When stereotyping bites you in the ****.

[murderslastcrow]

Tonight I was stereotyped as a hussy, druggy, and inconvenience to the environment all at once, based merely on the fact that I was 'once a teenager' and that I'm an American citizen.

First, this kid I know who's been doing skeezy stuff says he knows I lost my virginity in High School, did drugs, and drank illegally, when I never did any of that. I've never used any substances illegally, to this day.

And my friend from Norway just painted me as the man who's setting the ice caps on fire with petrol and killing kids in Africa with my AIDS doomsday machine of birth-control ignorance.

I'm frustrated that, just because people love to be cynical and lump everything together, they make me out to be something that's against the core of who I am. It's extremely offensive.

I mean, it's only natural for people to group things together. Just as when you look out at a mountain, you see a green mass of trees- although there may be some small bushes, rocks, and red leaf trees in there, you say they're all green since that's all you can see.

As such, except when it's truly beneficial to survival, I don't see why people need to continually preconceive the world around them. That kind of blind certainty isn't merely dangerous, it's also no fun at all.

Have any of you faced this in some capacity recently? I just felt this would be a good place to let this out and hear some good ideas on who is experiencing this and how to reduce the issue. XD Not to be cynical, of course.

[Legendary_Bibo]

Tonight I was stereotyped as a hussy, druggy, and inconvenience to the environment all at once, based merely on the fact that I was 'once a teenager' and that I'm an American citizen.

First, this kid I know who's been doing skeezy stuff says he knows I lost my virginity in High School, did drugs, and drank illegally, when I never did any of that. I've never used any substances illegally, to this day.

And my friend from Norway just painted me as the man who's setting the ice caps on fire with petrol and killing kids in Africa with my AIDS doomsday machine of birth-control ignorance.

I'm extremely frustrated that, just because people love to be cynical and lump everything together, they make me out to be something that's against the core of who I am. It's extremely offensive.

I mean, it's only natural for people to group things together. Just as when you look out at a mountain, you see a green mass of trees- although there may be some small bushes, rocks, and red leaf trees in there, you say they're all green since that's all you can see.

As such, except when it's truly beneficial to survival, I don't see why people need to continually preconceive the world around them. That kind of blind certainty isn't merely dangerous, it's also no fun at all.

Have any of you faced this in some capacity recently? I just felt this would be a good place to let this out and hear some good ideas on who is experiencing this and how to reduce the issue. XD Not to be cynical, of course.

I once gave a school report on my family history for an English class, since how I was in an honors class I thought the people would be mature when I brought up how my grandfather fought for Nazi Germany. People started saying I was a Neo-Nazi or something.

[MCVenom]

My freshman english teacher was surprised I was so well spoken (you know, because I'm black). She's a very nice person and an awesome teacher, but she had her own preconceptions based on when she worked in prisons and inner city schools. Stereotyping is ridiculous (and if you're not as used to particular stereotypes, hurtful), but it seems an unalienable part of human nature, even among the best of us.

[chessnerd]

Yeah, I know people like that, but don't let yourself get down. Those people are either uneducated or ignorant. Try to edify them and explain that just because you live in close geographical proximity to someone, that doesn't mean that you behave in a similar manner to them.

Also, don't let this make you afraid to proclaim that you are an American. I am too, and I'm proud of it. I also never had sex, did drugs, or drank in high school. I plan to never do drugs or even drink when I reach 21.

It isn't your fault. Stereotyping is ridiculous, so don't blame yourself. Just try to relax and don't let them ruin your day.

Now, to help you feel better, here is a bunny in a teacup:
http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l6msnemKsg1qzp2x4o1_400.jpg

Feel any better? :)

[Dustin2128]

stereotyping is easy to deal with.
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/commented.png

[murderslastcrow]

Lmao, that made my day. The bunny was quite squidjy as well.

Shortly after posting this, I was able to calmly inform my colleague on my situation and where I stand. Turns out I may have, too easily, stereotyped him as ignorant, while he was more likely making assumptions based on misinformation.

Which is still ignorance, but more on the side of 'trying to understand'.

Anyway, I live my life new each day, never assuming anyone or anything will be quite the same, so I hope I can see as clearly as possible, even with old knowledge hanging onto my brain. It's a good balance to have, I think.

P.S. I never had sex in high school. *cough* Abstinence all the way! *proposes a cheers with a cigar in his mouth*

[handy]

Chauvinism can be found most anywhere we look, both internally & externally. It takes constant vigilance to be able to see that so many of people's actions are actually reactions coming from their own & their societies inherent chauvinism.

The more we free ourselves from chauvinism the more peaceful our life becomes. As chauvinism diminishes the opposite qualities associated with unity are augmented.

I know which way I'd rather be heading. :)

[pwnst*r]

Meh, just tell them to **** off.

[scouser73]

Bunny in a teacup FTW.

[Macskeeball]

In high school I rode the school bus and, because I was white, one guy told me, "You must hate all us black people." Um, actually, no I don't.

