Wineflirtations

People often form stereotypes based on easily visible characteristics such as gender, race, or age.4’ Stereotypes also may be related to ethnic identity, religion, occupation, or place of residence. We can form them from direct experiences with a few individuals who we assume are representative of a group. Most stereotypes, however, are learned indirectly from our families and friends, schools and churches, or media exposure. For example, our stereotype of Native Americans may fall into the “Tonto syndrome” often portrayed in Western movies, or our stereotype of southerners may be shaped by TV shows like “Designing Women.”
Whatever their origin, stereotypes can have a powerful influence on our thinking. We may judge people on the basis of stereotypes rather than on their merits as individuals. Stereotypes are also persistent: We are reluctant to give them up, especially when they agree with the stereotypes held by our friends and families. When we encounter people who do not fit our stereotypes, we may discount them as “exceptions to the rule.” Beyond their obvious unfairness, stereotypes can also lead to disastrous behaviors. In their most extreme form they can justify the genocide that took place in Hitler’s Germany or the more recent “ethnic cleansing” in places like Bosnia.

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