Conventions (geek, fantasy, etc). There are literally "types" that walk around. Some brights kids invented a Con Bingo game, because the stereotypes of attendees are so predictable. I know exactly whom I can talk to and feel at ease with because of what they're doing and how they're dressed.

This is the most benevolent form of stereotyping, but it's what first came to mind. less

I believe that stereotyping is a very important psychological process. You see something that looks like a hamburger, and you know if you want to eat it or not based on past experiences.

The problem comes when someone refuses to change their view of a stereotype. If you see someone who looks really dumb, but you talk to them and they seem really cool... You then should take that into account that maybe people who look like that don't always follow what you believe and you should try to be friends with the cool new person you met.

Most people I'm friends with I talked to because they 'looked like' my type. less

The problem comes when someone refuses to change their view of a stereotype.

Agreed. There's one thing that really gets on my nerves more than any other issue when it comes to stereotyping and that is when people assume someone is stupid, or of lesser intelligence in general, just because they aren't an American or native English speaker. The saying in my house is "Foreign, NOT stupid".

When it comes to that I always wonder how I would feel if I were standing in a foreign country and someone thought they could take advantage of me because I wasn't a native speaker of their language or didn't fully understand their customs. I'm quick to defend people who haven't had the opportunity to learn English in a conversational way and also realize just because someone can fluent speak English doesn't mean they can write in English very well (I can write in Spanish quite well, but can't speak it to save my life). It helps ease the frustration of trying to explain concepts and makes the person in question feel more comfortable in trying to get their point across.

I definitely think stereotypes have their place except for when it comes to denial of services, employment and equal rights. less

Don't Be Afraid to Stereotype Strangers by Ross Pomeroy

From the article:

"Stereotyping is a way of processing information," Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, says. "It's a way to take something that's not familiar and put it in your brain next to something that makes sense."

Can you think of an instance where stereotyping has been warranted? less

I don't care much about stereotypes. I defy many of them and it's fun to see what people think after I defy the stereotypes they had in their head. Many of the reasons why I hate certain types of people is because they fulfill stereotypes. Not because I just look at them and think that we aren't going to get along. I KNOW it. Like in my soul I can tell automatically how well I'll get along with someone.

People who try to get rid of stereotypes need to realize that they will just always exist. I don't think there is a bad stereotype out there because that just means that the only interactions a person has had with the stereotype. Like I always hear people say "Black men are criminals," they are not saying that black men are horrible...it's just the only conclusion that can come across based off their experiences. The stereotypes people believe in can change from time to time. It just takes that wild card to change them. We are not "all seeing" so we can't see the exceptions to everything. The majority is what we go with rather than the minority. less