In community college, my English class attended a talk by an author who I think had been involved in the civil rights movement. At one point he said that all of the white people in that room (or our age) were, on a personal and individual level, still to blame for slavery, segregation, etc. (even though we weren't born until the late 1980s, well after all that was over) simply because "it's in your blood." Whatever that's supposed to mean. He started really calling us out, and even though I was just sitting there listening and minding my own business he suddenly pointed right at me and asked me what I had to say for myself. I kept my mouth shut and he was like, "So I guess you people have nothing to say, huh?" I am not at all racist, and I didn't go off to college and to that class to be accused of it by some stranger. That was completely uncalled for.

A few years ago, a friend of my brothers wanted to come over and hang out with him, but his mom wouldn't let him get out of the car because she heard that there was also a 19 year old male (me) in the house. She'd never even seen me. I was in my room and she was still in her car in the street, but once she heard my age and gender she refused, as if I was going to harm her teenage son or something. I'm a nice guy, and also I probably would have just stayed on the computer anyway.

Then there's the people I know online who, after listening to MP3s of me said they were surprised that I didn't have a Texan accent- even though they also knew I'm from Houston, one of the biggest cities in the country (metro area population of 5.9 million). The people with Texan accents are mostly in the small towns, not the big urban cities.

[ElSlunko]

People with Texan accents scare me.

[mendhak]

Tonight I was stereotyped as a hussy, druggy, and inconvenience to the environment all at once, based merely on the fact that I was 'once a teenager' and that I'm an American citizen.

First, this kid I know who's been doing skeezy stuff says he knows I lost my virginity in High School, did drugs, and drank illegally, when I never did any of that. I've never used any substances illegally, to this day.

And my friend from Norway just painted me as the man who's setting the ice caps on fire with petrol and killing kids in Africa with my AIDS doomsday machine of birth-control ignorance.

I'm frustrated that, just because people love to be cynical and lump everything together, they make me out to be something that's against the core of who I am. It's extremely offensive.

I mean, it's only natural for people to group things together. Just as when you look out at a mountain, you see a green mass of trees- although there may be some small bushes, rocks, and red leaf trees in there, you say they're all green since that's all you can see.

As such, except when it's truly beneficial to survival, I don't see why people need to continually preconceive the world around them. That kind of blind certainty isn't merely dangerous, it's also no fun at all.

Have any of you faced this in some capacity recently? I just felt this would be a good place to let this out and hear some good ideas on who is experiencing this and how to reduce the issue. XD Not to be cynical, of course.
So why are you setting the ice caps on fire anyway?

[magmon]

... Have any of you faced this in some capacity recently? I just felt this would be a good place to let this out and hear some good ideas on who is experiencing this and how to reduce the issue. XD Not to be cynical, of course.

I believe a better question would be; where have you not experienced this? It's all over TV, especially those damned acne commercials, and it is a widely accepted stereotype that all teenagers are flawed in every way and do not share the mental capacity of more "Adult" people. It is incredibly degrading. I find it to be absolutely unacceptable, as a matter of fact. Why are we the only people the clerks watch in 7-11? The only people followed by personnel at wal-mart? We may as well be our own alien race until we turn 18. Age is but a number, and prejudice related to it is just as unacceptable as racial prejudice.

[Macskeeball]

I believe a better question would be; where have you not experienced this? It's all over TV, especially those damned acne commercials, and it is a widely accepted stereotype that all teenagers are flawed in every way and do not share the mental capacity of more "Adult" people. It is incredibly degrading. I find it to be absolutely unacceptable, as a matter of fact. Why are we the only people the clerks watch in 7-11? The only people followed by personnel at wal-mart? We may as well be our own alien race until we turn 18. Age is but a number, and prejudice related to it is just as unacceptable as racial prejudice.

That doesn't magically go away once you turn 18. I'm a senior in college, but still look like a high school student.

[magmon]

That doesn't magically go away once you turn 18. I'm a senior in college, but still look like a high school student.

However, people think it is acceptable that you function on their level when you tell them your age. People either look at me like there's something wrong with me or as if I'm up to something because I break the image of youth they have come to expect.

[Macskeeball]

However, people think it is acceptable that you function on their level when you tell them your age. People either look at me like there's something wrong with me or as if I'm up to something because I break the image of youth they have come to expect.

When I tell people my age, a lot of the time they think I'm lying.

[magmon]

When I tell people my age, a lot of the time they think I'm lying.

Then I daresay you should support my argument.

[KiwiNZ]

I have seen as much age abuse of the older age group on these forums as I have seen for the younger age group.

And I will promptly deal with when I come across it.

My point is age abuse is not limited to age group.

[gemmakaru]

You should try being in my minority group, I can't even say which on it is because as soon as it is out there I wouldn't be perceived as I hope am now. A group who helped me beyond words me is now a group I am rejecting. That's hard to live with.

[Macskeeball]

Then I daresay you should support my argument.

I wasn't saying you were wrong. I was saying that, years after you turn 18, what you describe might keep happening to you. When it comes to people who don't know you, such as clerks in a 7-11 (whatever that is, they don't exist here), their perception is based on how old you look not how old you are. So don't necessarily get your hopes up about it going away anytime soon.

In the third paragraph of my first post in this thread, I told a story that would seem to corroborate what you've been describing.

[powerpleb]

Isn't it just another stereotype to assume that all stereotypes are wrong, or even bad?

[lisati]

I'm not sure if they were serious or they were pulling my leg, but when I first got together with Mrs Lisati, some of her family and acquaintances seemed to think that because I'm white & grew up in a "posh" area, I must have a lot of money. Yeah, right!

