Because humans need order to make sense of the world and feel safe, we put everything into categories.  While there may have been some thought about what that category contains at one point, the details get lost with time.  It’s the stuff comedians use to identify the people they caricature.  Something that at one level we all recognize because it is easily identifiable.

We operate at different levels.  It’s quick and easy to assign someone to a group.  This is a shorthand, easy reference method to help deal with the enormous amount of information available to us. 

The problem is we make assumptions.  Assumptions deal with surface, what appears to be, not what is fact.  When we assign stereotypes to people we are doing that.  We see a coloring, style of dress, physical shape, good looks or not and we put that person into a category.  

This leads to misperceptions.  The Scottish woman, Susan Boyle, who has shocked the world with her wonderful voice is an example.  She looks a frumpy, stout, middle aged woman.  Immediately there is the assumption that she can’t be much good at anything. She has no value in the modern world Then she began to sing and the world fell at her feet. The appearance and the skill are at odds. What else is hidden in people?

The only way we can judge quickly is to go on appearance and instant reactions.  Sometimes they are right; but we have to be aware that we might not be.  Someone might not have the money to dress well, they might not be interested that others value clothes, they might not care about their appearance or they might believe their style is perfect for them.  Because someone has a particular coloring, we cannot assume a particular behavior.  Have you noticed how in many war films, the villain is a blue eyed blond? The subliminal message, icy, cold, merciless. Are all blue eyed blonds like that?

Perhaps this need to categorize others comes from our need to be part of a group.  Our survival emotionally is dependent on being acknowledged by others we want to be among and accepted by.  This could be family, tribal, a religious group, a gang or something else.  We are prepared to follow the rules of that group however uncomfortable they might be to us because our need to belong is so strong.  We forget to question their motives, values, judgements and assumptions in relation to what we believe.  Are we doing ourselves a disservice by assuming others are right and know more than we do?  Do we put too much faith in what we perceive to be the better understanding of others?  

There is always time to reassess what we think is right, fair, kind and true.  Hiding behind a collection of hardly considered ideas is not being true to ourselves.  We owe ourselves time to look at what we really believe and how much of what we believe is true.