Stereotyped??

The effect of generalization

We are all victims of generalization and stereotypes but we are also responsible for doing it every once in a while… Not a day goes by when we don’t form an opinion about something or somebody without even trying to understand it completely……. like Chimamanda, a nigerian author says in her talk on TED.com – The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie )

Danger of a Single story

(http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html)

I am the only child and everytime I say this, the first thing I hear is “Ah.. you must be a brat and fully spoilt”…  Really? Where is this coming from? What have I done to you that makes you believe that I am a brat? Someone somewhere decided that all single children are brats, coz they get their parent's full attention, care, money and that makes them a brat. What they don’t realize is that single children can also be lot more independent, confident and less needy because of all the same reasons… but I have never heard anyone tell me “Ah.. you are a single child.. you must be super independent”:… why not? Why are most stereotypes negative?

It’s a different thing that I am a brat but you don’t know that J

We make the mistake of forming opinions with either very little information or with only one interaction or story. This doesn’t do any justice as we don’t know the person and there are many facets to a person and we only know very little ! So next time, before you get carried away by stereotypes, think more.. seek to understand !!!