tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733547565614327236.post1087780423289749816..comments2023-10-16T06:40:43.382-07:00Comments on CHOP-TENSILS: On Stereotypes (My Own)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733547565614327236.post-89449789598209468842008-08-25T19:08:00.000-07:002008-08-25T19:08:00.000-07:00Jennifer - thanks for the comment. And of course ...Jennifer - thanks for the comment. And of course you can cross-post this whenever you want. <BR/><BR/>Your comments (regarding stereotypes as defense) make me want to delve into social psychology and theories of stereotype creation - but this isn't the time for it (although it might be in a post soon). All I can say is that a great read on this subject (and a book I go to often when dealing with this kind of thing) is:<BR/>"Us and Them: Understanding Your Tribal Mind" by David Berreby. <BR/><BR/>Check it out when you've got a little time free from all the paperwork.CVThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04097386572053924474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733547565614327236.post-11254885041361184092008-08-25T05:56:00.000-07:002008-08-25T05:56:00.000-07:00CVT,Thank you so much for this post--it's raw and ...CVT,<BR/>Thank you so much for this post--it's raw and honest and speaks your truth in a way that really resonates with me (and I hope with others). In fact, I'd love to cross-post at some point (if you can let me know if I have permission either here or through my website email, that'd be great).<BR/><BR/>I'm trying to catch up on my blog reading and have got about half way through your most recent blog posts (the semester began last week and I've been SLAMMED with work). I've loved reading all your thoughts and am SURE that your readers (and many more) will find their way to your blog.<BR/><BR/>And as a comment about the actual post, I totally hear you and feel you on this one--because I have SO MANY STEREOTYPES of people--different and similar in some respects to your own--the one that I am most constantly faced with are my stereotypes of white Southerneres, particularly white Southern men. Sometimes they are totally debunked. Sometimes they are reinforced. And always, I have to remind myself that whether a white Southern man lives up to or defies my stereotype, what I hold about them is still a stereotype and not their own actual reality/truth. <BR/><BR/>It's hard though--in some cases we hold these stereotypes as a way to protect ourselves. At least this is partly what I imagine (in the most generous reading) of folks who clutch their purses when they pass young black men. Maybe my own defensive posturing (internal if not external) around white Southern men is an expectation I have that they will say something that will leave me angry/hurt and so I try to armor myself against their bigotry. But it is a stereotype that I hold that white SOuthern men are racist and will say something I find offensive. And truly, it does neither of us any good for me to be defensive. Because I'll never be able to truly armor myself against racism--it happens whether or not we're prepared for it sometimes. And sometimes you find yourself having a really genuinely interesting and insightful conversation with people, which helps break down that stereotype--for me at least.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.com