Stereotypes in general- advantages and disadvantages

A stereotype is a fixed, generalized belief about a group or a class of people.

The use of stereotypes is a major way in which we simplify our social world. Stereotyping is a very useful tool when
we meet a new situation because we can compare it to situations we've experienced before and we have a clue of
what to expect this new situation is going to be like.

Stereotypes are a useful tool for successful communication. When we first meet someone, we use stereotypes to
judge other people. We do this to quickly assess the kind of person someone is because we want to quickly figure
out whether talking to that person is a good idea and we also want to figure out the kinds of things we can talk to
each other about.

The problem comes when people assume that stereotypes are facts. Stereotypes only give good indications of
probabilities, and as long as you're always aware of the possibility that this situation is an edge-case where the
"general rule" doesn't apply, there's no harm in it.

On the other hand, stereotypes make us ignore differences between individuals; therefore, we judge people quickly.
This can create problems in many social situations such as school, work place, and friend gatherings.

Many stereotypes convey negative and unclear judgements. Many times, individuals will judge others without even
knowing them at all. Stereotypes exist in all different types of races, ethnic groups, and cultures. One of the most
common stereotypes involves race. For example, all Blacks are good at sports is a stereotype, because it is grouping
them together by race saying they are all athletes. Another huge common stereotype is that men are stronger\smarter
than women. This stereotype is just hurtful and wrong as well as inaccurate. Stereotyping can lead to bullying and
violence. Many individuals live in fear from stereotyping. Stereotyping has a negative impact on our society.

Peter Ustinov, a British writer, filmmaker, and actor says: “Imagine hell like this: Italian punctuality, German
humor, and English wine.

Let define some stereotypes of being Romanian:

Being typically English

Is: being a gentleman
Always: apologizing
Thinks: that it was better in the old days
Is afraid of: nobody and everything
Loves: the French life
Hates: the French people
Always says: “sorry”1

Our stereotypes come from the filters of our previous experiences as much as from our upbringing in the family and
our surrounding society. In other words, we are ‘socialized’ to have some stereotypes- and these are unavoidable in
the general course of living.

The trick is to know when to drop those stereotypes and when to put them to pragmatic benefit for all rather to use
them for judging.

1
https://blog.prototypr.io/stereotypes-arent-all-bad-556fc1aa6c5b