Assumptions, Stereotypes, And Labeling.

 

To assume we know everything, and particularly something we don't really know, is, as the old saying goes, is to make an ass out of you and me. 

The simplism of assumption is a way of life for some. 

There are people who assume their way of thinking-

whether it's about a women's right to abortion or about prayer in schools-has to be "always right," despite any evidence to the contrary. When it involves a precarious need to preserve their own false sense of integrity and dignity, their self-image becomes cloaked in assumptions of righteousness. They can't - won't - consider alternatives. Perhaps it would feel almost like death to do so, to let go of their simplism. 

Some of the most common- and often destructive - assumptions are based on stereotypes about ourselves and other people.

Stereotyping typically involves labeling and categorizing people and things in a simplistic manner, then making people and things in a simpleminded manner, 

then making judgements on the basis of the assumption we attach to these categories. Such assumptions often prove to be misleading. The hero of  novel 'In Heaven and Earth' starts off assuming that their will be no mystery in heaven; everything will be bland, straightforward, and clear cut. To his surprise, he finds that heaven-like earth- consists of a complex maze of surprises, twists, and turns rather than some simplistic utopia.

Many make judgements about others on the basis of labels - for example, associating liberals with bleeding hearts and conservatives with the righteously rigid.

 Racial and ethnic labels are rife with often misleading assumptions about the characters of individuals who are identified with these groups. 

A Jewish person's political disposition may be incorrectly perceived by some on the basis of dividing Judaism into Orthodox, Conservative, and reform camps. Used-car salesmen are judged by some to be sleazy or unscrupulous, thus undermining the reputation of the many hardworking salesmen whose character is above reproach. And their is a common assumption that anyone who openly calls himself a Christian must be a fudamentalist, or that anyone who calls himself agnostic must not be spiritually minded. 

While some stereotypes may have a grain of truth to them, frequently they are too simplistic to capture the subtle differences, as well as the similarities, in making comparisons and judgements. When extreme, they may form the basis of assumptions that are used to bring about or justify potentially destructive actions.  

One of the main dynamics of murder mystery, 'A Bed by the Window', is the stereotypical thinking of a young detective. 

On the basis of his many assumptions,

 

Lieutenant Petri makes a host of errors in thinking and judgement that lead him to come perilously close to arresting the wrong person. His first assumption leads his to narrow his investigation to one female nurse simply because she had been sexually involved with the murder victim. His second assumption is believing that this women couldn't possibly of loved the victim because has was so physically deformed, even though she in fact cared deeply for him. And because more people at the nursing home had died during the shift that this nurse worked, Lieutenant Petri assumes she is a mass murderer who kills patients in the name of mercy. 

One of the most cynical assumptions espoused by Lieutenant Petri also turns out to be the most blinding. He believes that people in nursing homes who are senile can never think. As a result, he dismisses subtle leads, overlooks significant clues, and neglects important aspects of his experiences in connecting with others during his investigation.  

In his generic stereotype about people in nursing homes, the character is modeled after books author. Initially in his own professional career when he worked with patients in a nursing home, he wore blinders. His assumption was that nursing homes were mere dumping grounds for the living dead. Over time, what he found instead was an  environment with varied depths, filled with interesting people, humor, Love, and all other aspects of human behavior. As he did through first hand experience, Lieutenant Petri eventually learns to look beyond the surface. He gradually has his eyes opened to the realization that simplistic thinking often leads us down blind alleys. 

We indeed go down blind alleys when we rely strictly on assumptions, labels, and stereotypes and think about people in a simplistic way. To assume, because author writes about spirituality, that he does not have human failings would be a simplistic conclusion.    

To say that someone who identifies himself as a Christian must therefor automatically be holier than all others would be an another simplistic assumption. With religion in particular, there's a tendency for many to use labels and assumptions to validate their spirituality. Some think that the denomination to which they belong must be the one and only route to realizing God. That is mistaken. God doesn't care as much about labels as She does about substance. 

 

Labeling of people and things always has hidden liabilities. 

For one, it diminishes and depletes their depth. In authors opinion, the assumption that someone who is physically beautiful is also kinder and smarter than someone who is physically deformed is only that: an assumption, not a truth.   

Yet study after study done on this subject shows that most people favor those who are viewed attractive and most often attribute such benevolent qualities to them.  

Many assumptions we draw from labeling keep life at the level of superficiality. We neglect to question our conclusions. It would, however,  be just as simplistic to say that there's never any good reason for labeling. Scientists must recognize things to test theories and to replicate results. 

Teachers must recognize that not every seventh-grader is capable of becoming a great writer. Parents must distinguish between the personal tastes and temperaments of their children if they're going to be perceptive enough to respond to the specific needs of each child. So labeling has it's purposes-limited purposes. When it's productive, it serves to help us make quick, sometimes lifesaving decisions. If you're on a street at night and being approached by a menacing stranger with a gun, it would be foolish to say, "Hm, let me analyze this before I flee."  

In conclusion, we need to use labels to size up some things. There are times when we must make temporary decisions until we have more information or experience about a situation or person. 

But for the most part, we tend to label for the wrong reasons. 

When we use labeling to make assumptions and unjustly discriminate against others-or to make up excuses for ourselves-we infer broader qualities about a person or situation without the information necessary to support our conclusions. Sometimes, the consequences can be destructive not only to others but to ourselves.  

Educational Book Share, No ownership or infringement implied: The Road Less Traveled and Beyond, Spiritual Growth in an Age of Anxiety. 

Common Criminal Thinking.