“Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reasonâ€...

So my father quotes every time the subject is brought up. Opinions?

 

All stereotypes have truth in them but its not entirely OF them. They're usually half true.

 

Stereotypes are stereotypes because people over exaggerate on small, common things a group of people might have/might have not done? (response to question)

 

Hmm...well, sometimes, stereotypes can be true, but sometimes they aren't. It's a good thing to keep in mind, to be wary, cautious of, but when you meet someone, you shouldn't judge them immediately. So it could be seen like a sort of advice, albeit a more exaggerated one, which should just stay as a sort of warning in mind, but not to be something that would influence your every action.​

 

Stereotypes exist because some people try to generalize a different group of people by common things they do.

For example: emos cut themselves, listen to somber music, wear black, color their hair in exotic shades, wear hair over an eye, are all depressed, could be spree killers.

There are some 'truths' in this as many people classed as emos may just do any one of these things or a few. However, the generalization is of course not always correct either. It may not even be half correct. What if someone 'called' an emo just because he or she has blue hair and black clothes just thinks the style is cool, but doesn't get into depressed music and isn't cutting? Are they still 'emo'? If they are labeled such, it will be assumed by those who use stereotypes as defining people that indeed, that person may just be all those other things or have potential to be.

Other examples are like how people view men, women, religious, gays, bisexuals, heterosexuals, blondes, red heads, shades of skin, handicapped, etc.

Stereotypes are easy ways to label someone into a group, but as I've said before, they are not correct but to say someone is fitting into this one group for a few similarities to it. We are all diverse and in reality could belong to several groups that exist, but some people will try to say that isn't true. We have multiple dimensions to our personalities and those who stick to saying stereotypes are so accurate are generally 1. people that try their best to fit into a stereotype they want to be in or 2. prejudiced people that refuse to comprehend others are more complex than their assigned label dictates.

Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason...called the simple minded try to assign people labels to make them better understood and get an immediate impression. Sadly, stereotypes, unless someone really is trying to be absolutely implemented to it, are not 100% accurate even for each person who is said to be of it. We often can joke about the 'extremely' stereotypical and comedy picks up on it all the time, but most people aren't going to fit into a mold exactly just because some prejudiced person says they do.

We are human though and love to tack a tag onto everything to make it easily understood. It seems to me most of the time these 'classes' of people are about the same as classes in "Dungeons and Dragons" and just as realistically impossible. It's fun to play a game and all, but in the end, why can't a thief learn to sing? Why can't a cleric use a sword? etc. Really, this is what stereotypes remind me of, so now you know how much of a geek I am to have played this, but I hope it makes sense at what I'm eluding at. Stereotypes, like any 'classes' laid out to people, are just generalizations for a 'crowd' of people and seldom hold up to actually analyzing an individual.