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Essay / Generalization versus Stereotypes in Society
In the article “Understanding Generalizations and Stereotypes,” Sally Raskoff states that generalization is just a concept for making sense of the world and its surroundings. Generalization is also used to describe stereotypes and sometimes differentiate oneself with other objects or creatures. For example, some say that cats are dumber than dogs, while others say that dogs are dirtier than cats. But the question that keeps coming up for people “in general” is where to draw the line? Or is there even a limit? By now, most cultures have experienced generalization and stereotyping among themselves and outside their bubble. Although generalization is sometimes dangerous and critical in some ways, awareness of one's environment, whatever it may be, is always part of human anthropology and development. But it is quite the opposite for stereotypes since they can harm the thinking of a community in relation to other communities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essaySome argue that generalization is just an excuse to be stereotyped and ignore others. Sally Raskoff said: “Stereotypes are overgeneralizations; they often involve assuming that a person possesses certain characteristics based on unfounded assumptions. » She also described that judging people based on their sexual orientation or color and ethnicity is just a stereotype rather than a simple generalization based on external characteristics and principles of society. She also explained how generalization is used not only for social purposes, but rather for more scientific purposes, as scientists base their knowledge analytically and seek to be more accurate and precise. Generalization is often used as a key element to capture the everyday similarity of a certain group. While the generalization can be changed on constant input, a stereotype is closed once it has been clarified. Generalization can often be pursued descriptively and flexibly, while stereotypes are critical and rigid. Additionally, some features of generalization may be the complete opposite of what overgeneralization is. Eduard Ezeanu said that generalization is the process of extending the characteristics of a certain number of elements of a group or class to the whole group. He also said that generalization is a very intriguing process, but it can often be used as a way to separate certain things from their origin and vice versa. Generalization is a component of the human brain that cannot be ignored or stopped since most of history is based on generalizations and assumptions that could be used to manipulate a component without knowing everything about it. Additionally, stereotypes can generally be divided into six main points. namely: stereotypes do not help people understand their differences, stereotypes leave little or no room for exceptions; stereotypes create categories that often dominate all other characteristics of a person, making it impossible to see and appreciate other characteristics; stereotypes do not tend to change, even when they turn out to be false, which supports the idea that they are ultimately not supported by empirical evidence; nor are stereotypes formed by said empirical evidence, to begin with, but rather by anecdote or, 80(2), 476-493.