Do we all let sterotypes fuel our views?

[Erttheking]

When people talk about stereotypes, they seem to normally be talking about things that are in the past or are used by people that are less than well educated. I'm not sure if using stereotypes to define people is a thing of the past for anyone. If you're liberal, have you ever thought of conservatives as all being right wing nut jobs who love guns and hate homosexuals? If you're conservative have you ever thought that all liberals are tree hugging idiots who think that if you just throw enough money at something it'll get better? Have you ever thought simple generalizing views about anyone?

I myself have found myself commonly thinking very stereotyped views about people and I constantly have to force myself to stop and take a step back. It's not hard to understand why people do it, its impossible to meet each individual person in the world and get to know them, so its only natural that the Human brain takes short cuts. We do it all the time, sometimes without even realizing it. I look around and I see plenty of people jumping to conclusions about others, more often than not they probably don't even realize it.

So do you think I have a point? Or do you think I'm full of shit?

 

[Thaluikhain]

everyone tends to initially think in stereotypes but the mark of a mature person is pushing beyond that

Oversimplified, but I'd mostly agree with that.

However, you don't wake up one day and become enlightened, you are still affected by stereotypes your entire life. You need to recognise this and overcome them, which usually has rather mixed success.

 

[Thaluikhain]

everyone tends to initially think in stereotypes but the mark of a mature person is pushing beyond that

Oversimplified, but I'd mostly agree with that.

However, you don't wake up one day and become enlightened, you are still affected by stereotypes your entire life. You need to recognise this and overcome them, which usually has rather mixed success.

A thought my dad would always say: "How do you think stereotypes became stereotypes?" While an entire group of people don't conform to a stereotype, there's a good chance some of those stereotypes are true about a good chunk of some groups. It's not like these stereotypes were just pulled out of someone's ass.

Oh, yes, there's always going to be someone, who'll probably cop flak from the ones who aren't stereotypical.

Though, some are simply made up, for example, for propaganda purposes. The hairy ape-like German and the buck toothed Japanese with glasses come to mind.

 

[Astoria]

Well speaking from a psychological stand point we can't help but be guided by stereotypes. It's just how our brains work to be better efficient. Once something occurs often enough we assuming it will always occur because then our brains don't have to work out that it's going to happen. Stereotypes don't just get made up, a vast majority have a (often right) reasoning behind them. That's why they're often general too like it's not 'Asians can't drive because they X and Y' it's just Asians can't drive. That could mean anything from they cause numerous crashes because they drive like hoons to they're overcautious and sit under the speed limit. Stereotypes are just a guide, they only because an issue if you rely too much upon them and base you're behaviour on them.

You shouldn't blame yourself if you do use stereotypes to judge people because it just means your brains working right but it is good to try and realise when you are doing it and to try to withhold judgement on another person until you know enough about them to make a fully informed decision. Understanding psychology is the first step to beat it so I'm told in my class.

 

[Bertylicious]

Well speaking from a psychological stand point we can't help but be guided by stereotypes. It's just how our brains work to be better efficient. Once something occurs often enough we assuming it will always occur because then our brains don't have to work out that it's going to happen. Stereotypes don't just get made up, a vast majority have a (often right) reasoning behind them. That's why they're often general too like it's not 'Asians can't drive because they X and Y' it's just Asians can't drive. That could mean anything from they cause numerous crashes because they drive like hoons to they're overcautious and sit under the speed limit. Stereotypes are just a guide, they only because an issue if you rely too much upon them and base you're behaviour on them.

You shouldn't blame yourself if you do use stereotypes to judge people because it just means your brains working right but it is good to try and realise when you are doing it and to try to withhold judgement on another person until you know enough about them to make a fully informed decision. Understanding psychology is the first step to beat it so I'm told in my class.

This. One of the most powerful things I ever saw was an interview with a white South African cop in the 90s talking about racism. He said being a racist was like being an alcoholic; that you had to look yourself in the mirror each morning and say "I am a racist, so I will not act like a racist."

To face up to ones' own preconceptions and continue to strive to do the right thing in such an honest manner has always struck me as extremely powerful.

I guess you could also claim that behaviour is also the core of Orwelian double-think though.

 

[Riverwolf]

The human brain spent a million years interacting primarily with small numbers of people. That limited capacity has not been selected out, yet, given the fact that city life has existed for such a small amount of time for such a relatively small percentage of the human population even to this day, and we still generally only interact extensively with a small number of people. As a result, we simplify people we've never met.

Humans are a tribal species even to this day: only people in our "tribe" are complex individuals with lives, childhood memories, complex opinions, loved ones, all those things that make them "people"; everyone else is regarded in more simplified terms to keep the brain from overloading.

