Stereotypes

[Famous Mortimer]

I understand that it's wrong to make stereotypes about non-whites and it's okay to make stereotypes about whites. I understand that that is because white people "have power". Beyond that though, beyond the morality of the observations, are the observations themselves factual? Please don't be a pedant and say that no stereotype is true because no stereotype is 100% correct all the time. If you think a stereotype is GENERALLY correct, that should count as being correct, for the sake of this poll.

[Alabama_Indy10]

wut

[C r a b c a k e]

I'm not sure the logic of some that it's ok to make jokes about groups "in power" hold water. After all, Jewish people often are healthily representated in power and society rightly views negative stereotypes of them with contempt, given the horrendous consequences of anti Semitism.

Perhaps the key thing is that stereotype jokes are normally a lot more true and funny when you know most about the group in question. Not that people outside the group should be banned from making jokes, but it's often going to be a shallower observation unless you're very empathetic.

[elcorazon]

worst poll ever

[Famous Mortimer]

You don't think this is an interesting question philosophically? About half the time people spend in liberal arts education, they spend learning that it's wrong to generalize about non-whites and okay to generalize about whites. It's obviously a hugely important topic and you would think it warrants further exploration.

[dead0man]

I have found the majority of stereotypes are true(ish) in real life.  That's (generally) how they became stereotypes in the first place.  I enjoy people who embrace their stereotype more than people that fight with every fiber of their being to not fit the stereotype.

Of course I try not to make a habit of publicly pointing them out either.

[Torie]

If one must stereotype, it makes somewhat more sense with ethnic groups than races. Race is a very, very broad category, and one race can and do live in a wide variety of cultures.

Thinking about whites, what do I have in common with a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan? We are both white. Go ahead and stereotype that one if you can.

[pbrower2a]

You exclude the option of denying the validity of any racial stereotype.

Some other stereotypes might have some validity, but those typically have signals of class or region attached. Except for my hair and my skin color, I probably have much more in  common with the black bourgeoisie than I have with poor Appalachian white people.

[Famous Mortimer]

You exclude the option of denying the validity of any racial stereotype.

Some other stereotypes might have some validity, but those typically have signals of class or region attached. Except for my hair and my skin color, I probably have much more in  common with the black bourgeoisie than I have with poor Appalachian white people.

"Stereotypes about whites and non-whites are untrue but stereotypes about whites should be tolerated because they are harmless"

[Democrat 2028]

worst poll ever

[Famous Mortimer]

worst poll ever

Why does this upset you so much? I'm literally not even challenging intersectional leftist dogma. I'm merely asking to have it explained to me further. I'm making no value judgement about what the left thinks. I'm just asking leftists to tell me what they think.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

How do you even function in real life?

[Democrat 2028]

worst poll ever

Why does this upset you so much? I'm literally not even challenging intersectional leftist dogma. I'm merely asking to have it explained to me further. I'm making no value judgement about what the left thinks. I'm just asking leftists to tell me what they think.

They're wrong because they're wrong. The only agenda there is being a decent person.

[Famous Mortimer]

worst poll ever

Why does this upset you so much? I'm literally not even challenging intersectional leftist dogma. I'm merely asking to have it explained to me further. I'm making no value judgement about what the left thinks. I'm just asking leftists to tell me what they think.

They're wrong because they're wrong. The only agenda there is being a decent person.

You think intersectional leftists are wrong? How do you think they're wrong? Do you think it's not okay to make fun of white people?

[KingSweden]

How do you even function in real life?

[Devout Centrist]

You don't think this is an interesting question philosophically? About half the time people spend in liberal arts education, they spend learning that it's wrong to generalize about non-whites and okay to generalize about whites. It's obviously a hugely important topic and you would think it warrants further exploration.

no

[Democrat 2028]

worst poll ever

Why does this upset you so much? I'm literally not even challenging intersectional leftist dogma. I'm merely asking to have it explained to me further. I'm making no value judgement about what the left thinks. I'm just asking leftists to tell me what they think.