[HoKaze]

Isn't it just another stereotype to assume that all stereotypes are wrong, or even bad?
To some extent yes, but common experiences show that most stereotypes have a negative impact or are otherwise simply incorrect. There are instances where a stereotype applied against someone can be at least partially correct and possibly even beneficial but on the whole I'd still say that most stereotypes are negative, even if they appear to be positive (e.g. All people of X age, Y gender who come from location Z are great actors).
However, returning to your original point, seeing as stereotyping is normally applied to groups of people or possibly objects, I'm not too sure you could really say that it's a stereotype for people to assume that all stereotypes are wrong/bad...I'd say that it's a prejudice rather than a stereotype personally, but I'm no expert on sociology or language to confirm that.

[Swagman]

You mean... BMW and Audi drivers Aren't all arsewipes ?

;)

[MCVenom]

Just woke up, feel like sharing some more:



As a rather tall person, people seem surprised that I don't play basketball. I suck at basketball.
People automatically assume I like Obama. I'm not going to go into that (no politics), but it's still somewhat irksome.
I continually get the 'whitest black guy ever' label at school because I don't play sports, don't act ghetto, speak good English, and my general geekiness.

...
Meh, that's enough for now :P

[Spice Weasel]

I'm a geek but don't like math. :o

[Frogs Hair]

I play guitar and I haven't played out for some time , but when I did , I was offered free drugs many times .

[YuiDaoren]

Stereotyping is simply an extension of the human mind's limited capacity for cognition and learning in an environment that demands much more. We "short-cut" by making broad groupings (generalizations) - and most of the time this works out well. For example: "Rocks aren't edible" is really just a generalization, but it works. "Mushrooms are dangerous to eat, unless bought from a food market" is a similar generalization that works.

Sometimes the groupings ignore variance we know is there, like "The average human height means we put doorknobs at about a meter up". If we actually averaged human height, doorknobs would need to be lower, because of the prevalence of dwarfism. However, functionally it doesn't make enough of a difference. Dwarfs can handle meter high doorknobs just fine, so we ignore the variance pretty safely.

But, the nature of generalization dooms it to failure when small sample sizes are used to make those generalizations, when the generalizations are based on bad observations, or when those generalizations aren't re-evaluated when the environment changes. As in "Women aren't good at mechanics." That's based on a bad observation - it ignores the fact that women are/were discouraged from learning mechanics, thus could not be good at it. Re-evaluated, we discover individual women are as good at mechanics as they choose to be. (Pursuit of interest.)

Similarly, "Men are good at mechanics" is a generalization based on bad observation as well. Re-evaluated, we discover individual men are as good at mechanics as they choose to be.

Finally, another factor in the failure of these sorts of generalization is the Dunning-Kruger effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect). A matter of ignorance (or, perhaps more accurately, a limited scope of knowledge) allowing a very high level of confidence in what a person thinks they know. This discourages the re-evaluation of these generalizations, resulting in what we refer to as bigotry.

Just my 2 pence.

[giddyup306]

I once gave a school report on my family history for an English class, since how I was in an honors class I thought the people would be mature when I brought up how my grandfather fought for Nazi Germany. People started saying I was a Neo-Nazi or something.


Uh, yeah, that's not something that I'd go downtown bragging about. You do realize that this was a recent event, and that their are holocaust survivors that are still living, right? How did you expect people to act? Give you a round of high 5's?

Jeff Hanneman got Slayer banned from their previous record label because the wrote a song about Josef Mengele.

[MCVenom]

Uh, yeah, that's not something that I'd go downtown bragging about. You do realize that this was a recent event, and that their are holocaust survivors that are still living, right? How did you expect people to act? Give you a round of high 5's?

Jeff Hanneman got Slayer banned from their previous record label because the wrote a song about Josef Mengele.
He wasn't bragging, it was a report on his family history! What, he should leave that part out just because his classmates are immature? :|

PS: I know kids whose great-grandparents were in the KKK, my girlfriend's own grandmother has 'black people issues'. I don't hold it against them.

[giddyup306]

He wasn't bragging, it was a report on his family history! What, he should leave that part out just because his classmates are immature? :|

If it were me I would have left it out all together. If I tracked my family back far enough, I could probably find out that I was related to horse thieves and such. No need for me to report that to anyone. Sorry, but when you do something controversial like that, you're probably not going to get praise for it. People that are disgusted by the slaughter of millions of people is in no way "immature".

[mkendall]

PS: I know kids whose great-grandparents were in the KKK, my girlfriend's own grandmother has 'black people issues'. I don't hold it against them.

AAAHHH!!! Their after our wimmen!


On second thought, would you like to meet my sister? She has a great personality. Loves to dance.

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

However, people think it is acceptable that you function on their level when you tell them your age. People either look at me like there's something wrong with me or as if I'm up to something because I break the image of youth they have come to expect.

It works both ways. I am 62 years old. People are surprised that I even know how to use a computer. The fact that I am on this forum actually helping people solve problems with their installation just doesn't make sense to some people. Some young people can be very rude to older folks.

Rather than get offendid, I just laugh at the steriotypes.

