I was actually thinking about that today... yes :| LOL

stereotypes are generalizations and arein general, stereotypically generally correct

They have their beginnings as being true, yes. The problem is, that truth becomes solidified in people's minds as "all truth" "always that truth". And when something comes along that breaks that stereotype, people realize that that's not the only truth, and that other truths exist too. Hey killdrphil. How are you doing my friend? How are things down there in Seattle?

Um let me think about it ....... NO.

While stereotypes are frequently true, I'm not certain I would use the word "usually".

I'd say some people go along with their stereotypes because they think they're obligated to.

Yes they run our world and we are all stereotypically categorated.

i'm pretty sure lol yeah :D

stereotypes become stereotypes not because they are usually true, but because someone views one part of one particular situation and assumes it must be true of all other similar situations. All it takes anymore is the media to through a situation into the media and suddenly every one assumes they know who is guilty or what happened, because they saw something similar. Then they tell everybody else, and people will choose to believe anything. Stereotype can be pretty dangerous. When I was a kid the lady who watched me whenever my mom was working told us all kinds of weird stuff based on her own stereotypes. Like she always told us to watch out for black or dark colored vans, because that is what kidnappers drove. So, being told that by a trusted adult, I was wary of dark colored vans. I was almost kidnapped by a person in a neutral colored car, because I thought, it is ok to talk to him, he isn't driving a dark colored van. Luckily I caught on taht he was trying to get me in his car and ran away.

Not necessarily. They are true for some, and repeated enough that they become stereotypes. For example In the OLD movies, black men, when scared, opened their eyes REALLY wide, and panicked, first running around the room, THEN out the door. Part of THAT stereotype, I'm sure, had SOME reality in it, but only through a few men the writers or producers knew. They knew it was funny, so it began to be used more and more. Another: All Middle Eastern men are rich, OR all are terrorists and live in caves. If you noticed on TV, when the troops were marching to Baghdad, there were a LOT of simple homes along the way, SOME made of mud (it looked like). Doesn't sound "rich" to me. Even those in Baghdad live in normal (or subnormal) apartments and homes, near as I could tell, sometimes numerous people to a room. Again, doesn't sound "rich" to me. And it should be obvious to all THINKING people that not all are terrorists. Another: ANYONE who owns a business is rich. NOPE. Sorry. Most people who own businesses are middle, or even lower-middle class. All the money they make there, except for what they need for their own subsistence, goes RIGHT BACK into that business. I know all about this stereotype. My father had three grocery stores (in different parts of town). Everyone thought we were "rich", but in actuality, we were just "comfortable"... Made too much to be lower-middle-class, and too little to be upper-middle-class, so, we were just middle-middle-class. The belief extended even further when Dad started buying houses and repurposing them into apartments, renting them out. Again, nope. When I was about 10 or so, Dad said, "If the definition of a millionaire is someone who OWES a million dollars, then I guess I AM one." (Kinda scary to hear when you're that age.) JUST because you have good credit doesn't make you rich, by any means! There are plenty more stereotypes you can figure out yourself. The Irish Cop (Back when the Irish came, they were strong men - potato farming - and made good cops. So that's what many did.); the backwoods bumpkin (again, there were some, and they were funny to the "upper-crust"; the beautiful, sexy nurse (well, most are, in SOME ways, but not all are "beauty queens); the OLD music teacher (turns out, it was a way to make some money at home, to supplement SS!); the French Chef; the Italian gangster; and on, and on, and on... They ALL have a modicum of truth to them, and most are based on at least ONE person, but they are usually so over-the-top for the "normal" person, that its NOT the way to define a whole people.

Stereotypes don't exist for nothing. First, there may be some truth to them, but how one perceives it is the problem, as well as the execution of said perception in the name of the subject. I mean because a stereotype may be a stereotype, that doesn't make it automatically a bad thing, but because we always need something or someone to hate, the slight truth is enough of an excuse to define it as such. And while there may be truth to them, I believe that in most cases, it's grossly exaggerated. But people don't like truth, and this is denoted by the expansion of negative harbouring towards what little truth there is. If it isn't fear, it's the need to know, better to dismiss it as ''fact'' instead of exploring the subject further, it would seem. :/ Sexual desires must be unleashed, but this doesn't make every single Catholic a pedophile, and if Vikings held so much importance on honour, I doubt they ate babies and raped everyone they saw-their wives back at home would slaughter them if they learned they did that, if anything. Doesn't mean they didn't, but most would define them as ogres, while in truth they were farmers, traders and artists before being savages. Example. One of the problems, I think, might also be the inevitability of occurrence, if considering certain types of nature. Maybe there are more black gangsters than there are white, and maybe in some places, black people are criminals before white people, but that might because of how they are socially treated, to begin with.

no. not always. Homeless people on TV are stereotyped as being bumx who are always drinking alchohol so ask anyone and they will say "all homeless people are alcoholics".. no they are not.. I wasn't. I met many homeless who were not. Welfare rec. have been stereotyped as lazy bums who refused to work and sit hom living like royalty.. when truth be told they make less many than they would if they worked.. and most welfare people that are able to do work they just don't make enough to pay all the necessities of life. People don't care what happened to make them need to be on welfare or homeless they don't care..they just sterotype based on what they see on TV or what a few who may be screwing the system are doing. I think if people would actually sit down and really get to the know the person a lot of stereotyping would stop. Some stereotypes are true but that doesn't mean that every person in that group fits that stereotype.. NOT all blacks are punks, not all ..whatever..

In a way, I think maybe partially..the problem is that it is usually a small sample and then it is applied to the larger field, and that's when it breaks down a lot. For example, you live in a dangerous ghetto/neighborhood..it happens to have a lot of gang activity..the gangs are comprised of people of color..maybe Latinos, maybe African American, maybe Asian. If this is your only exposure to people of color it maybe tempting to paint all people of color with that broad brush..that is unfair..what about all those who have advanced degrees, teach at universities, run companies that employ thousands of people? Happy Wednesday, my friend! :) ((hugs))

Lots of stereotypes are true for some people. The bad apples always stand out and people generally like to put things in neat little packages so they don't have to think too hard. So they just remember the bad ones and pigeon hole them into a neat little stereotype....the easy button!