Labels and Stereotypes Blog post #3

Many grouops and cultures have labels, I would consider them stereotypes. Walter Lippman described them as “pictures in our heads” that we do not acquire through personal experience. Behavioral traits of a group are selected by the out group who depicted them. There are different types of stereotypes; Rational stereotype: Is using a judgement to label a group of people or person in order to make a prediction. An example of this can be a doctor or a professor. Both of these examples are used with a label, a person whom is a medical doctor will take care of his/her patient and make a proper diagnosis in order to make sure the patient get well. A professor will teach her students about the specific subject. We are still stereotyping these group of people because of their label. I’m sure that we have come in contact with a professor whom isn’t great at his job or a doctor who doesn’t seem so motivated in his profession and is just doing it because it will make his parents happy. Selective perception stereotypes are reinforced through selective perception. “This means that people take note of those cases that cofirm their stereotypical pictures and overlook to ignore those that refute them”(merger p. 52). “Welfare parent”, I’m not going to describe this person, but when reading this statement many will think of certain individuals associated with the term and automatically will pass a selective perception stereotype.