:lolflag:

[Legendary_Bibo]

Uh, yeah, that's not something that I'd go downtown bragging about. You do realize that this was a recent event, and that their are holocaust survivors that are still living, right? How did you expect people to act? Give you a round of high 5's?

Jeff Hanneman got Slayer banned from their previous record label because the wrote a song about Josef Mengele.

I wasn't bragging. :confused:

What part in there made is sound like I was bragging? We had to give a report on our family history as far back as 3 generations to see where everyone came from. If it makes you feel any better, I've never met my actual grandfather, he died when my dad was 16. I just had to report historical events my family went through. Should I have lied, and pretend my grandfather was never part of that horrific event?

[Superkoop]

Stereotyping is simply social psychology, and is merely a way for a brain to construct short-cuts, as has been mentioned. People need to make short cuts to keep everything working well, because we all make short cuts and use stereotypes to keep us safe. It does result in negative stereotyping, but it also results in positive stereotyping to protect us. Because everyone bases their knowledge off of what they have experienced or they have heard, and negative experiences or knowledge are always remembered about 10X stronger than positive experiences.
For instance, if I'm going on a walk, and I have 5 grasshoppers land on me, the first four just sit there without hurting me, but the fifth bites me. I am going to remember that I was bit by a grasshopper, it protects me, and from that point I am going to relate grasshoppers to being pain. I won't focus on the first four that didn't harm me, but the fifth that did. This keeps us safe in most circumstances, but it also is not entirely representative.

Another reason for stereotyping, is to increase our own morale. We see someone who is different from us, and so we desire to make ourselves look better than that group of people. We want to feel good about ourselves, and it makes us feel better to think that people different from ourselves aren't as good as we are. It's human nature, we want to be happy, and this is just one more way for us to keep happy.

It's not right to do so, but those are a couple of the reasons why we stereotype people... sometimes it's good, but oftentimes it's not...

My biggest beef with stereotyping is when minorities claim to be innocent of stereotyping, because everyone does it, just in a different way. In someways I'm a member of a majority group, but in many ways I'm a member of a minority group, and everyone does it. People who say they have no stereotyping are fools, and the truth is not in them.

[devondashla]

People that are disgusted by the slaughter of millions of people is in no way "immature".

Yes, but wrongly calling someone a Neo-Nazi is.

[Macskeeball]

Stereotyping is simply an extension of the human mind's limited capacity for cognition and learning in an environment that demands much more. We "short-cut" by making broad groupings (generalizations) - and most of the time this works out well. For example: "Rocks aren't edible" is really just a generalization, but it works. "Mushrooms are dangerous to eat, unless bought from a food market" is a similar generalization that works.

Sometimes the groupings ignore variance we know is there, like "The average human height means we put doorknobs at about a meter up". If we actually averaged human height, doorknobs would need to be lower, because of the prevalence of dwarfism. However, functionally it doesn't make enough of a difference. Dwarfs can handle meter high doorknobs just fine, so we ignore the variance pretty safely.

But, the nature of generalization dooms it to failure when small sample sizes are used to make those generalizations, when the generalizations are based on bad observations, or when those generalizations aren't re-evaluated when the environment changes. As in "Women aren't good at mechanics." That's based on a bad observation - it ignores the fact that women are/were discouraged from learning mechanics, thus could not be good at it. Re-evaluated, we discover individual women are as good at mechanics as they choose to be. (Pursuit of interest.)

Similarly, "Men are good at mechanics" is a generalization based on bad observation as well. Re-evaluated, we discover individual men are as good at mechanics as they choose to be.

Finally, another factor in the failure of these sorts of generalization is the Dunning-Kruger effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect). A matter of ignorance (or, perhaps more accurately, a limited scope of knowledge) allowing a very high level of confidence in what a person thinks they know. This discourages the re-evaluation of these generalizations, resulting in what we refer to as bigotry.

Just my 2 pence.

Great post. Thanks for writing that.

[pbpersson]

I once gave a school report on my family history for an English class, since how I was in an honors class I thought the people would be mature when I brought up how my grandfather fought for Nazi Germany. People started saying I was a Neo-Nazi or something.

Funny, I was just thinking of that last night. I was wondering about families with a Nazi history and wondering just how that would work.

That is just like a Japanese person saying their grandfather dropped bombs on the ships in Pearl Harbor.

The past is the past.

[pbpersson]

As in "Women aren't good at mechanics." That's based on a bad observation - it ignores the fact that women are/were discouraged from learning mechanics, thus could not be good at it. Re-evaluated, we discover individual women are as good at mechanics as they choose to be. (Pursuit of interest.)


I have been driving a car since 1973 and I have NEVER in my life encountered a female car mechanic! Is it this way all across the world or just in the United States? It seems very weird to me in the 21st century.

[giddyup306]

I wasn't bragging. :confused:

What part in there made is sound like I was bragging? We had to give a report on our family history as far back as 3 generations to see where everyone came from. If it makes you feel any better, I've never met my actual grandfather, he died when my dad was 16. I just had to report historical events my family went through. Should I have lied, and pretend my grandfather was never part of that horrific event?

Okay one more reply then I'm done in this thread...


