I am not talking about certain stereotypes, but just to stereotype things in general as a form of helping us survive. Coming from our animal parts of our brains, we learn that if we had a bad experience with eating a certain type of berry we stay away from any berry that reminds us of that berry. That is stereotyping!
In nature there are several animals who sole defense mechinism is to simply look like another animal that is poisonous.
Even in other aspects of our lives we are stereotyping but calling it "a learning experience". If a "shifty looking salesman" sells you some bad goods, you are then leary of the next "shifty looking salesman".
So how can we stop something we are programmed to do?
2006-09-29 01:37:10 · 3 answers · asked by butnozzle 2 in Social Science ➔ Other - Social Science
"Stereotyping" as a form of learning isn't bad or wrong. We need to recognize that if a yellow winged insect will sting us, automatically be careful around similar shaped bees.
Social stereotyping, i.e. prejudice based only on skin color, isn't productive though. We have to acknowlege that it's a person and each person is different, no matter their skin color.
2006-09-29 01:41:14 · answer #1 · answered by Funchy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi. Very smart question. Thank you. I think it might help to say that we are programmed to categorize things. We think compartmentally. Stereotyping implies something different than this inbred processing. It implies value. We not only categorize, we evaluate. That is, we assign a value to things and that is the tricky chemistry where compartmentalizing can turn to stereotyping in a negative way (as well as its positive counterpart). The process is begnin, the interpretation is not.
2006-09-29 08:42:49 · answer #2 · answered by Isis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stereotyping by personal experiences is one thing, and stereotyping whole countries based on something the media tells you, which you have never checked out for yourself is just wrong.
2006-09-29 08:47:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