edit- this is in regard to the "some people don't have stereotypes" post. i guess i'm just a slow typer.
I think the point was that unless you are blind (and even then I have my doubts), you would stereotype someone based on certain physical characteristics. The stereotype made and the weight placed on that stereotype changes from person to person, but it's still there. It's just an Ingroup vs. Outgroup thing.
If Some guy/girl shares physical characteristics with you- hair colour, weight, skin color, style of dress, etc., you will make that connection and place them in your ingroup. If someone differs greatly from you, you're more likely to put them into an outgroup. You now have 2 catagories based on physical characteristics. It didn't even have to be physical differences that lead you to create these catagories. They've done studies where they randomly gave half the sample golf balls. They separated the sample and gave them a small test- at the end of which was a question asking if those with golf balls did better or if those without golf balls did better on the test. 80% of the respondants, with no other reason than whether or not they were holding a golf ball, chose in favor of their "group". (Control was 50%)
These people made a choice that those alike to themselves were more intelligent than those less alike to themselves. Over a golf ball. It's easy to see that we will pick up stereotypes over the course of our lives based on consistent physical differences- fat people are inactive(but if you are fat, skinny people are undependable, or _______), a person of any other color than your own puts less emphasis on family. These are dumb stereotypes. But they exist. You live in our society, and you're exposed to stereotypes everyday. You are barraged with them through mass media, interactions with your peers, lessons by your teachers. Just because you don't think of a stereotype consciously when you see it doesn't mean you aren't affected by it.
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Last edited by skier; 03-11-2005 at 11:34 AM..
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