One of my personal weak points is that I tend to regard all businessmen as human robots who ignore their families and care about nothing but profit, and would be willing to basically commit mass genocide without blinking an eye if it meant a 5% increase in profits. (And no, I don't actually think ANY businessman is like that.)

For me, one trick to keeping down stereotypical projections (which can be VERY difficult since I live a pretty sheltered life) is allowing other people into the "tribe", regardless of how often we interact. I do that by remembering that everyone has childhood memories and dreams for the future. (However, if I try to do it while walking down the street for every single individual I see, I can quickly get overwhelmed and go into brain-shutdown mode.)

I also remember the wise, wise words of Avenue Q: "Everyone's a rittle bit lasist." ^_^

 

[Eamar]

everyone tends to initially think in stereotypes but the mark of a mature person is pushing beyond that

Oversimplified, but I'd mostly agree with that.

However, you don't wake up one day and become enlightened, you are still affected by stereotypes your entire life. You need to recognise this and overcome them, which usually has rather mixed success.

This.

Stereotypes are culturally ingrained and you're exposed to them constantly. Of course I try to minimise their impact on my thinking as much as possible, but I can't stop every stereotypical thought popping into my head.

I'm afraid I'd have to call bullshit on anyone who claimed to have completely transcended the use of stereotypes, even on a subconscious level. I'm not entirely sure that's possible.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I'm a big fat walking stereotype myself. You think of the most stereotypical depiction of the game playing, movie watching, anime loving geek, and that's me to a tee. Minus the weight issue, but I'm still working on that one.

Yes I think in stereotypes, and I don't see how anyone couldn't. When I'm actually face to face with someone that stereotype melts away quick enough, but I can't stop my mind from automatically categorizing the billions of people on this Earth.

 

[Geoffrey Francis]

Of course we let stereotypes guide our views. We do it for more than people too. We all have the stereotype of a dog or a sheep floating in our heads. How a dog is mans best friend or that all sheep are stupid. When you get down to it every Animal is an individual acting in the way it was trained (brought up), so why should people be different?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Our views are inherent to our upbringing and our cultural context, so there's a baseline of stereotyping in all of us. Whether you're willing to go past that because of experience or just plain common sense is up to each one of us.

 

[Phasmal]

Yeah.
You can't really escape stereotypes and be unaffected by them.

A friend of mine still to this day insists that girls don't play games and the ones that do are all crap (except for me because I am `the exception that proves the rule`) - despite the fact I've known him for going on 5 years and we've known other ladygamers.
The idea is just so stuck in his head.


I think it's good to be aware of stereotypes and remind yourself that everyone is an individual.
Nobody fits perfectly into any box that you want to put them into.
I'm guilty of this myself, I often automatically expect nerd-guys to be hostile, due to my experiences, but often I'm surprised. So I keep these thoughts in my head and try not to let it influence me.

 

[ForumSafari]

Everyone uses stereotyping. Everyone. they won't be the same stereotypes and you can break down old stereotypes and form new ones but everyone uses them. It's a mental shortcut that allows us to model the behaviour of far larger groups of people than we can individually account for.

 

[stroopwafel]

Yeah, like other posters similairly said in the thread I think a certain degree of stereotyping is necessary to create a sense of (false?) predictability that is necessary for survival. I don't really know if stereotyping is learned behavior or just some evolutionary byproduct. I think it's mostly pre-cognitive though(unless its really stupid stereotyping), considering people in general don't really like ambiguity and uncertainty. I think our brain is naturally inclined for everything to make sense and be obvious. Uncertainty tends to be unsatisfying to even be the root of anxiety issues. Even when ofcourse people and life in general is often uncertain. I wish people wouldn't always rely so much on easy answers and quick judgements though. Myself probably included.

 

[Riverwolf]

...violent, fanatic and aggressive machos that relentlessly attack anything and anyone that contradicts their believes and/or "honor".

Kinda sounds like the stereotypical Viking, or how the French and English portrayed each other for centuries, or how the Romans viewed pretty much everyone else.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Fun fact: in America if you ask realtor how they feel about a neighborhood you're looking at, they can't tell you because it's illegal for them to give an opinion that's probably biased. Surveys consistently showed that Realtors will give neighborhoods with minorities a lower rating than all white neighborhoods. It's not because they're consciously racists, especially since plenty of them were probably minorities. In the 50's, neighborhoods were actually rated by the government based on how white they were. That created a form of institutionalized racism that's lasted and people aren't even aware they're doing. Whether we want to admit it or not, we're all affected by stereotypes and generaliztions we aren't aware of. I agree with your OP, it's important to stop and look at things from another perspective

 

[Riverwolf]

...violent, fanatic and aggressive machos that relentlessly attack anything and anyone that contradicts their believes and/or "honor".

