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Avoid generalizations and categorical statements

25.09.2021

Generalizations are a common mistake, and they sometimes lead to the creation of stereotypes. We can subconsciously contribute a person’s actions to their ethnicity or race, background, gender or so on. And then we mistakenly believe that the actions of one person represent the beliefs and attitudes of an entire social group. For example, the word “gypsies” has become a slur because of it’s negative connotations. A more positive, but also inaccurate generalization is the term “the fairer sex”, which is often applied to women, despite the fact that fairness doesn not depend on a person’s sex or gender.

Statements beginning with words such as “all people with disabilities”, “each woman” or “the majority of homosexual people” are simply untrue, because they are not based on accurate statistical data or scientific fact. After all, people are different, and they have different views, quirks and characteristics. Each one of us is unique, and a unique and diverse world has no space for generalization.

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