What function do you think stereotypes serve in today's society?

Question

I'd like to hear anything anyone has to say on the subject, pro or con. Please try to include some kind of reasoning for your answers.

Let me just re-emphasize, good OR bad functions. Just because something is negative or destructive doesn't mean it isn't a factor in society. (If only eh?)

Answer 1

Stereotypes, like labels, are a sort of mental shorthand our brains use so we don't get lost in the minutiae of each individual we encounter in the course of a day; the problem with them is that we tend to mask real people behind and within the stereotypes we apply. For instance, when writing my Yahoo Answers profile, I had to be careful what I said, knowing that certain stereotypes would inevitably attach themselves and so obscure at least as much as they would reveal.

As to pros or cons, I think that if we take the time when possible to look at our fellow humans we can discover amazing things about them and, with time, rewrite our stereotypes. Otherwise, we move through a world that might as well be cgi for all that we know or care about it.

Answer 2

It's kinda sad, but I think that it helps people make decisions. Like for example: a boss has to choose between a blonde chewing gum or some dude in a suit for an office job. If he had to choose someone to hire without interviewing them (it wouldn't happen, but this is all hypothetical anyways), the obvious choice is the guy with a suit. There are also many racist stereotypes and homo stereotypes that impact people's decisions too, unfortunately, that I didn't want to give examples of.

Answer 3

Stereotypes are not necessarily a bad thing. Because sometimes and quite often, they can be true. Stereotypes can offer someone unfamiliar with a culture hints on how to act around certain people, what to and not to say. Stereotypes are condemned unnecessarily. When they are used to harass, then they offer nothing, but if you use it to learn about a certain culture, it can be of your benefit.Even if they are not true, learning that they are not true by exposing yourself in that culture can be an eye opening experience. Does anybody else agree?

Answer 4

it extremely is extremely useful to ascertain greater on Buddhist priests. Buddhist priests lead solitary lives -- inspite of the undeniable fact that they often are got here across at the same time. that's till they embark on coaching -- then they have little or no time on my own. priests serve the objective of a cloistered society. it extremely is surely quite elitist in my view, yet that's yet another count. The undertaking is in seeing anybody has having fee in society. i've got self belief that each and every person from the murderer to a international chief each and each serves a function to the society. Even people who we ***** approximately as being poor. enable's wish no one judges you as no longer serving a pragmatic objective in society.

Answer 5

Stereotypes do the following:

Create fear
Create distrust

Continue the circle of prejudice

Widen the distance between people

Make it harder for people to work together to solve the worlds problems...

These are the functions and results of stereotypes... same as yesterday, same as today... same what will be tomorrow.. unfortunately.

Answer 6

it stops the ability to meet learn and gather all the vital information about a race color religion group and many other groups easily stereotyped really and it must stop!
here's an example of stereotyping a place i shared with someone about those i chat with and there location and how much i love them all!
and the person i shared this with became concern and i understood him but i corrected him and begged him not to judge so very quickly and that i have nothing to fear and it was a whole race and country of people he downed and i uplifted them what the few stupid do i refused to say it is the whole country and the whole people!!

Answer 7

They serve no function except to set up groups of people for ridicule. It's like thinking all dancers are gay or all black men are dope fiends or all Chinese are cheaters. Now what function could those stereotypes serve?

Answer 8

stereotypes are used in advertising/ marketing and in political science. Anytime they try to guess what would appeal different demographic groups, they are stereotyping.

Answer 9

Well i believe that they give us a strating point ... they give us a kind of fear of what we dont understand and they also help us to brek out of our prejudice shell and to experince people for who they are and not for what we think they could be (with out getting to know them of course)

Answer 10

sterotypes are all around... muslims run our gas stations... mexicans build our houses.. japanese/chinese are our engineers and mathmaticions..