I never said you were bragging. If it were me I would opt to not tell people about that, and not associate myself with that person. Not volunteering information isn't lying. Look at present day Germany. The entire country pretty much denies that the Holocaust ever happened. Look at a German text book about WWII or the official site of Auschwitz. Or better yet go to Germany and yell Nazi at the top of your lungs wile walking down the street. See what happens. It obviously doesn't bother you that your grandfather served for Nazi Germany. It should. Unlike with slavery, there are people that are alive today that went through that horrific ordeal. For all you know I could be one of them.

All I'm saying is that you have the right to think however you want to, but don't expect everyone to empathize with you. Like I said; Jeff Hanneman has been labeled a Nazi sympathizer because of the song Angel of Death. He was asked in an interview why he never said in the song that he was a bad. To which his reply was "I never said he was a bad person. You should already know that." David Bowie had some Nazi memorabilia for a play and he was also labeled a Nazi sympathizer. Anytime you talk about something controversial expect criticism.

[ericmc783]

This is an interesting thread. Reading it is making me very hungry.

I think I'm gonna go get me some Obama Fried Chicken. :-)

[pbpersson]

If it were me I would opt to not tell people about that, and not associate myself with that person.

In Nazi Germany there was a military conscription. Young men had to fight for the glorious fatherland or die. Any German person writing a paper about their family's history would be stupid to leave out the entire subject of Nazi Germany and not realize it would be bizarre. It is part of German history, the same as Pearl Harbor is part of Japanese history.

I don't know why you are saying we should pretend that history does not exist.

America dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It am not proud of that fact, but I'm not going to pretend that it never happened.

[MCVenom]

This is an interesting thread. Reading it is making me very hungry.

I think I'm gonna go get me some Obama Fried Chicken. :-)
Go die. :P

[Macskeeball]

I never said you were bragging.
You were saying that he shouldn't have been expecting praise. He's saying that he wasn't expecting praise, but he wasn't expecting people to call him a Neo-nazi for simply being related to someone.


If it were me I would opt to not tell people about that, and not associate myself with that person. Not volunteering information isn't lying.
Consider the context. He did it for an assignment, meaning something that he had to do. The assignment called for him to tell the class about things of historical significance about his family. So he stated a fact. Not a pleasant fact, but a fact. For all we know, had he not mentioned that, he might not have had much else to say about his grandfather and his class might have wondered about that.

I can see why people would make fun, but I can also see why it was wrong to do so. This student had no choice of who he was born to.


Look at present day Germany. The entire country pretty much denies that the Holocaust ever happened.
But it did happen, and to deny that it did is wrong. Learn from history, lest the past repeat itself.


It obviously doesn't bother you that your grandfather served for Nazi Germany. It should.
Where did you get that from what he wrote? I think that's unfair to say. He mentioned an unpleasant matter of historical fact about someone he happened to be related to (something he had no control over) as part of an assignment that required him to provide historically significant information about his family.

The way I see it, he wasn't looking for praise but was mentioning a fact so that he would have something to say for his presentation.

[giddyup306]

I have been driving a car since 1973 and I have NEVER in my life encountered a female car mechanic! Is it this way all across the world or just in the United States? It seems very weird to me in the 21st century.


You must have written this when I was writing my reply. I'm usually all over these types of posts/threads. Anywho, I've been a mechanic for just about 10 years, and I've worked at 6 shops (3 dealerships 3 indy shops). I haven't worked with a single female mechanic, nor have I seen a female service manager. I have four years of formal education in the automotive service industry, and I have only seen one girl graduate with a degree or certificate of completion. She was speaker for one of the graduate programs. That's the only reason why I knew she graduated. I've seen maybe 6 girls attempt to go through college (one of the schools I went to had several thousand students). Every one of them that I knew of dropped out. In the Omaha Metro area I've only met one female mechanic (she works at the Ford dealer in Council Bluffs, IA). Girls are just built different than guys, both mentally and physically.

[pbpersson]

Girls are just built different than guys, both mentally and physically.

Physically.....maybe. I can see that being one reason why perhaps they would not want to be car mechanics. That still seems like a stretch to me.

Mentally I cannot accept. I am an IT professional and I have seen female software developers who could run circles around most of the guys in their profession. I don't know why intellectually car repair would be that much different.

[Legendary_Bibo]

Okay one more reply then I'm done in this thread...


I never said you were bragging. If it were me I would opt to not tell people about that, and not associate myself with that person. Not volunteering information isn't lying. Look at present day Germany. The entire country pretty much denies that the Holocaust ever happened. Look at a German text book about WWII or the official site of Auschwitz. Or better yet go to Germany and yell Nazi at the top of your lungs wile walking down the street. See what happens. It obviously doesn't bother you that your grandfather served for Nazi Germany. It should. Unlike with slavery, there are people that are alive today that went through that horrific ordeal. For all you know I could be one of them.

All I'm saying is that you have the right to think however you want to, but don't expect everyone to empathize with you. Like I said; Jeff Hanneman has been labeled a Nazi sympathizer because of the song Angel of Death. He was asked in an interview why he never said in the song that he was a bad. To which his reply was "I never said he was a bad person. You should already know that." David Bowie had some Nazi memorabilia for a play and he was also labeled a Nazi sympathizer. Anytime you talk about something controversial expect criticism.

You did too say I was bragging! I never said it didn't bother me, you're just putting words in my mouth. I also wasn't looking for empathy, or sympathy. The OP asked for times when we wrongly labeled as stereotypes, so I gave my story. Yeesh! If you want to continue telling me what I think PM me because I like murderslastcrow and I'd rather not see his thread closed.

