Why do people always judge others through stereotypes first?

Question

I've been noticing this kind of behavior everywhere, especially among schools.

Answer 1

It is an instinctual thing to pass judgment, it is a safety mechanism hardwired to the animal part of us, we have to judge friend or foe and we stereotype from experience. It is something we don't need anymore but is a part of us, and only a good solid education can temper it.

Answer 2

Early societies could easily divide the world into two groups--US and THEM. As populations got bigger, it was still easy to make generalizations about THEM, but the other group lived close by, and there were more interactions, more reasons to use the assumptions for another group behaviors when WE couldn't possible know all of THEM. Cultural differences might seem insurmountable, so it continued to be easier to use these stereotypical assumptions rather than to meet and understand THEM as individuals, with the same hopes, dreams, needs that WE have but translated into different solutions. If you look at a person and see only the race, the gender, the economic status, isn't it easier to pigeonhole that unit than is is to know them as an individual?

Answer 3

Because that is what stereotypes ARE.

The mechanism is called a heuristic (just means mental shortcut) by which one automatically associates certain things with certain groups. For example, a white supremist scumball would have formed an association between black people and something negative, eg. stupidity.

But the other thing about heuristics is that they are used to increase processing speed and as such are done FIRST. That is why people judge from stereotypes first.

In the wild, heuristics are used to form associations like "BEAR!!" and "Run away quickly!" to get us out of nasty situations quickly (much faster than we would otherwise react)

Answer 4

Unfortunately, ignorance is most prevalent today, even some so-called "educated" (academically trained) can be most ignorant and presumptuous. But, listen, we're all victims of it one way or another and we're being bombarded by political slogans and religious slogans and commercial slogans... how can we not rub elbows with bigots and racists nowadays when you turn on the TV and demagogues and religious leaders are spewing out insidious hatred under the guise of truth and nationalistic b/s?

Look around you and ask yourself, WHAT poor person REALLY has a chance of becoming President today? All the elected officials are somehow tied to big money and they were elected under falsehoods (lies in the form of political campaign promises that they never intended to keep) and are now puppets for the super rich and powerful... look around and see how the religious leaders cozy up to the elected leaders and hang out with them... what does that tell you?

Those propaganda are calculated to divide us to keep us and keep us fighting amongst ourselves and under their control. Stereotypes are nothing more than yet another means of propaganda used by those who divide us to conquer us... but some of us are too fanatical to even see the truth even if they fall all over it. Too many of us, "people," are simply brainwashed to the point where thinking for oneself is an impossibility... they can only relate to stereotypes and nonsensical lies they repeat without knowing any facts!

Answer 5

The Media Irresponsible proprietors undesirable breeding Irresponsible breeders Stereotyping of the familiar public.. picked up from the media the rationalization BSL is rather the main to blame isn't purely because of the fact it bans particular breeds and punishes in charge proprietors yet American Pit Bull Terriers was once referred to as Pit Bulls perpetually and now if somebody says Pit Bull or Pit Bulls maximum folk think of they are bearing on 3 or 4 breeds. maximum folk do no longer even comprehend what a Pit Bull is now.... as quickly as I say Pit Bull I mean APBT i do unlike this label overlaying some breeds because of the fact i do no longer see the be conscious Pit Bull in Staffordshire Bull Terrier nor do I see it in American Staffordshire Terrier and (English) Bull Terrier.... that's faulty and that's been mentioned in the previous that those breeds are not Pit Bull in style... in style they are Bull and Terriers and that's how that's going to be if every physique is going to circulate by style. The Pit Bull style label became theory-approximately by BSL legislators and is now even used by Anti-BSL supporter AKA (in charge) Bull breed proprietors... how tousled is that? while this label is the midsection of the confusion of Bull breeds.

Answer 6

Well, there are probably many reasons, but I would say that - especially with younger people - it would be mostly related to the way they were raised and whether or not their parents do the same. Wouldn't you agree? As we age, they way we were raised still factors into it greatly (more than most would like to admit, as no older person like tos admit that their parent's opinions still have an effect on them), but it also can be realted to personal experience with the particular ethnic group, or diversity group like homosexuals, skin heads, racists, whatever.

Answer 7

People don't always do that. What I don't know is if you included stereotyping in your question accidentally, or if you were just testing to see if anyone would notice.

JMB

Answer 8

we are prone as humans to make fast decisions based on our past experiences so if you typically had a good experince with tall men you are going to feel inclined towards tall men and the reverse being true

Answer 9

It's what people do. People judge others by the way they look, that's how it has always been, and how it will always be.

Answer 10

probably because some people really behave quite 'stereotypically', in other words they do deserve it.. on other occasions it's those that do the 'judgimg' as you put it, that are mediocre and can't see outside what's has been passed on to them as the 'norm', 'acceptable', 'safe conclusion'..