From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!zeppo!mes
Newsgroups: net.misc
Title: Re: freudian B.S. - (nf)
Article-I.D.: zeppo.311
Posted: Thu Sep  9 12:14:25 1982
Received: Fri Sep 10 04:23:33 1982

#R:pur-phy:-45500:zeppo:9300002:000:1941
zeppo!mes    Sep  9 12:13:00 1982

Ah, Eric, you have hit upon one of my very, very sore spots. As a native
New Jerseyan myself, I have long wondered about the stereotyping that
goes on. I am from the north pine barrens (center of the state, to you
foreigners), and now live in the very, very rural northwest of the state.
Believe me, this is not the same as living in Newark or Hoboken...
 
However, the issue is a far larger one. What is it in people that forces them
to adopt stereotypical images? We all do it to one extent or another - i.e,
Im sure that not all Californian girls are 'valley girls', and they probably
aren't all blond, either! Do all people from Missouri walk around saying
'Show me?' ? I think not. But, we in our infinite perfection where we are,
come up with these global assumptions, and use them frequently, even though
we may "know" that they are impossible.
These stereotypes can hurt, as well.  They bind communication, they force
misunderstandings, they prevent the growth of interpersonal relationships
of any kind because of these preconcieved natures. I myself was guilty of
considering any person living within a 40 mile radius of New York City as
slightly less than human - it took me until undergraduate school to realize
just how preconcieved I was! I think that I am past that stage now, but
I shudder to think of what I would have missed, had I not opened myself
up to other lifestyles, far different from my own.
So, the question is, what makes us do it? In the 'Information Age' (sorry)
why is so little information passed around, such that these stereotypes
develop and prosper? In fact, inherent in the last sentence is a 
assumption that can be questioned - is the lack of information responsible
for these stereotypes? Some good discussion material here...
 
                              From Northwest New Joisey,
                              Mike Sajor, BTL-Whippany NJ, (201)386-4409
                              zeppo!mes