We have all heard of the typical stereotype. It can apply to persons or groups of persons of different countries, ethnicities, geographic areas, political persuasion among others.
For instance, residents of Vermont are generally thought of as being liberal although that hasn't always been the case. To carry the example a step further, we generally picture Vermonters as wearing sandals (with socks in cold weather) and enjoying their brie and wine (preferably foreign and organic).
But this kind of classification can get confusing. I'm sure Vermonters would man the ramparts if their way of life were threatened. In defense of the status quo--now that could be a conservative position.
Conservatives, on the other hand, are often pictured as wearing shoes without socks (in warm weather) but not the open toed type. But I also know conservatives who wouldn't dream of wearing shoes without socks and prefer beer and salsa. It can get confusing.
For instance, on the subject of hair care. Conservative men are said to prefer short hair whereas, if you see a man with long hair, you might assume that he is liberal. For women, conservatives are generally seen as using a hair stylists whereas many liberals are imagined to be less demanding. I even heard of one self described liberal who cuts her own hair. Now that could be labeled as frugality, a trait near and dear to many conservatives.
In short, stereotyping persons or different groups is not a slam dunk. Individuals or groups who are labeled as "liberal" or "conservative" may have several different outlooks and many times those outlooks intersect. That is also true of people of different ethnicities, geographic areas, genders or color of skin. More about that in my next post.
For instance, residents of Vermont are generally thought of as being liberal although that hasn't always been the case. To carry the example a step further, we generally picture Vermonters as wearing sandals (with socks in cold weather) and enjoying their brie and wine (preferably foreign and organic).
But this kind of classification can get confusing. I'm sure Vermonters would man the ramparts if their way of life were threatened. In defense of the status quo--now that could be a conservative position.
Conservatives, on the other hand, are often pictured as wearing shoes without socks (in warm weather) but not the open toed type. But I also know conservatives who wouldn't dream of wearing shoes without socks and prefer beer and salsa. It can get confusing.
For instance, on the subject of hair care. Conservative men are said to prefer short hair whereas, if you see a man with long hair, you might assume that he is liberal. For women, conservatives are generally seen as using a hair stylists whereas many liberals are imagined to be less demanding. I even heard of one self described liberal who cuts her own hair. Now that could be labeled as frugality, a trait near and dear to many conservatives.
In short, stereotyping persons or different groups is not a slam dunk. Individuals or groups who are labeled as "liberal" or "conservative" may have several different outlooks and many times those outlooks intersect. That is also true of people of different ethnicities, geographic areas, genders or color of skin. More about that in my next post.
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