Sweeping Generalizations and the Power to Negate

I detest sweeping generalizations. They completely negate the individual. Stating that a person will have XYZ tendencies because of an experience they had or didn't have, negates their free choice to simply be an asshole. I've met plenty of well-traveled and extremely cultured people that were idiots and snobs. I've also come across extremely improverished individuals that still welcomed me to their table, although I noticed that they wouldn't eat.


Sweeping generalizations raise my Irish ire. They rank right up there with spurious correlations -- that's fancy speak for 'two things that really have nothing to do with each other, forced into a cause and effect relationship by a fancy schmancy study and then reported as fact.' Example: Crime rates go up in the summer, as do sales of ice cream, therefore the more ice cream that is sold, the higher the crime rate will be -- maybe government should ban ice cream?  See the problem? Spurious correlations, sweeping generalizations are incredibly prevalent on the morning news shows. They are meant to raise tension and incite anger. They are used quite well in political campaigns. In order to get your vote, politicians will spew their corrrelations (otherwise known as mudslinging) until your confusion takes over the desire to exercise your vote. Oh and the answer to the above example is: crime rates increase because it's summer and when it's hot, more people want ice cream; the two share no cause and effect relationship


Correlations are well-funded by you and me. Many of them are known as 'scientific research.' I especially loved one of NASA's most recent ones. They fired a rocket at the moon in order to find water. They found it. Now they hypothesize that life could exist on the moon one day. Ummm, don't you need an atmosphere first?


The next time you hear "studies show," and the report spews forth information of interest to you, do a little critical thinking and consider the variables of a study as independent items. Usually this initial step brings the ridiculousness of the study to light and you can go back to living your life without mucking up your brain with more useless information -- we're innundated with enough of that as it is.


The next time you hear "he's that way because he's wealthy" or "she's that way because she's fat," step back from the "is" and try to see the person through your experience of them and your conversations with them. Celebrities are products of their PR people; our friends may be products of our years of knowing them and thinking we "know" the person they are..... you may be surprised if you stop looking at them through a filter and see them in the moment -- the person they are at the moment you are interacting with them. You may be surprised at what you do see..... a sense of remorse or sorrow in their eyes ..... a sense of regret...... a sense of excitement. Stop looking at them as your friend of 20 years; stop looking at them as your mother or father. Give weight to the words they say. You'll see a whole new person if you throw away the "is" and reignite the wonder of discovering who they are.