by Mr. Euphoric

Created on: December 12, 2009   Last Updated: December 14, 2009

According to the Webster dictionary, stereotyping is "forming a mental picture that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment'. This definition is very misleading to the public and its negative connotation is not well deserved. 

Stereotyping is a function that we cannot live without. The public views stereotyping as something to be avoided, but in reality it is something to be used moderately. Most things in life are beneficial to our mental or physical if we use them in moderation.

The world is set up to produce fruit of its environment. The human products of our society are developed according to what we see, how we are trained, and what we learn to avoid, etc. The key in this statement is "what we learn to avoid". We can mistakenly lump an individual with an area of their past or community that they have learned to avoid.

In life it is our personal responsibility to make wise decisions, like the decision of deciding who to be around. The saying, "birds of a feather flock together" didn't come from the observation that everyone is different; rather it is noting the fact that people have the tendency to develop traits that dominate the local environment, whether it is positive or negative.

The ability to stereotype moderately is an alarm system in our head. Stereotyping provides the opportunity to foresee detrimental personality traits from others with different environments. It teaches us how to interact with certain people based on others we have met. A tree is recognized by the fruits that it bears, and communities are recognized by the youth they develop.

Stereotyping improperly has a downside if used improperly. It limits the opportunity for people to experience the world and all of its wonderful "fruits". The world is made up of different cultures, passions and their understanding of living. Sometimes the differences can only be found in areas that have been stereotyped negatively. One of the biggest reason that stereotypes have a bad rap is because of peoples inability  to use this function as a source of safety not a reason to judge.

Stereotyping is not an excuse for attitudes that disrespect humans or  their communities, which are responsible for their development. It should be used to evaluate communities and environments, not individuals. Stereotyping is a general action that should be used in a general sense to determine the compatibility with an environment and assessing the possible effects on our life.

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