Are any stereotypes universally true? If not, how do the racists get away with saying fallacious statements?

Question

Many racists live by these statements, yet it is proven the statements commit the fallacy of hasty generalization.

My question is: Is there any factual evidence that supports racist ideology that can be said about minorities across the board?

John Doe - but you know because it's apparent - that not ALL the Asians were there, right? So, that argument is invalid. You can't use a few encounters with certain races as an excuse to use lazy thinking processes.

Coach-Standardized tests in an inner city school DOES NOT create an acceptable generalization that blacks are somehow less smart than whites. This is all economics. If you have white and black kids from a poverty stricken environment and a black kid from the suburbs, the kid from the suburbs will be smarter than both races, in many cases.

Answer 1

To discuss this question, one needs to have a succinct definition as to what "racism" means. My son recently observed one of his classmates acting goofy and mentioned to me if I "saw the funny brown kid." One of his other classmates immediately pounced on the comment and said my son was being racist. He is 7, and has a very innocent view of the world. To his eyes, his classmate *is* brown, as he is pink and other kids are tan. There are many whose view of "racism" is just as absurd. This leads one to the possibility that perhaps what is needed is a more rounded perspective about differences of race; what aspects are founded in history and by what external influences. Yes, one can make jokes about Native Americans (or the Irish, for that matter) and alcoholism (for one example of stereotype), but if that is as far as one probes, then what is denied or ignored are the economic, social and cultural injustices that led to some in this particular race to become alcoholics. There are differences in every race, and some are indeed specific to race. We can choose to learn and accept these differences in a kind, humorous, self-deprecating kind of way, or we can continue to have a thin skin and react to every minute or imagined slight. Sadly, this latter seems to be the response for most and the inflammatory and vitriolic shouting matches that follow only serve to obfuscate, rather than enlighten.

Answer 2

Your response to coach leaves out a comparison that validates the differences found in standardized tests - compare the black kid in the suburbs with the white kids (or the asian kids) in the suburbs, then compare the black kids at the impoverished school with the white or asian kids there. You will see that that whites and asians are higher achievers in both environments in the vast majority of situations. Economics plays a role, but not the role you would like to claim it does. I am sure you must have read or heard the short story "The Emperor's New Clothes". Well, sometimes the emperor is naked and people don't want to admit that for fear of the response. I am sure you get my point.
By the way, I have been a teacher for a little less than 20 years. I have worked at rural and inner-city high schools, at two schools for juvenile offenders, and at a small college on the west coast. I know what the hell I am talking about.

Answer 3

A person is only a minority when they are around larger groups of people different than them. A Mexican is not a minority in Mexico City and a black man is not a minority in Ethiopia. A white man IS a minority in China. That being said, the races certainly do have different traits that distinguish them from others. This is not to say they are negative traits, just different. For example, white men can't jump. Black men jump higher than white men. If this statement makes me a racist, then all smart people in the world can be labeled racist.

In America, we are discouraged from talking about differences between the races because of this automatic racist trigger. It should not be like this, everybody needs to grow up and stop using the race card.

Answer 4

The only reason that they get away with it is because other racist people support their false ideas. I don't believe that there are ANY universal stereotypes that hold true. Period. Unless you want to get into something trivial like skin color, but that says nothing about a person, especially now a days, when we see many mixed races.

I had to come back and add for the man above me. ALL black men don't jump higher than white men, and ALL white men are not poor jumpers. That is generalizing, and it is simply not true to say that ALL of someone can't do something just as well as ALL of someone else.

Answer 5

There's some credibility to most all stereotypes or they would never have been propagated, Let's pick a non-"offensive" one.

The Irish are drunks and like to fight.

The Irish make the best jokes,songs and stories to support this one.

Are all true ?-of course not, but I have lived long enough to have seen a lot of groups or individuals live up to some stereotype of some kind. Many have at least some credibility. Sorry to all the diversity "Kool aid" drinkers and liberals.

Should we treat people badly or categorize all Scots as cheap (again picking groups least likely to offend) no.

But until all people can learn to laugh at themselves and take their heritage a little seriously every gender, group, and religion will scream bloody murder in the media for usually little or no reason. Okay all you Greeks fire up that spit in the yard lol.

Live a little,laugh a lot.- Let's move on and grow up and stop whining.

Answer 6

I think that all sterotypes come about from some sort of fact. Is it going to be true about ALL of the people included in that minority group? Of course not. But, when something is said about a certain group or race, it's usually based on what people generally observe about that group or race. Take something like, I don't know, saying that black people can dance better than white people. As someone who lives in a predominately black neighborhood, I can tell you with some fact that a great many of them DO, in fact, dance better than the average white person. But, I have observed some pretty bad dancing in my neighborhood, as well. So, something like that, you could say that from my observences, I can tell you that generally, black people dance better than white people. But that doesn't make it a universal fact about every black person on the planet. So, no. I wouldn't say that any one sterotype is universally true.

Answer 7

No stereotype can be completely true..there are always exceptions to rules. There are plenty of facts that point out some racist ideologies, as there are plenty that could refute them. In the long run it's just better to meet people and decide for yourself on the individual and not use them to judge a group.

Answer 8

How else do folk like Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh get away with their idiocy except with generalizing and hoping people won't go an look at the facts for themselves?

To answer your question, no, there's no evidence to support the racist's stupidity.

Answer 9

Are any stereotypes universally true?...no, of course not...Are a any stereotypes true in a general sense?...Absolutely...Want some generalized and politically incorrect evidence?...Go to SEVERAL racially diverse schools and take a look at the school's basketball team(s)...Then go to the honors English or advanced math classes in the same school...You are absolutely gonna see some stereotyped truths...If you don't notice the truths...NOT fallacies...behind many stereotypes, then you are blind or wear rose colored glasses...and you are probably holier-than-thou, too...Read any good standardized test scores recently?

Answer 10

Some stereotypes are wholly false, but some stereotypes have merit on general truth.

There is no empirical evidence, however, that humans are born comparatively equal. This truth is "racism" or "sexism" to people who prefer to believe in the myth of comparative equality.

-Aztec276