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.
