Or to Jesse Jackson
Letâ??s suppose I am a lowbrow. I am vulgar and have uncultivated tastes. I am boorish, rude, ill-mannered, coarse, rough, crude and ignorant. In addition, I stereotype everyone I meet. I have even managed to stereotype myself. Uh oh. No one is supposed to ever stereotype anyone, according to the current politically correct movement. Stereotyping people is bad because we might accidentally typecast an innocent person in an undesirable mold. However, the problem as I see it, lies with this politically correct approach, not the stereotyping itself. Stereotyping is appropriate some of the time, but deliberately avoiding stereotyping can get you into trouble. Equally vehemently, I am claiming that stereotyping can also cause problems. Most importantly, on occasion, reacting to an unknown subject by stereotyping the person will provide an added level of safety. This chapterâ??s Area of Enlightenment clarifies why there are times and certain conditions when stereotyping a person is far safer than adhering to the politically correct caveat. The use of appropriate stereotyping can protect us physically and socially. Here is an illuminating example. The Reverend Jesse Jackson was walking alone at night in Washington DC.1He heard footsteps behind him and was afraid he was about to be muggedâ??which is a common occurrence in Washington, especially at night, and especially when you are alone on a street. The Reverend turned around and saw a white man. Immediately he felt relief that he was not going to be assaulted. Then he felt shame because he had just stereotyped kindred black men. He understood during that split second of observation, that he 1Duke, Lynn, â??Confronting Violence: African American Conferees Look Inward,â?ť Washington Post, January 8, 1994. ©2001 C. Norman Winningstad - Page 7.1
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Area of Enlightenment - Book1Ch7web1 â?? The Joy Of Stereotyping, Chapter 7 had assumed the worst of his own race; he assumed he would be mugged if the man was black, but that he would be safe if the man was white. Reverend Jackson felt shame because he was not thinking in the recommended politically-correct approach. The truth is, he could just as easily been mugged by a white man (after all, there are white muggers). If he had seen a black man, he most likely would have been safe (after all, most black men are not muggers). So, why did Jesse Jackson, a very intelligent gentleman, make the assumption he was safe if the person following him was white, and that he might be mugged if the person had been black? The answer will not please the politically-correct person. Because stereotypes are based upon sound statistics, the serious harm is in not paying heed to stereotypes when danger is present, and in paying attention to stereotypes when no danger is involved. In the former case, we risk physical, emotional, and financial harm. In the latter case, the downside is, at best, embarrassment for having committed a social gaff, at worst, you could be swindled. It is an unfortunate fact that there are a higher percentage of black muggers among the black population than there are white muggers among the white population.2While the absolute number of black muggers and white muggers is perhaps about the same, you are more likely to be mugged if you see a black person, than you are if you see a white person while walking down a street in any inner city late at night. So, the Reverend Jesse Jackson was simply and wisely reacting to his odds. Anyone walking the streets of Washington, D.C. has a higher probability of being mugged late at night than while walking those same streets during daytime. They also have a higher probability of being mugged in Washington, D.C.â??any time of day or nightâ??than in almost any other city in the United States. The Reverend was perhaps naĂŻve in his belief that he was safe when followed by a white manâ??he was simply safer. Since there are far more law-abiding black people than there are black muggers, the chances are good he would have been safe in either case; however, with bodily harm a strong chance if he were mugged, it was wise of the Reverend to be on guard. For the Reverend Jackson, it was better to err by stereotyping. If he was in a safe social setting and had time to chat with the person, he could have afforded the luxury of ascribing to the politically correct approach of waiting to find out, over time, if this new acquaintance fit the stereotype being projected.
Originally posted by ggwâ?˘:
Originally posted by Rutherford J. Balls:
Europe has muggers ? I didn't realize they even let black people into Europe. :p
Apparently, black people aren't nice to you (or your wife). [/b]
