The ills of generalising

We generalise and we generalise every day. We make broad statements about other people based on specific cases. We generalise purposely, unintentionally, consciously, sub-consciously, and even unconsciously; we generalise without thinking twice because it has become our habit to generalise - an unhealthy habit nonetheless. 

Generalisation is not a first-world or a developing-world problem; it is a global problem. People of all sorts of backgrounds have a tendency to 'paint with a broad brush' - white, black, brown, men, women, rich, poor, young, old, American, European, Asian, educated, uneducated, religious, and irreligious alike. We make broad statements about a group based on the actions of a few members of that group. It slips from our minds that exceptions also exist.    

We take one or two of our bitter experiences to judge all the people of a particular gender, race, religion, country, culture, or profession. But is that fair? 

The world leaders make blanket statements every day, and so do the people they represent. No matter how much we say we do not like our silver-tongued politicians, the truth is, we often do the very things that people we do not approve of do. Ironic!

When we read or hear about government officers who have gotten wealthy by accepting bribes, in our minds, we nurture an impression that most civil servants are perhaps venal. Although I think letting our brains cultivate ideas supported by inadequate evidence is unhealthy; it shuts human minds to other explanations and possibilities.  

We generalise, because when we do so, it makes our statements sound weighty, powerful, and far-reaching to our audiences. It also helps us reach quick conclusions to problems and situations. 

When people say: pretty girls are dumb; homemakers are lazy; men are messy; police officers are corrupt; government officers are dishonest; or Muslims are endorsers of terrorism - can they corroborate their statements with enough examples? More than likely, they cannot. Because exceptions abound. 

Therefore, when we paint with a broad brush all the people with a particular characteristic, we propagate gender, age, professional, racial, and religious stereotypes. We also feed into the existing prejudices. But living in a heterogeneous society, we cannot afford such generalising of people. Can we?

We should not judge a book by its cover, but how many of us lend an ear to such wise men's sayings? We do not just judge a book by its cover; we judge it by standing ten feet away in a place from where the book is hardly visible. And we do it because it is easier than actually holding the book and reading it in its entirety. 

Because we are afraid of our long-held beliefs being challenged, we have developed a dangerous habit of just scratching the surface of a problem and then reaching a conclusion from whatever little becomes visible to the naked eye. 

Generalised statements hurt and alienate people. If we wish for a peaceful world where different groups of people can coexist, one of the first things that we perhaps should do is to stop generalising and keep an open mind to notice the numerosity of 'exceptions'.  

By Wara Karim