Should we generalize?

This week in class, we were assigned to read Charon's "Should We Generalize about People?" I read this article once quickly, and then re-read the article to annotate and take notes. I really thought it was interesting, and so true when the author pointed out that everyone is guilty of categorizing and generalizing other people.

Why do we feel the tendency to generalize as human beings? "A much better question is: how can we develop accurate generalizations about people? I agree with Charon and his article; as people, we act as individuals, but that doesn't change the fact that we categorize others and generalize them.

I read this really interesting article of this family that had a baby named Storm. The family wanted their child to be free from generalizations or classifications, so they decided they'd hide the child's gender for as long as they could. You can read more about this article Gender-free Baby. The family wanted to prove to society that their child (whether it was a boy or a girl) would be treated differently based on their gender, so for as long as they could, they plan on keeping the sex a secret. They wanted their child to be treated the same if it were a boy or a girl. I think this is so interesting. If baby Storm wanted to play with trucks, don't assume the baby's a boy; if baby Storm wanted to play with dolls, that doesn't mean the baby's a girl.

Although I'd love to think of myself as unbiased and free from stereotyping and generalizing those around me, it's human nature to assume someone is the way they are based on how they look, or how they act. In my life, I categorize those around me by their groups of friends. I'm not really judgemental, and I always have been friends with people in different "cliques" or groups. We only see what one chooses to show. Being in sociology has really opened my mind to the human thought process and tendency to generalize, and as of now, I am trying my best to steer clear of label casting.