Subject: Re: Costanza - Jewish?
To Jennifer Taggart:
Hi Jenni:
JLT>I do understand why the backlash against being politically correct is
Didn't Fermat's Theory in the 1600s go a few hundred years until it was just recently proven (June, 1993)?
Fair question, but if you study logic, you know that knowing a source does not prove or disprove the facts. Example might be the worlds most foremost weather predictor claims it will not rain on the 20th, while a second weather forecaster (B) who is usually wrong predicts rain. Most of us would believe the 1st predictor however in this particular situation is does rain on the 20th. On the 21st, person X and Y are argueing whether it rained on the 20th. Person X claims it couldn't have rained because the foremost predictor said it won't.
However in this case the source isn't a specific individual but group observation. Obviously we all heard stereotypes, and unfortunately they must have some degree of validity or they won't stick. For example if I said Asians have large thumbs or blacks have neat handwritting it wouldn't stick. But if I say that blacks are great basketball players or Asians have strong family ties, it will. Granted we are taught to be offended by sterotypes, but there is validity in them.
I am involved in social and market research. At the end of just about every survey we ask demographic questions (pretaining to race, sex, age, religion, occupation, income, etc). In combination we then can make certain statements base on these classifications. We did some soda surveys in which some startling (at least to me) results came about. We found that better than 90% of grape soda drinkers were black. Now if you manufacture grape soda, where do you think you would focus your distribution? Sale of menthol cigarettes (Kools and Newport) are much higher in black areas too. We have all heard of the stereotypical preferences for Watermelon and Chicken among blacks. However sometimes this does backfire. Arby's (a fast food restaurant chain in the NYC area) decided to market a new food called "Buffalo Wings" in the late '70s. They heavily advertised in on WBLS (A NYC popular black radio station) and even had it specially priced for $1 for 6 wings. They even promoted that for the first month of introduction, the $1 would be donated to the United Negro College Fund. The buffalo wing basically flopped with Arbys, but was reborn in the '80s when they found it appealed basically to white middle class college students.
The problem is that stereotypes are typically correct due to a sociological phenomnon of cultural binding. Lets take the melting pot of the US. Why do neighborhoods tend to have certain commonalities. We have economic neighborhoods like working class, rich, poor, retired, etc. We have ethnic neighborhoods such as littly Italy, Chinatown, Little Odessa, etc. We have similar age neighborhoods like young singles, young families, senior villages, etc. These neighborhoods pop up and exist because people feel safer and prefer being among "their own kind."
As in genetics their are primary and secondary characteristics. Sometimes being an active member in a group forces many other characteristics. For example the Hassidic Jewish group forces a religious devotion. A hassid is forced to grow long pigtails, wear clothing emulating 14th century Poland, eat kosher food and to stop working before sundown on Fridays. As an off shoot a Hassid would not be able to take a job that would violate any of these rituals. A hassid must live within walking distance of his synagogue so even where he lives is dictated. Do you wish to discuss the Amish?
Remember, It is just as stereotypical to think that all people who believe in stereotypes are KKK or closed minded. However, most people see that stereotypes are used to prove negative things, and therefore see stereotypes as bad.
OB: Bottom line is that if stereotypes didn't exist, why would we even care if George was Jewish or not?
Thanks for your comments