I don’t know about everyone else but from what I’ve seen there are a lot of people out there that make judgement calls on people they don’t even know as to their guilt and innocence of something they were alleged to have done.
We’ve created whole industries that parade multiples of people with serious social issues like Morey Povish, Jerry Springer and the like. These people display the worst possible conduct human beings can make and the public eats it up. Not only that they have reality police shows that time and time again display the worst actions of people and again the public eats it up. Why?
Are we so pathetic that we must observe the of others in what possibly could be the worst times in their lives. Are we so pathetic that we need to see such behavior to feel better about ourselves and our situation or do we galk at this so we can ignore situations in our own lives?
Are we actually adding to the sensationalist desires of those who want their 15 minutes of fame and creating an environment that sponcers and supports this activity. Are we giving people a stage to act out in any way they want to and in the process place fellow human beings in jeopardy of life and limb, just to be entertained?
Is it also fostering the stereotypical attitudes that turn into prejudice that will stigmatize whole groups of people because we saw one person act stupidly in front of a camera.
Then ask yourself this question. Do you think those observing the Roman gladiators of ancient times fell the same way that we do when we see two fat women fighting over a skinny guy that isn’t worth the cost of a bullet to end his reign of ignorance?
Do we cast judgement on those who dress and act differently according to the way they look, dress or how handsome or beautiful they are?
Do we judge a men sleeping with an underage girl more harshly than we do a woman sleeping with an underage boy?
Do we accept a Lesbian couple more readily that a gay couple?
Do we become unnerved when surrounded by those that you deem of lower social status or a different color or heritage?
What is with us as human beings that we have to assign the possibility of certain actions to those who met certain parameters? Is it the idea that others are different or is it the idea that we must separate ourselves from them to give ourselves the air of individual importance?
Ok 3 in a row and only one reply. I can take a hint. Sorry for disrupting you guys. Please delete me. I’m removing your link. Have a wonderful day. Good bye!
I don't know about everyone else but from what I've seen there are a lot of people out there that make judgement calls on people they don't even know as to their guilt and innocence of something they were alleged to have done. We've created whole industries that parade multiples of people with serious social issues like Morey Povish, Jerry Springer and the like. These people display the worst possible conduct human beings can make and the public eats it up. Not only that they have reality police shows that time and time again display the worst actions of people and again the public eats it up. Why? Are we so pathetic that we must observe the of others in what possibly could be the worst times in their lives. Are we so pathetic that we need to see such behavior to feel better about ourselves and our situation or do we galk at this so we can ignore situations in our own lives? Are we actually adding to the sensationalist desires of those who want their 15 minutes of fame and creating an environment that sponcers and supports this activity. Are we giving people a stage to act out in any way they want to and in the process place fellow human beings in jeopardy of life and limb, just to be entertained? Is it also fostering the stereotypical attitudes that turn into prejudice that will stigmatize whole groups of people because we saw one person act stupidly in front of a camera. Then ask yourself this question. Do you think those observing the Roman gladiators of ancient times fell the same way that we do when we see two fat women fighting over a skinny guy that isn't worth the cost of a bullet to end his reign of ignorance? Do we cast judgement on those who dress and act differently according to the way they look, dress or how handsome or beautiful they are? Do we judge a men sleeping with an underage girl more harshly than we do a woman sleeping with an underage boy? Do we accept a Lesbian couple more readily that a gay couple? Do we become unnerved when surrounded by those that you deem of lower social status or a different color or heritage? What is with us as human beings that we have to assign the possibility of certain actions to those who met certain parameters? Is it the idea that others are different or is it the idea that we must separate ourselves from them to give ourselves the air of individual importance?WuCares may have left but these are some good questions. Have many in our society become so bored with their own life that they accept these shows as truly representing what is going on out there. Or perhaps they are seeing (often over dramatic) reflections of their own life story?
I think it’s inevitable to generalize and to feel uncomfortable when presented with something very different from ourselves (such as a gay couple). The problem arises in the choice actions people make in reaction to these things. Verbal abuse, disrespectful looks or even threats of heresy from the religiously maniacal are all mistakes people make in their reactions to things/events they misunderstand or refuse to properly understand, IMO.
I personally do feel a sense of resentment arise when I see someone sagging their pants and talking/dressing/acting like a thug. And I think it’s obvious from the prison sentences in the news that the public or at least the courts judge a pedophile man worse than a pedophile woman.
“What is with us as human beings that we have to assign the possibility of certain actions to those who met certain parameters?”
For this, my first thought is-- for safety. There is a reason a lot of people would be afraid to walk down the street in Detroit wearing headphones and holding a nice purse. Stereotypes exist for a reason, but they don’t exist as reasons for outward blatant discrimination.
I certainly agree that stereotypes in general are harmful, but C.E. has a point that they do exist for reasons since groups of people often have behaviors in common. If those could harm one, it makes sense to be aware of them.
It’s surprising how often people expose not only their emotions, but also their thinking and even prior behavior by their facial expressions and dress. Someone who has strong empathy and experience at reading these can reach conclusions that can be close to the truth, but that the average person would feel was just demonstrating prejudical stereotypes.
Occam
If people feel endangered by the actions of some other people or even just the assumed actions, they will react to protect themselves, even if it doesn’t make sense on a rational level. This has been true since the beginning mankind–and is true in all of the animal kingdom. It is a survival response and it is instinctive. Emotions will always rule behavior and deciding that they “shouldn’t” has very little effect.
Lois