.
Your example about Muslims is wrong - that’s not stereotyping, that’s profiling.
“Your example about Muslims is wrong - that’s not stereotyping, that’s profiling.”
And you play semantics just like a good liberal? Stereotyping is a survival skill. If I eat a green berry, and get sick, I will avoid green berries. Even if some green berries are the best around, until I can reliably differentiate, I avoid all green berries.
If I’m walking down the street at 2 AM, I avoid young black men with do-rags and droopy drawers. It’s possible that if I were in trouble, those same black youths I avoid could save my life. However, it’s more likely that young men matching that description would cause me trouble. A stereotype is a belief about something, or someone based on prior experience, that you apply to the whole of that group. Profiling is matching an individual to your stereotype criteria.
You are being intellectually dishonest.
Physician, heal thyself ;o)