by Stephen Malone

Created on: June 06, 2009

Stereotyping is unfair for any group of peoples. It is, however, an inescapable aspect of life in large societies. Sociobiologists believe it is necessary for a populace to create mental categories. Given the complexities of cultures, and the people incorporated into them, it is difficult to take it all in. Stereotyping is often inaccurate, but it is efficient. Humans have a basic need to organize and predict. Humans get a sense of accomplishment and power from being able to place another in a category and have their prejudices justified. The injustice of stereotypes lies in it's origins. Not historic origins, but the more important and specific type: experiential origins.

Prejudice is born from experience. They are often dramatic and unpleasant and form the skeleton that upholds all manner of ignorant ideas. These are experiences that everyone has faced at some point in their lives. There is an underlying symptom that often goes undiagnosed in regards to stereotypes. It is something so basic and, at times, inane that it is barely given credibility beyond the childish notion of monsters under the bed. It is, however, the primary source of stereotypes. For all its unfairness, prejudice stands firm based on one simple aspect of humanity: Fear.

Fear can change who you are. It can dictate your decisions, sway your dreams, shatter you psyche. Like fire, fear can be seen as a living, breathing thing and, like fire, it can scorch everything it can reach. Fear is the source of stereotypes. A woman, raped in a dirty ally by a black man develops an aversion that extends to include the entire ethnic group. A man watches as his job is taken away and given to an illegal immigrant now stands at the border resolving to prevent entry at any cost. Fear can draw unsuspecting people into actions that are ill-favored and even less understood. Suddenly, an entire ethnicity is classified by the parameters of the experience of only a few.

It is often the stark minority that lends their bad name to the majority. That is to say, it only takes one bad cop to ruin the reputation of the entire force. Stereotypes indicate that everyone of a certain religion, ethnic group, or even fashion style, are fundamentally the same. The same bad manners, the same brutish attitudes, the same unsophisticated. Stereotypes become an umbrella in which entire cultures are encompassed. The problem is that most people caught beneath stereotypes absolutely do not fit them. Not every

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