[giddyup306]

Wow someone is taking this way too personally. lol I never said you were bragging. My exact words were:

"Uh, yeah, that's not something that I'd go downtown bragging about." I'm done with this topic. As you were.


Physically.....maybe. I can see that being one reason why perhaps they would not want to be car mechanics. That still seems like a stretch to me.

Mentally I cannot accept. I am an IT professional and I have seen female software developers who could run circles around most of the guys in their profession. I don't know why intellectually car repair would be that much different.


Mechanical work is quite different than IT work. Most women have no desire to do anything mechanical, or even learn anything about the automotive world. There is some debate on Nature vs. Nurture, but BBC's Bang Goes The Theory did a small scale test on monkeys. They placed a bunch of toys at random in the monkey pen (technical term) and the females went after the soft cuddly toys, and the males went after the toys like trucks. I can't remember what episode it was, but it was on season 1.

[XubuRoxMySox]

I'm the only boy in dance class. I sometimes hear people express the stereotypical assumption that "boys don't study dance - unless they are gay."

But since being the only boy among a troupe of pretty, gifted girls, I might tend to think the opposite. These dumb guys hang out with other guys while I get all these lovely, talented beauties all to myself... so why should anyone think it's "gay" to want to be with the girls instead of grunting on the gridiron with a bunch of burly guys?

-Robin

[Legendary_Bibo]

I'm the only boy in dance class. I sometimes hear people express the stereotypical assumption that "boys don't study dance - unless they are gay."

But since being the only boy among a troupe of pretty, gifted girls, I might tend to think the opposite. These dumb guys hang out with other guys while I get all these lovely, talented beauties all to myself... so why should anyone think it's "gay" to want to be with the girls instead of grunting on the gridiron with a bunch of burly guys?

-Robin

haha yeah I remember in high school, that decision was a flip of the coin. You get to hang out with all them ladies, BUT you would have to consider the repercussions. Your reputation in high school was everything which sucked, if you had a good reputation, then people wouldn't bother you, but if you had a distorted reputation from rumors or something, high school was unpleasant.

[Macskeeball]

Wow someone is taking this way too personally. lol I never said you were bragging. My exact words were:

"Uh, yeah, that's not something that I'd go downtown bragging about." I'm done with this topic. As you were.

Some more of your exact words: "Sorry, but when you do something controversial like that, you're probably not going to get praise for it." full post (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=9695239&postcount=31)

He never said he expected to get praise for it. He said he was expecting his AP class to be mature about it instead of calling him a neo-Nazi for it. I can see why people would respond as they did, but it seems to me that the proper response would have been for the class to acknowledge it as a matter of unpleasant historical fact and then move on. That the student happened to be born a relative of a particular person was not enough information for the class to conclude that the student in any way agreed with or had no problem with that person's actions.

He had to give a presentation on his family tree, and he had to work within the limits of what significant family facts chance had given him.

[Legendary_Bibo]

Wow someone is taking this way too personally. lol I never said you were bragging. My exact words were:

"Uh, yeah, that's not something that I'd go downtown bragging about." I'm done with this topic. As you were.




Mechanical work is quite different than IT work. Most women have no desire to do anything mechanical, or even learn anything about the automotive world. There is some debate on Nature vs. Nurture, but BBC's Bang Goes The Theory did a small scale test on monkeys. They placed a bunch of toys at random in the monkey pen (technical term) and the females went after the soft cuddly toys, and the males went after the toys like trucks. I can't remember what episode it was, but it was on season 1.

I'm only taking it personally because you're trying to say I'm proud to be a descendant of a Nazi. What if started saying that the way you're behaving indicates that you're proud to be a descendant of a rapist? You had no reason to go after me because you failed to comprehend the context of my situation. All I said was that I gave a report of my family history, and you started blathering on how I should go through the streets of Germany going "Hurr, Durr, I is a Nazi, Derp!".

[Macskeeball]

Bibo, I have one question in order to get a little more detail about the situation. Did you spend much of your overall presentation talking about how your grandfather fought for the Nazis, or did you simply mention it briefly as one family detail among many and then move on to the next thing?

[Sand & Mercury]

First, this kid I know who's been doing skeezy stuff says he knows I lost my virginity in High School, did drugs, and drank illegally, when I never did any of that. I've never used any substances illegally, to this day.
Pfft, dude you haven't lived!

[Legendary_Bibo]

Bibo, I have one question in order to get a little more detail about the situation. Did you spend much of your overall presentation talking about how your grandfather fought for the Nazis, or did you simply mention it briefly as one family detail among many and then move on to the next thing?

To be honest with you, it was a brief statement, I just something like "after my grandfather had exited the war, fighting for Nazi Germany he traveled to America where he met my grandmother...". However, I had an idiotic english teacher that wanted me to elaborate on it, even though I said I wasn't comfortable with it.

[Macskeeball]

To be honest with you, it was a brief statement, I just something like "after my grandfather had exited the war, fighting for Nazi Germany he traveled to America where he met my grandmother...". However, I had an idiotic english teacher that wanted me to elaborate on it, even though I said I wasn't comfortable with it.

