Stereotyping Really Pisses People Off

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I have personally been on the recieving end of a lot of stereotyping from pollies. But before you dismiss this as a whiney "oh woe is me" personal complaint, read on. It is in fact the opposite.

What has pissed me off has been the assumptions that because I was a Y2K pessimist, I believed in this, that and the other thing which were in fact the opposite of what I believed. If you want to know what I think about these various matters, just ask me, I'll be glad to tell you. But don't make your ASSumptions, it's an insult to my individuality.

But although I may fire off a hot retort on occasion, I can't say any of this stuff ruins my day. But that's, I think, because I have been lucky in life with respect to never having had to worry about being stereotyped. Hell, male, Northern European, Protestant, what did I ever have to worry about.

I suspect that if my life experience had been different, I would have reacted much more strongly to the stereotyping I've run into re Y2K.

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), October 26, 2000

Answers

Deep Thoughts?

-- Porky (Porky@in.cellblockD), October 26, 2000.

what if i told you, ALL we,re created too be =1. mankind look,s at the outside[flesh]GOD look,s at the heart!! our body,s are,um well kinda like earth-suit,s-but the real-you is spirit/soul!!---too bad our FOCUS is warped!!

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), October 26, 2000.

Drunk thoughts?

-- he's (going@the.distance), October 26, 2000.

There was a young man named al

Who said the Lord was his pal...

-- (blocked@poet.corner), October 26, 2000.


Peter:

I can only make a wild guess about your meaning. If I guessed right, you are wrong. If you had been right you would have posted here:

Y2K Smoke Screen

Go there and see our friends Dan the Power Man and Gregor get into trouble.

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), October 26, 2000.



I agree Peter, stereotyping pisses me off too. Not just on Y2K, but on people in general.

This is a consequence of extremely narrow-minded thinking, basically by people who don't have a very high intellectual capacity. They don't have the capacity to store the information in their brain that would be necessary to understand the millions of different types of people who live on this planet, so they try to fit them into a couple of dozen categories. Decker and Flint are excellent examples of this type of mentality.

-- (narrow.minded@thinkers.suck), October 27, 2000.


I find it kindof amusing, Peter. I've been called everything from a left wing pinko-commie to a right-wing radical nut, sometimes by the same persons. Where else but the internet can one find free laughs such as this?

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), October 27, 2000.

Z:

That thread over at EZBoard is truly one of the most surreal I've seen, even on the old TB2K. With the exception of Dan and Gregor, everyone seems to believe that Y2K fell into several categories -

* It's still really happening but the TPTB are keeping it covered up

* It was just a coverup so the (take your choice) Illuminati, NWO, .gov, .industry could further their plans for world domination.

* It was a real problem but God intervened and saved us....this time.

* It just showed us how vulnerable we really are (even though nothing very spectacular occured) and is merely another reason to add to the 40,000 pounds of survival food stored in pallets in the barn.

If this thread doesn't convince one that Y2K was simply another excuse for the chronically paranoid to get worked up then I don't know what would.

-- Jim Cooke (JJCooke@yahoo.com), October 27, 2000.


To Z:

I'm totally confused, as to why you would bring that truly strange thread into this discussion (which Jim Cooke is certainly right about).

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), October 27, 2000.


Stereotyping doesn't bother me a bit,I could give a rats ass less.People can think whatever they want to,makes no difference whatsoever to moi.

And hell yes Iv'e been stereotyped!!! Because of the long hair,beard, southern drawl,earrings,tatoo,colorful wardrobe,penchant for partyin',opinionation and probably a few things I'm overlooking.

Perception is everything and nothing,perception is mind over matter,If *I* don't mind *it* don't matter.

As long as we don't let our perceptions or pre-conceptions stand in the way of getting to know the people behind the perceptions,it's OK,it's when we can't/won't get past the stereotypes that we really do ourselves the disservice.

Of course the best mindset is to say fuck all that and meet one person at a time.Most will be innocuous,a few will be assholes and still much fewer will be those diamonds amongst the rhinestones.

Life is short,have a beer.

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), October 27, 2000.



Capn-

So you have been stereotyped as Macho Man Randy Savage?

-- HulkHogan (champ@wwf.nwa), October 27, 2000.


Peter:

As I said, I didn't clearly understand your point. I took it to mean that because you were a pessimist on Y2K, you had been stereotyped as belonging to a certain group in your view of the world. I pointed out that stereotypes, while never completely accurate, do have enough validity to continue to exist.

My point was, if you actually fit into that stereotypical category, you wouldn't be posting here; you would be posting there.

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), October 27, 2000.


You folks here dont seem to have anything else on your minds but y2k past issues. Nobody on this site would be game to post anything that didnt relate to stroking each others overblown egos. Get over it baby girls.

-- ringmaster (im@outtahere.girls), October 27, 2000.

To Z:

Even if I were posting over at EZboard instead of here, nobody would be entitled to assume anything about my views unless I had stated them (for example, whether I agreed with that ridiculous thread).

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), October 27, 2000.


Peter, I don't know what's got your undies in a twist, because the way I read it, you **stereotyped** in the beginning of this thread:

"I have personally been on the recieving end of a lot of stereotyping from pollies."

The word "pollies" is, in fact, a **stereotype**, as you have neither put it in quotes, nor have you qualified what you mean by "pollies" (e.g., was it all "pollies"? was it just some "pollies"? was it only one "polly"? which one(s)? what were the circumstances?).