Kinda sounds like the stereotypical Viking, or how the French and English portrayed each other for centuries, or how the Romans viewed pretty much everyone else.

The difference is that you don't meet many bearded, axe wielding swedes that spend their time raping and pillaging these days. I, however, encounter the kind of muslims I described every single time I visit certain parts of Berlin. And it's not an isolated case either, as Escapists that live in the not-so-glamorous parts of London, Paris, Rome and so on can confirm.

Besides, the vikings got their reputation for a reason, just like muslims did...

Okay, I'm not going to go into much detail; suffice to say that my experience is not the same at all; not one Muslim I've ever met has fit that description, but I live not ten miles from probably THE most dangerous town in Northern California (it's nickname among my friends is "you-will-get-shot-ville"); it's not populated by Muslims.

I will note, however, that your citations are from Europe, and I live in America. I don't know what European Muslims are generally like, as I've never been to the place, so perhaps things are different there (though to be honest, I wouldn't want to visit London period.) But Muslims here are generally like any other minority group: heavily and unfairly persecuted against but overall good people willing to be friends with people who aren't Muslim.

That said, while we probably will just have to agree to disagree (I've frankly defended Muslims and Islam on another forum to death, and I have no intention of saying anything more on the matter on this thread, just to keep the fires down), I think we can both agree that stereotypes are not all-encompassing, EVER, even if well-earned. I will concede that I wouldn't want to visit any Muslim country at this point, and if I ever visit Berlin, Paris, or Rome, I'll keep what you said in mind.

...though I will also point out that, while spending two weeks in Japan on a student exchange program, my host-mother took me to the high school, and... let's just say that, while she was a wonderful woman, her driving didn't really help the "Asians are bad drivers" stereotype in my mind.

 

[Zhukov]

Yup.

And I have no intention of changing that.

Why not? Well... y'know what's never ever happened to me?

I've never met a person, formed a unflattering, stereotyped opinion of them ("jock" "deadbeat" "redneck" "thug" "God botherer" etc) and then had them turn around and prove me completely wrong.

But y'know what's happened to me plenty of times?

I've met a person, formed an unflattering, stereotyped opinion of them, then immediately told myself, "Whoa man, don't judge a book by its cover like that. They could be a really great person just waiting to be a great friend. Be open minded!" Then they've turned around and proved my initial negative impression to be completely and totally correct.

So these days I just stereotype away with abandon.

It applies to me too of course. If someone were to take one look at me and think, "Huh. I bet he's a quiet, nerdy guy with crappy social skills, lousy luck with women, loves sci-fi and fantasy and plays too many video games", then they'd be right on the money and no harm done.

 

[Bertylicious]

... I will note, however, that your citations are from Europe, and I live in America. I don't know what European Muslims are generally like, as I've never been to the place, so perhaps things are different there (though to be honest, I wouldn't want to visit London period.)

They're generally very nice people who occaisonally have to have a bit of a pray and the blokes really, really, really, love motorsport.

Other than that they're just like anyone else. A lot of the negative attitudes about muslims or black folks generally comes from the problems of impoverished, ghetto, neighbourhoods like the one you mentioned. The issues people put down to racial or religious groups tend to stem from their being poor people in Circumstances and immigrants with loads of money living in fancy places tend to not be the norm.

 

[Dango]

everyone tends to initially think in stereotypes but the mark of a mature person is pushing beyond that

I think you should re-read what you just wrote there.

 

[Shymer]

Thinking fast and slow? Daniel Kahnemann's description of System 1 "fast" thinking as opposed to system 2 "slow" thinking matches exactly what you experience. Humans make quick decisions about people based on limited information - usually fed by past experiences. This can be good - it means you can react quickly with response that are likely to be appropriate given what you know (a quick portrait assessment) of (what appears to be) a distinct social group.

However, we have to accept that our past experiences may give us faulty information about that group, and we may inaccurately assess someone to be part of that group, when they are not and the response we provide may be erroneous in our assessment of how well it might be received anyway. Put simply - it's very easy to be wrong. System 1 thinking will get us through the day, but it would be a mistake to believe that we are making accurate assessments about people without spending time with them and considering the matter more deeply.

There's also the halo effect, which is a known cognitive bias where humans tend to assign positive values to individuals that already have positive values. An attractive person is more likely to receive the benefit of the doubt. Attractive criminals get lighter sentences. Attractive politicians get more votes.