I am currently spending my time alternating between reading my novel for Italian, perusing my copy of LOVE Magazine that came today (!), and studying for my unnecessarily scary Monetary Theory midterm on Thursday.
Perhaps that’s why this video (which my Geography professor directed our attention to) is so damn entertaining, though it poses the somewhat disturbing question of when is a stereotype an accurate description and when have we gone too far?
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Stereotypes are by nature created through perception of the most egregious differences between peoples. It wouldn’t be a stretch to claim that all stereotypes are exaggerations of (usually the *worst*) qualities of another group of people.
Stereotypes in and of themselves aren’t necessarily bad. Such simplifications can sometimes be helpful, but depending on their use they may be dangerous. If stereotypes are used fallaciously, such as in the fallacy of composition, they can lead to unfortunate ends. (e.g. stereotypes of Jewish people and Anti-Semitism. One of them may lead to the other… or perhaps they reinforce one another… I know not.)