Why on earth did you have to start an entire thread for this? Did someone call you a bad name? Sheesh.

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), October 27, 2000.



I started this thread not because of any lingering concern about Y2K, but because another thread on hate crimes brought up in my mind the issue of group conflict. That stereotyping feeds group conflict is totally obvious.

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), October 27, 2000.

Patricia, I used my Y2K experience because it's the only time in my life that I've encountered that kind of stereotyping. And my point was that if I could get PO'd at that, which was really piddly compared to what a lot of people have gone through, then consider the effect on someone who has not been as lucky as I.

For example, let's consider you. You're a woman, Catholic? Italian origin. Have you never had the experience of someone jumping to a conclusion based on these facts, without taking into account the fact that you are a unique individual. If so, how did you like it?

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), October 27, 2000.


I've been stereotyped a good deal of my life -- simply because I'm a woman. I've fought long and hard to live DOWN to those stereotypes, but I've also learned it's a waste of time. People are going to believe what they want to believe, the facts be damned (sound familiar?).

One deals with this nonsense by considering the source of the stereotyping. Or by "living up to" the stereotype, which is a real hoot depending on your "audience". Play with their heads; most times, they don't even realize it.

I think I now understand why you started this thread, but if you don't mind a little unsolicited advice, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If someone doesn't recognize your "individuality", it's really their loss, isn't it? Like I said, play with it; use it to your advantage. I think people today waste way too much time being "offended". Where's the **life** in all of that?

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), October 27, 2000.


Patricia, there is an aspect of the effect of stereotypes, on how groups regard each other, which is worth a comment.

The human being has an almost uncanny ability to sense how he is being thought of by another person. If, for example, a white feels that a black person is going to be stupid and unhelpful, that is the behavior he is likely to get (thus reenforcing that idea in his mind). If he assumes unless shown otherwise that the black person will be intelligent and helpful, that is the behavior that he is likely to get.

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), October 27, 2000.


Heh, I was just having a similar conversation over lunch.....concerning how if one does not trust another person, those "vibes" are picked up and the ensuing scenario is pretty much what Person #1 expected; almost as if Person #1 made and/or caused it to happen. (Uh, yes, personal experience speaking there.)

I honestly believe the "vibes" (call it what you will, but we all exude something that is picked up by others) are read by others and those others react in kind. I'm not entirely sure any of this happens consciously either. It's almost as if it's an auto- action and auto-reaction, completely involuntary. When the thought processes change, the actions/reactions are altered to mirror the thought change(s).

Then again (and this is just a guess), perhaps when something like that occurs, it's because Person #2 is like *me* and is playing with Person #1's head :-)

Hey, I can't be the only one who thought of it.

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), October 27, 2000.


Patricia,

I think it's called instinct. A fellow wrote a bestseller recently about how humans have the tendency to override self preserving gut instincts.

-- flora (***@__._), October 27, 2000.


I think it's much more than instinct. Webster's 3rd definition of instinct is natural intuitive power.

What is intuition? Again Webster's definition: Direct perception of truth or fact independent of any reasoning process.

I believe more goes on than just instinctive/intuitive activity. There takes place communications between beings - yes it is effective across species - which go beyond verbal and overt physical cues. These stimuli are generally received and processed outside normal waking consciousness, IME. Intuition is not, in my experience and evaluation, garnered from interaction with a person, cat, dog, etc. Hence my assessment there is more going on in the scenarios described by Patricia.

Like what I wrote makes ANY sense at all...

Completely OT, AGAIN!

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), October 28, 2000.


Actually, I thought it made a great deal of sense. The instinct would come into play with Person #2; but the (subconscious) vibes (or whatever the technical term might be) are solely on the shoulders of Person #1.

And if THAT made any sense, I'm fully caffeinated for the day ;-)

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), October 28, 2000.


Instinct is not the same as intuition. Are you messing with me again today? Intuition requires a certain amount of thought & rationalization, instinct absolutely does not. So there!

-- flora (***@__._), October 28, 2000.

I can't decide whether I'm over or under caffienated yet.

Now that I've simmered down, Bingle, are you talkin' telepathy or what?

-- flora (***@__._), October 28, 2000.


Good morning, Patricia and flora!

In my own personal understanding of intuition, no conscious thought or rationalization takes place EXCEPT in the decision as to whether I should listen to it and act according to its dictates, or toss the information on the junk pile.

Telepathy is something I have not investigated, flora. I have experienced instances of knowing what others are thinking or about to say or do, but that can be chalked up to a variety of causes including mere happenstance.

Patricia used the word vibrations. I like it. Energy connections is a good phrase as well. People hook up with other sentients in group meditation, for example. Folks in our prayer group tie into each other over vast distances without benefit of computer or telephone or conscious EFORT. I can't explain it to where you might understand it. I just know from experience this takes place - regularly.

Rich

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), October 28, 2000.


Gotta go, - you guys better have this all worked by the time I get back.

If you finish early, you can always set to work on solving the old 'nature or nurture' nugget.

-- flora (***@__._), October 28, 2000.


Peter:

Even if I were posting over at EZboard instead of here, nobody would be entitled to assume anything about my views unless I had stated them (for example, whether I agreed with that ridiculous thread).

Wrong again, I would.

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), October 28, 2000.


Peter:

To finish the previous post:

S A Y

Or so it goes.

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), October 28, 2000.


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