To think most stereotypes are based on some truth

[lesley33]

AIBU to think that if there is a stereotype about a group of people there is usually a nugget of truth there, even if that nugget of truth is out of date?

For example, there has for a long time been a stereotype that women are worse drivers than men. I don't think that is true now, but I think 30-40 years ago, in general, women were worse drivers than men. I think this was for the simple reason that very few families had more than 1 car. Usually the man drove the car most of the time - to work, family outings, etc. Women in general drove far less than men, so obviously weren't as experienced and this made women in general worse drivers.

And I know this is an in general thing. There will have been individual women 40 years ago who were better drivers than most men.
So AIBU?

"dumb, deprived, dangerous, deviant, and disturbed "

I haven't heard all of these stereotypes before.But if you are talking specifically about African Caribbean people then:

1. African Caribbean boys do worse at school and exams than white boys. There is lots of theories as to why this is the case including racism - but the fact is that academic achievement is lower.

1. African Caribbean people - and again, particularly men do have higher rates of mental illness. Again there are a variety of theories as to why this is. Studies have shown that it is not simply that a/c mens symptoms are motre likely to be interpreted as mental illness.

1. African Caribbean people are more likely to live in disadvantaged areas and in poverty than some ethnicities/religions - for example chinese or sikhs.

The African Caribbean community have done a lot of work to address these issues such as encouraging more african caribbean people to become teachers, challenging racism and eurocentricity in schools and running supplementary schools.

"What a surprise that you started a thread like this."

What did you mean by that Even Less?

And Olipolly I have just only answered your question because I haven't been on the pc. I do come off mumsnet sometimes.

I sort of agree with the OP.

Not that stereotypes are based on truth in that they are true, but they are based on some facts, which may or may not continue to be true, and may or may not have been interpreted badly in the first place.

Oh goodness me. Of course there are stereotypes - they often exist alongside a sense of humour and in saying that I have a Russian grandfather, an English/Irish grandmother and a German father. And I ended up a middle class, 80's Sloane, Boden wearing, judgy panted hypocrite who didn't go to uni but made a few bob married to a very clever working class lad from the North whose family turns up its nose at loction and gefilte fish!

And if anyone looks up the other thread - I can't stand piercings!!

"With Irsih the stereotype is obviously that they are thick. Lots and lots of Irish people came over to England during times of extreme poverty such as the potato famine. The people who came over were often those living on the land and they generally had a poor education and low levels of literacy.

That didn't mean that all Irish people were poorly educated, just that those people in Scotland and England came across who were fleeing extreme poverty, tended to be poorly educated. Obviously this hasn't been applicable to Ireland for a very very long time, but the stereotype persists."

I always thought the stereotypes about Irish people were started in Cromwell's time when the British government wanted to legitimise their brutality in Ireland by portraying the population as illiterate savages. These ideas were then further perpetuated by people such as Thomas Carlyle, often for religious reasons.

I thought the propoganda in Cromwell's time was about brutality, not being unintelligent. So the propoganda for example included the allegation that the irish had taken the live children from pregnant women's bellies and beat them against rocks and that they practised cannibalism.

Unfortunately it is very very common for a country to allege brutality from the people they are waging was in/oppressing brutally in another country e.g. the myth of the black hole of calcutta.

But I can't think of any examples (although there may be) where alleged but untrue acts of brutality have led to a stereotype that has persisted for many many years. Usually the truth is eventually exposed.

Ah, now you mention it, I've thought of one, maybe, thus undermining my own argument. The blood-libel against Jews, maybe? The (medieval) accusations that they sacrificed children.

Saltatrix said it on the first page.

I think there's some truth in some stereotypes and sometimes the stereotypes stick around when the truth has changed.

I mean, there must be truth in some particularly where culture is concerned, because we all have different cultures. I think the stereotype of the British stiff upper lip was once true and still is in large circles, for example. The British stereotype of politeness also obtains. It doesn't mean it applies to everyone of course but the "well brought up" description of approval for a child will apply to a polite child, first and foremost.

Actually, overnight I realised those medieval accusations against Jews probably had something to do with misunderstanding circumcision and attendant rituals.