posted
During the last decade or so, I've been noticing a trend. This trend is using personal experiences to help persuade others to see the stupidity of stereotypes.
Example: "I've known many African Americans in my life, and very, very, few ( ) were gangsters."
"I've known a lot of guys over the years who were quite effeminate or spoke with a whispering lisp (not to mention a lot of guys who can switch on these mannerisms quite convincingly when the moment requires). But only a few of these guys ended up living as gay men."
I used to see nothing wrong with these. In fact, I've been guilty of using them (in heaping helpings, to boot). But lately I've been wondering if, by doing this, we're not stopping stereotypes, so much as changing their direction.
See, back when African Americans were still treated unfairly (and, by that, I mean, back when it was politically correct to treat them harsh), the term "white men can't jump" was never used. But, after the sixties, when African Americans finally participated in sports, it became painfully obvious that the majority of them excelled in basketball. Now, it's true that basketball has changed some, and that there have been quite a few talented Caucasian basketball players, but the stereotype is still used.
Practically all stereotypes do not come from nowhere. They are derived from a truth, exaggerated, and spread through the public.
So, my worry is that by saying things like "not many homosexuals I know have lisps" or "practically all of my Mexican friends make well above minimum wage" or "in all my years, I have seen very few literally rich, white people"*, are they, in effect, making it politically incorrect for homosexuals to have lisps, Mexicans to hold minimum wage jobs, or white people to be rich? If a homosexual has a speech impediment, or a Mexican falls on hard times, or a White American falls on good times, should they take their respective roles with scorn emenating from the general public? How is saying that they can't have lisps, be poor, or be rich any better than saying that they have to have lisps, be poor, or be rich?
So what are your opinions? Have the politically-correct activists been using a double-edged sword, or am I just being superstitious?
* I only used homosexuality, Mexicans, and white folks as my examples because they're the stereotypes I'm the most familiar with, living in Prescott, Arizona.
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) were gangsters."
