> > > There is such an anti-male atmosphere that I am sickened.
> > >
> > > -eric sleator
> > > Tue 17 Oct A.D. 2000
> >
> > Eric, you are 100% correct. I mean, look at like Congress or something. It's totally anti-male!! Or the gender make-up of CEOs of major corporations. Men are being totally oppressed.
> >
> > Get a grip on reality.
> >
> > Stephen
>
> he has one. He never said men are being oppressed. It's not generally good to argue against something that was never said. what he SAID was, there is an anti-male atmosphere. This is certainly true. Just look at sexual harassment cases. Most men who bring such cases against female superiors get laughed out of court. If a woman brings one against a man, she is virtually guaranteed to win, even if her evidence is garbage.
>
> Look at this thread. "men are jerks." I'd call that pretty anti-male myself.
>
> What it boils down to, though, is that once again we are errupting into sterotypes. IMHO, saying "Men are jerks" is no less disgusting from a sterotypical standpoint than saying "blacks are stupid." They both represent stereotypes that are easilly disproven by anyone with the capacity for rational thought.

Stereotypes are generalizations on steroids. Generalizations are just what they say they are: a general statement made about a particular group *in general,* not about each individual in the group, and certainly not encompassing each and every person in the group. But they are perpetuated because enough people have encountered enough of the same situations to generally and *loosely* group people. The really interesting part is, we all want to be different, to be judged on our own merits, to be special. But at the same time, we pay attention to fashion, we join clubs, we *want to be a part of the group.* (Who can't remember being a teenager and having the absolute worst thing that could possibly happen to you be that you didn't fit in?) In some situations, we are a part of the group whether we want to be or not. I'm a woman. I hate being stereotyped as a helpless, dependent, girlie-girl. I *like* being stereotyped as a caring, comforting nurturer. I'm also blonde. I hate being grouped with ditzy, oversexed airheads. I love being grouped with sensual, fun-loving girls.

In conclusion:

A. We all want to fit in. We all want to be with people like us. If enough of us do and like similar things, we will be generalized and stereotyped -- because generalizations are GENERALLY true. Not individual truths. You take the good with the bad.

B. Nobody even really believes, when they say, "Men are jerks," that "Every man is a jerk." Eventually, most people stop being so sensitive to seemingly all-encompassing comments like "Men are jerks," because their immediate thought becomes (instead of, "this person must think I'm a jerk because they know I'm a man) "Good thing I'm an exception to that 'rule'" (or even, heaven forbid, "Yeah, I've known a lot of men to do some jerky things").

The point is, Yes, "anyone with the capacity for rational thought" rejects stereotypes as over-generalizations, and rejects generalizations on an individual basis. But it's not bad or even unfair to use a generalization as a starting point, because many times, the generalization has some portion (however small) of truth to it. And believing generalizations are disgusting whether they reflect their objects in a good light or a bad one is unrealistic, overly sensitive, and more closed-minded than anyone who would use a generalization in a casual, lighthearted way.

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