Ah, and there we go. It sounds like that was the problem. Yeah, your teacher shouldn't have asked for and insisted on that.

One thing that would have quickly killed the Neo-Nazi talk by your classmates would have been to quickly respond, saying something like "Uh, no. I don't agree with what my grandfather did. The Holocaust was horribly, horribly wrong and should never have happened. Anyway, back to the presentation, my grandmother..." Not that you can use that advice now, and they shouldn't have put you in that situation in the first place.

[MCVenom]

Pfft, dude you haven't lived!
Speaking as a teenager in High School, those things are quite overrated (In high school, anyway) :P

[Legendary_Bibo]

Speaking as a teenager in High School, those things are quite overrated (In high school, anyway) :P

Says the person who doesn't get invited to parties. :P

I don't get the drugs thing though. I never did them, I didn't see a point to them. The kids I knew who did them always told me that they did it because of how stressed they were. Oddly enough I had more on my plate every day then they did in a week. :confused:

I only drank alcohol in highschool as insomnia medicine really.

The sex thing...how is that overrated? :D

[NCLI]

I believe a better question would be; where have you not experienced this? It's all over TV, especially those damned acne commercials, and it is a widely accepted stereotype that all teenagers are flawed in every way and do not share the mental capacity of more "Adult" people. It is incredibly degrading. I find it to be absolutely unacceptable, as a matter of fact. Why are we the only people the clerks watch in 7-11? The only people followed by personnel at wal-mart? We may as well be our own alien race until we turn 18. Age is but a number, and prejudice related to it is just as unacceptable as racial prejudice.

With danger for being prejudiced, I can say that the US is probably the only country where what you described happens.

In all the countries I've visited and/or lived in(Which includes both European, African, and Asian countries), I've never seen or heard of anything like that :shock:


Look at present day Germany. The entire country pretty much denies that the Holocaust ever happened. Look at a German text book about WWII or the official site of Auschwitz. Or better yet go to Germany and yell Nazi at the top of your lungs wile walking down the street. See what happens.
Have you ever been to Germany? Sure, the textbooks don't exactly go into the meaty details of the Holocaust, but they don't deny it either, and it is mentioned. Also, every single concentration camp still standing in Germany is now a museum, and there's a huge Holocaust memorial in the middle of Berlin.

Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, isn't in Germany, but in Poland, and if it wasn't for Israel it would be long gone by now, because the Poles are very much in denial about their own role during WWII, as opposed to the Germans, who still do a lot of things to make it clear that they know they did something terribly wrong(Though I personally think it's rather silly, since almost everyone involved is dead.)

Also, if you go to Germany and yell "Nazi", you will most likely be ignored as a lunatic, or be arrested and fined for causing public unrest if there's police nearby. This is not because they ignore their past, but because it's offensive.

Before this thread is closed, I really think you should apologize to Bibo. You're in the wrong, please realize that.

Physically.....maybe. I can see that being one reason why perhaps they would not want to be car mechanics. That still seems like a stretch to me.

Mentally I cannot accept. I am an IT professional and I have seen female software developers who could run circles around most of the guys in their profession. I don't know why intellectually car repair would be that much different.
That women are different mentally doesn't imply better or worse, simply different.

[lisati]

I'm the only boy in dance class. I sometimes hear people express the stereotypical assumption that "boys don't study dance - unless they are gay."

But since being the only boy among a troupe of pretty, gifted girls, I might tend to think the opposite. These dumb guys hang out with other guys while I get all these lovely, talented beauties all to myself... so why should anyone think it's "gay" to want to be with the girls instead of grunting on the gridiron with a bunch of burly guys?

-Robin

:lolflag: Try telling that to the guys and they might not want to understand..... :D

[t0p]

With danger for being prejudiced, I can say that the US is probably the only country where what you described happens.

In all the countries I've visited and/or lived in(Which includes both European, African, and Asian countries), I've never seen or heard of anything like that :shock:


In the UK, youths are horribly discriminated against. If a young person wears a hooded top ("hoodie") he is immediately assumed to be a criminal. And in the UK, the minimum age for buying alcohol is 18, but shop keepers are encouraged to ask for proof of age if a customer looks like he's under 25!



Also, if you go to Germany and yell "Nazi", you will most likely be ignored as a lunatic, or be arrested and fined for causing public unrest if there's police nearby. This is not because they ignore their past, but because it's offensive.


Indeed. Germany has very very strong anti-Nazi laws. It is illegal to fly a swastika in Germany, which I think interferes with freedom of expression. Not that I want to fly a swastika, but others might want to.

As for this "Nazi grandfather" nonsense: during the Second World War most of the German males of fighting age were fighting for the Nazis. That doesn't mean those men were Nazis. Why the heck would anyone be offended to hear someone's grandfather was a soldier in that war? Crazy horses!

[murderslastcrow]

I second t0p's astute observations.

[Spice Weasel]

Hoodies are warm and comfortable so I wear them quite a lot, but as long as you don't go around with the hood up people don't seem to be bothered.

[aeiah]

I lost my virginity in High School, did drugs, and drank illegally


get a grip. i dont think i know anyone who didn't do all those things, and most of my friends are moderately nice and successful human beings.

you shouldn't be upset that you're accused of that stuff, you should be upset that you missed out :p

[XubuRoxMySox]

... the minimum age for buying alcohol is 18, but shop keepers are encouraged to ask for proof of age if a customer looks like he's under 25!

