You Will Always Be A Stereotype, No Matter What You Do

meholstein (50)in #psychology • 6 years ago

Stereotype: a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group: The cowboy and Indian are American stereotypes.
Dictionary.com

There have been a lot of people in the world. There are about 7.6 billion people alive right now. That makes you 0.00000000013% of the human population. (This is to say nothing of the 108 billion people who have ever lived and died).

With that many people, it’s practically guaranteed that there are others who are very much like you. Enough of them that you all form a group together. A group large enough to form a stereotype.

Stereotypes aren’t bad. In fact, most stereotypes are useful. Stereotypes are an important way people (and societies) understand each other. Stereotypes help us predict how people will behave and think. For instance…

Stereotypes about stoners help us understand not to invite stoners somewhere unless you’re all right with the presence of marijuana.
Stereotypes about gym rats help us predict that oftentimes when we want to hang out with them, they’re going to be at the gym instead.
Stereotypes about people in the city help gay people understand that it is much safer to be out in the city than it is in rural areas.
Embodying a stereotype isn’t bad, either. Stereotypes help others understand how to react to you.
If you dress emo, stereotypes about emo people help others feel comfortable with you. They might suggest emo music to you that you like, or recommend emo movies you are interested in seeing.
If you embody the party girl stereotype, new friends or romantic interests will invite you to more parties based on that stereotype.
If you act like a starving artist, people will text you when they find interesting art or give you gift cards to Blick’s based off of this stereotype.

Using stereotypes in this way shortens the getting-to-know-you process. It smooths out interactions in everyday life. Instead of having to start from ground zero with every single person, stereotypes give us something to work with.

Stereotypes are only harmful when they don’t reflect reality (“All party girls want to have sex,”) or when the basis of the stereotype is offensive (“Women are emotional”). We also need to be mature enough to adjust our stereotypes as we learn more about the other person and the world.

So, you’re always going to be a stereotype. No matter what you look like or act like, there will always be a group of people who look and act like you that has its own stereotype.

Being a stereotype is not the same thing as being a fake.

My stereotype, hipster, is one of the largest and most annoying stereotypes out there right now. But I am a hipster because I enjoy being a hipster. I enjoy my clothes, all of which I got from consignment shops. I enjoy my Apple Watch. I enjoy my gray cable-knit beanie. I enjoy the fact that half of what I say, I say ironically.

Stereotypes form because people who are similar tend to enjoy the same things. There are always a few fakes thrown in here or there, but by and large, stereotype groups are made up of people who enjoy being that stereotype.

Don’t fight your stereotype. Even if you are such a stereotype that you could be photographed and put in the dictionary for it, don’t worry about it. We enjoy what we enjoy.

At the same time…