Talking about 'bananas' in the other
thread got me thinking - why is 'stereotyping' so rampant in our
lives? Have we become a culture whereby a person's worth is often
judged by the way he / she looks or the image they project?
Stereotypes are fixed impressions and exaggerated and preconceived
ideas and descriptions about a certain type of person, group or
society. Stereotyping is a form of branding - about a group for
being members of a certain type of group.
Stereotypes last in a person's mind perhaps because they are
self-perpetuated, and information that agrees with a known and
accepted set of beliefs usually serves to heighten the already
existing thoughts in a person's mind... most probably ingrained
since a very young age. When group members are perceived, the set
conception for that group is automatically retrieved, and it is
more difficult to ignore these schemas; so much so that people tend
to be prejudiced more often than not - though they may be presented
with facts to dispel the notion. When we remember information
easier, such as stereotypes, we tend to believe that is true.
Stereotypes are heuristics in which they allow us to make
simplifications... and when we simplify our thoughts with
stereotypes, chances are, we tend to make poor decisions.
Why are we often guilty of stereotyping? Even some of us who claim
to be 'open-minded' often find ourselves falling into this
characterization trap, sometimes just by a person's outward
appearance, without even knowing them as an individuals.
I personally consider it as a form of 'prejudice'. Like prejudice,
it is hard (even impossible) to eradicate... although with a little
more exposure and education - hopefully this situation can be
somewhat alleviated.
