*that's a word I just invented which means you've made a mistake in stereotyping someone. So it's like a typo about a stereotype. Okay, you got that already. Moving on..
We're always putting people we meet into categories. Patterns! It makes so much sense when everyone's personality just fits into one pattern or the other. It also makes us feel smart in having figured them out. Too quiet and ugly? Shy. Too quiet and pretty? Snob. Doing better than me? She probably slept with the boss. North Indian? Ugh. Indian boy? Creep.
I read this somewhere on 'Humans of New York' webpage -
Personalities are so complex that we shouldn't even pretend to understand everybody. The person I understand the most is me and I can't even put myself into any rigid category.. I am an extrovert but I prefer to listen than to talk (except when there's Merlot in me). I do support animal rights but I do not follow a vegan diet. I do not think twice before squishing a fly that's irritating me. I used to think I would be a dog person but now I love cats, so well there is no such thing as a dog person or a cat person. You just love your kids no matter who they are (even if they're called Joffrey Baratheon). I love playing sports but I also love lazying in bed. I have dated many people but I don't believe in polygamy or instability. You might want to call me a contradiction. But I call it nature.
This is one of the reasons I love Game of Thrones. Every character is natural - Ned Stark, known for being such an honorable man, has a bastard. Jaime Lannister known for being an asshole, tries to save Brienne of Tarth and even wins her trust. Tyrion Lannister is just.. well, he's just awesome. (I did warn you about this in my previous post).
Putting everyone into rigid categories is basically a form of extremism. That's what leads to hatred and wars and all things bad. Accepting that everyone is flawed, yet nobody is a 100% evil is the key.
To end with some FIL wisdom: "We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions".
Additions on October 2nd, 2014:
A few weeks after writing this post I watched a TED talk which follows a similar idea. The danger of a single story - https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
Also, it has been pointed out to me that Jon Snow could actually be Rhaegar and Lyanna's son and is therefore possibly not Ed's bastard. Sorry for using that as an example then. I love this version of who Jon Snow really is, so thanks for that!
We're always putting people we meet into categories. Patterns! It makes so much sense when everyone's personality just fits into one pattern or the other. It also makes us feel smart in having figured them out. Too quiet and ugly? Shy. Too quiet and pretty? Snob. Doing better than me? She probably slept with the boss. North Indian? Ugh. Indian boy? Creep.
I read this somewhere on 'Humans of New York' webpage -
"I can't stand moral absolutism. You know, there's always that guy who wants to point out that Martin Luther King cheated on his wife - as if he obviously couldn't have been anything good if he did something like that. Or someone will bring out an inspirational quote, and get you to agree, and then inform you that Hitler said it. As if a good thought couldn't come from Hitler. Moral absolutism keeps us from learning from the past. It's easy to say: 'Hitler was a demon. Nazis were all bad seeds.' That's simple. It's much harder to say: 'Is that humanity? Is that me?'"
Personalities are so complex that we shouldn't even pretend to understand everybody. The person I understand the most is me and I can't even put myself into any rigid category.. I am an extrovert but I prefer to listen than to talk (except when there's Merlot in me). I do support animal rights but I do not follow a vegan diet. I do not think twice before squishing a fly that's irritating me. I used to think I would be a dog person but now I love cats, so well there is no such thing as a dog person or a cat person. You just love your kids no matter who they are (even if they're called Joffrey Baratheon). I love playing sports but I also love lazying in bed. I have dated many people but I don't believe in polygamy or instability. You might want to call me a contradiction. But I call it nature.
This is one of the reasons I love Game of Thrones. Every character is natural - Ned Stark, known for being such an honorable man, has a bastard. Jaime Lannister known for being an asshole, tries to save Brienne of Tarth and even wins her trust. Tyrion Lannister is just.. well, he's just awesome. (I did warn you about this in my previous post).
Putting everyone into rigid categories is basically a form of extremism. That's what leads to hatred and wars and all things bad. Accepting that everyone is flawed, yet nobody is a 100% evil is the key.
To end with some FIL wisdom: "We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions".
Additions on October 2nd, 2014:
A few weeks after writing this post I watched a TED talk which follows a similar idea. The danger of a single story - https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
Also, it has been pointed out to me that Jon Snow could actually be Rhaegar and Lyanna's son and is therefore possibly not Ed's bastard. Sorry for using that as an example then. I love this version of who Jon Snow really is, so thanks for that!
