I've been troubled by the agreement with "stereotypes", too. One
problem with stereotypes is that when people use them, they tend
to ignore conflicting information. So, if people are defined in
a particular way, only confirming information is deemed relevant
and other information that does not fit into the stereotype is
discarded. Thus, the stereotype is perpetuated. This is a
process that happens in any situation, and it applies with our
perceptions of groups of people as well as with our perceptions
of individuals.

If this discussion now leads to more insight into how we process
information about people and makes people more open-minded, we
can all benefit, even though the demands on our cognitive
processing abilities will be increased!

--
Barbara Combs obie '70
Eugene, OR
bcombs at ednet1.osl.or.gov