Even at Wal-Mart here in the 'States they won't let kids purchase perfectly legal stuff, and require proof of age to buy those things: Cold remedies, solvents, glue, etc. Wal-Mart assumes that kids would only buy those things to abuse them. And if you appear to be under 25 they'll ask for proof of age. That's a pretty big margin for error.

I stopped growing at age 11. I haven't grown an inch or gained a pound since then, and I'm already in college (dual-enrolled) and have a part-time job. I've been pulled over several times by police who are reacting to reports of "a small child driving a car." I suppose dwarfs and other people who are little have to put up with that too.

It ain't all bad though, being little. I may continue to get "child" discounts at movies and restaurants for many more years to come (I never ask, but if they assume I'm a middle-schooler and give the discount I let them). I get away with silly stuff because I'm "too adorable to get yelled at," according to my fellow dancers. It's not so bad. I'll just not shop at Wal-Mart for stuff 'til I'm middle-aged or something I guess.

-Robin

[Legendary_Bibo]

Even at Wal-Mart here in the 'States they won't let kids purchase perfectly legal stuff, and require proof of age to buy those things: Cold remedies, solvents, glue, etc. Wal-Mart assumes that kids would only buy those things to abuse them. And if you appear to be under 25 they'll ask for proof of age. That's a pretty big margin for error.

I stopped growing at age 11. I haven't grown an inch or gained a pound since then, and I'm already in college (dual-enrolled) and have a part-time job. I've been pulled over several times by police who are reacting to reports of "a small child driving a car." I suppose dwarfs and other people who are little have to put up with that too.

It ain't all bad though, being little. I may continue to get "child" discounts at movies and restaurants for many more years to come (I never ask, but if they assume I'm a middle-schooler and give the discount I let them). I get away with silly stuff because I'm "too adorable to get yelled at," according to my fellow dancers. It's not so bad. I'll just not shop at Wal-Mart for stuff 'til I'm middle-aged or something I guess.

-Robin

I just looked at your profile pic, holy crap you do look young if that's a recent picture.

[Legendary_Bibo]

get a grip. i dont think i know anyone who didn't do all those things, and most of my friends are moderately nice and successful human beings.

you shouldn't be upset that you're accused of that stuff, you should be upset that you missed out :p

I only did 2 out 3. I never did drugs. I did drink, a lot, and I was in all the AP and honors classes. It was very frowned upon for the AP kids to do things that the normal kids in our high school did by our own peers.

[murderslastcrow]

Lol, missing out all depends on your perspective. There is a lot those kids missed out on that I was able to enjoy. A lot of decisions they regret that I never had the chance to cry about. Of course, you could say that means I have less understanding and a smaller perception than they do.

However, the things I spent my time with outside of those kinds of activities served to strengthen me quite a bit and the benefits are still felt in my life today. There are all sorts of balance between these two sides of the spectrum, of course.

I don't presume to say people who have taken drugs or had sex are missing out on integrity and self-development, nor do I suppose each sexual act or joint serves the same effects and has the same reasons. It's all too specialized to generalize on.

But the person who insulted me clearly meant it in the more insulting fashion. :D To each his own, I suppose?

[XubuRoxMySox]

It was very frowned upon for the AP kids to do things that the normal kids in our high school did by our own peers.

Me too! It's like we're supposed to be "little adults" instead of kids. But I never wanted to drink or use drugs anyway, and everyone I know who admits (or brags) that they do is either always in some kind of trouble or just has way too much drama going on. But the double standard for AP kids seems unrealistic and unfair. Even smart overachieving kids are still kids.

-Robin

[Tristam Green]

Meh, just tell them to **** off.

**** those ****ing ****ers, **** yeah! ****.



You mean... BMW and Audi drivers Aren't all arsewipes ?

;)

(something about the difference between a BMW and a Porcupine)


get a grip. i dont think i know anyone who didn't do all those things, and most of my friends are moderately nice and successful human beings.

you shouldn't be upset that you're accused of that stuff, you should be upset that you missed out :p

Congratulations!!!

You do now.

[MCVenom]

The sex thing...how is that overrated? :D

Didn't notice that there! And it most definitely is not. ;)

I just don't have the interest in drugs and alcohol though. That's just me. [-(

[eriktheblu]

And in the UK, the minimum age for buying alcohol is 18, but shop keepers are encouraged to ask for proof of age if a customer looks like he's under 25!

In the U.S., common practice is to demand proof of age for anyone appearing under 40 (age requirements 18 and 21 for tobacco and alcohol respectively). This is not an issue of agism, but of liability. I'm sure shopkeepers would gladly sell a pack of smokes to a 12 year old if there weren't severe fines and potential loss of authority to sell involved.

I will readily admit that I employ behavioral stereotypes for the purpose of personal safety. When a group of youths are wearing clothing in a manner that it was obviously not designed to be worn, that is an indication that do not feel obligated under the social contract.

When the gentleman in front of me at the electronics store makes a significant purchase with cash, and does not employ a billfold (combine that with a hairstyle not commonly associated with the professional world) I consider this indicative of criminal propensity. While certainly not definitive, it is enough to make me keep my distance.