Stereotypes....Those familiar strangers

ster·e·o·type [ster-ee-uh-tahyp, steer-]  Show IPA noun, verb, -typed, -typ·ing. –noun

1. a process, now often replaced by more advanced methods, for making metal printing plates by taking a mold of composed type or the like in papier-mache or other material and then taking from this mold a cast in type metal.
2. a plate made by this process.
3. a set form; convention.
4. Sociology . a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special
meaning and held in common by members of a group


Stereotype. The word itself is borrowed from my country's language.Greek. It is comprised by two words.
The Greek words "Στερεος" and "Τύπος". 
These two words tranlsated individually are "Solid" and "Type" or "Impression". Together it's something like "Solid Impression". Well a stereotype is exactly this. An impression or a conclution we make for a certain thing,person or group of persons and things, without questioning their individuality, but only taking into account  the preceding common characteristics and ideas the society has build for them.

In a free form, stereotypes are nothing more than same kind of categorising behaviors. Needless to say that we live in an era of stereotypes. Not that stereotypes did not exist from the dawn of humanity. It's just that for more than 2 millennia, stereotypes where only (or mostly at least) attributed to the color, the social position, the gender and the occupation. Although inevitably there would be some kind of stereotypes through time, little if none had changed for years. But like the world took many steps ahead the past 20 years, so did more kinds of stereotypes arise.

And nowadays we are surrounded by stereotypes. Millions of them. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning till the time we close them later at night, we are bombarded by stereotypes. From the clothes we will chose to wear, the car we will drive, the work we will do, the way we will have fun, the music we will listen to,the way others will critisize us and the way we will critisize others. Pretty much everything is a stereotype today. We live among them, we breath among them. And we do not even realize them most of the times. A disquised form of them lies in the word "routine". Yes we tend to do over and over the same things again. But we do them almost in identical way as the rest the world does. And it goes deeper and deeper.

Trying to categorize stereotypes is tricky. Regarding the statement above, if stereotypes appear in almost every aspect of our lives, the there would be many if not hundreds of different types of them. I can think of two major categories.

1) Stereotypes associated with material goods
2) Stereotypes associated with behavior



What is exactly though, each category....

1...Stereotypes associated with material goods

We are witnessing the times of over consuming.. And undoutebly, this leads to a vast variety
of services and products. Yet there is a certain tendecy in people, to use,buy or dream of...the
same kinds of goods, regardless of their price or quality. We see the world dressed up almost the same way. We see people driving the same kind of car and sometimes even the same color.  see a world of imitating. A world of forced twins. And it is a paradox. Trying to be considered superior than the others by acting the exact same way they act. Why does this happen? The "Chameleon Syndrome"? We use material goods to fit in the world. And we change them not accordingly to our taste, but accordingly to our invironment. Of course a chameleon would change the color of it's skin to protect itself, or hunt for it's prey. We are not even close to that wisdom, simply because we change our "exterior" not to our liking, but to our "neighbors" liking. It is surely an aphorism to say it, but we have learned to buy everyday (and sometimes not so everyday products) so that we can excibit them rather than use them... 

1...Stereotypes in behavior

Probably the most malicious kind of stereotypes. Aren't we all exposed to following behaviors,
dictated by the mob? Aren't we part of a system, where he who stands up from the crowd (not because he is better, but because he is and acts differently) is crusified or send to the pyre? Yeah, the rich who can act like jerks are called eccentric. But all the rest who do not compromise are becoming outcasts of the society. And what about the rest? Everybody entertain themselves the same way, following the flow. Never seen a park full on a Saturday night. But I've seen nightclubs over their capacity crammed with people EVERY Saturday night. Mob rules? It surely does, when it comes to entertainment.And still, this is the tip of the iceberg. And it is surely far more serious than it looks like. Those behaviors go deeper. Cause progressively they deprive us of our individuality. The dramatically increasing numbers of people who just don't have any pasttimes, any hobbies or dreams is an issue to worry. And of course being part of a world full of stereotype behaviors is a great way to kill free thought and imagination. To kill the ability of being unique, unique like every human being is. What should make us all different  (better of worse if there has to be a way of comparison) is our character. Our inner world. But with all the compromises people nowadays do, we turn out to become more and more alike in behavior, way of thinking and way of perceiving the outside stimuli. Instead of being characterised by who we are inside, we get to be characterized  by how well we adapt to the proposed way of living. Even in nature,where animls all have to do is survive, every animal has a special character and way of acting. Why do the so-called revolutionised "human race", kills day by day that very characteristic that makes us superior. Yes, intelectuality and individuality get to be sacrifced in the name of conformity. Anyone who has seen the 81' "The Wall" movie, taken by Pink Floyd's same album, just check the school scene. Where every kid wears the same mask, the same clothes and everybody fall in the end in the grinder. This part along with song itself dramatizes the British educational system of the 70's. Yet it is very true to what society has become due to stereotypes. A grinder of character and spirit.                                  -----------------------------------------------------------> The grinder

In the end, are stereotypes good or bad? No answer can be trully given. In some cases they are good. In some cases neutral. But in my mind there are cases where stereotypes produce a mass of look alikes, a mass of people behaving the exact same way. Like a group of soldiers. Wearing the same uniform. Standing in line. Obbeying other peoples orders. Killing their character and individuality. And in the end, dying in the front lines for the benefit of others (believe me, dying for freedom, your country or ideal has "died" long ago.

One advice to the people that happen to read this. Be YOURself. Be YOU-nique. The world needs people thank think. The world needs different ideas. Different ways of action. No body ever thrived being part of the mass.....

With respect
Dimitris