They're wrong because they're wrong. The only agenda there is being a decent person.

You think intersectional leftists are wrong? How do you think they're wrong? Do you think it's not okay to make fun of white people?

Yeah I do. All stereotypes are wrong.

[PragmaticPopulist]

It's generally bad to assume stereotypes are true even if they largely are. For example, if you were in France and were speaking with someone from there, you wouldn't assume every person there immediately hated American tourists, would you?

[ProudModerate2]

How surprised are you that Atlas user, Famous Mortimer/WillipsBrighton, created this poll?

[dead0man]

All stereotypes are wrong.

well that's clearly not true.

It's generally bad to assume stereotypes are true even if they largely are. For example, if you were in France and were speaking with someone from there, you wouldn't assume every person there immediately hated American tourists, would you?

yes, until shown otherwise.  Obviously not every Frenchy hates Americans, not all Asian males are good at math, some white women can dance and some people in wheelchairs have no trouble opening a door, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't hold the door for them (longer than you would an able bodied person if you're the kind of person who holds doors for everybody that is close).  It hurts nobody to quietly assume that older white lady heading to the dance floor isn't going to impress anybody with her moves.  Nobody is arguing in 2018 that black people shouldn't be allowed in movie theaters because they talk too much, but pointing out the fact that black people talk more in movie theaters than non-black people shouldn't make everybody in hearing range assume the person saying it is some kind of Klan member.  Yeah, if all that person talks about is negative racial stereotypes, then yeah, probably a racist, but pointing out differences in how cultures do things shouldn't lead to an automatic knee jerk assumption of "that guy is a racist!".

[KingSweden]

All stereotypes are wrong.

well that's clearly not true.

It's generally bad to assume stereotypes are true even if they largely are. For example, if you were in France and were speaking with someone from there, you wouldn't assume every person there immediately hated American tourists, would you?

yes, until shown otherwise.  Obviously not every Frenchy hates Americans, not all Asian males are good at math, some white women can dance and some people in wheelchairs have no trouble opening a door, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't hold the door for them (longer than you would an able bodied person if you're the kind of person who holds doors for everybody that is close).  It hurts nobody to quietly assume that older white lady heading to the dance floor isn't going to impress anybody with her moves.  Nobody is arguing in 2018 that black people shouldn't be allowed in movie theaters because they talk too much, but pointing out the fact that black people talk more in movie theaters than non-black people shouldn't make everybody in hearing range assume the person saying it is some kind of Klan member.  Yeah, if all that person talks about is negative racial stereotypes, then yeah, probably a racist, but pointing out differences in how cultures do things shouldn't lead to an automatic knee jerk assumption of "that guy is a racist!".

A reasonable take IMO

[ProudModerate2]

How do you even function in real life?

[Torie]

One codicil to all of this, is that stereotypes that had some truth at one time, may not have much truth left to them at another time. I went to NYC as a college kid, and did tend to find the denizens rather brash and obnoxious, and was annoyed that they honked the horn at you as soon as a light turned green, least you take more than one second to step on the gas. Now, when I go to NYC, I find the residents to be very friendly overall, and they don't honk the horn much, either when the light turns green or otherwise. So that stereotype I consider effectively dead. Do Jews still tend more than some other ethnic groups to talk all at once and over each other at family or other gatherings? Inquiring minds want to know!

[dead0man]

Do Jews still tend more than some other ethnic groups to talk all at once and over each other at family or other gatherings? Inquiring minds want to know!

I've always thought that was just an old person's thing.

[elcorazon]

You don't think this is an interesting question philosophically? About half the time people spend in liberal arts education, they spend learning that it's wrong to generalize about non-whites and okay to generalize about whites. It's obviously a hugely important topic and you would think it warrants further exploration.

facepalm