Stereotypes make the world go around. . .

Stereotypes are everywhere. If we are aware of them or not, we all judge people by them. We have racial stereotypes, gender stereotypes, religious stereotypes, age stereotypes, and anything else that makes people different. We are all meant to be individuals. Naturally, there will be differences between people and we expect this. Then why do we judge others when they are not like us and place stereotypes on them? Are humans just naturally inclined to group others and make references from those groups? I believe so. Walter Lippmann tackled the subject of stereotypes in his book “Public Opinion” and there are two particular quotes from this book that I believe encapsulate why we hold stereotypes and what they represent for us as humans “There is neither time nor opportunity for intimate acquaintances. Instead we notice a trait which marks a well known type, and fill in the rest of the picture by means of the stereotypes we carry about in our heads”. What a true statement that is. Time is money. Money is what makes the world go around. In today’s society, money is what motivates most people to go to work everyday, and how do you make money if you are too busy learning about others? It is sad but unfortunately true. Lippmann also stated this quote “Our stereotyped world is not necessarily the world we should like it to be. It is simply the kind of world we expect it to be”. Certain traits that become stereotypes for a group of individuals does not represent the entire group, there is always an exception to the rule. However, we expect stereotypes to exist when making choices dealing with people. Stereotypes in essence make the world a more concise place and people simpler to understand. Until we change our ways of thinking, stereotypes will always exist, there is no way around it.