Stereotypes are true?

I was travelling in suburban Philadelphia this past week and was amusing myself with conservative talk radio.  Everytime I listen to conservative talk radio, it convinces me more and more to not be conservative.  I’m guessing that those radio personalities would find that appaling.  I don’t remember who’s program was on so I’ll avoid misattributing the quote, but it went something like this…

“People are too sensitive.  Stereotypes are true.  People need to accept reality.  Well some stereotypes are true.  Some stereotypes are true most of the time.  Stereotypes can be good.  It’s good that Asians have children that do well in school…”

This argument is flawed for a number of reasons, but most glaringly it is wrong because if a stereotype is not true all of the time, then it’s not really a stereotype.  Then we probably need to discuss if a stereotype has to be true in some sort of Big T truth way or if it must only be true subjectively.  But even if the stereotypes is true on a subjective basis, that is the speaker and the speaker alone believes it to be true, then how is it true if the speaker admits that it is sometimes not true?  This calls into questions meanings of truth, which I’m sure I’ll talk about more than several times in upcoming posts, but I’ll leave that discussion alone for now. 

It’s not uncommon to see folks who argue for stereotypes make these sort of arguments, but they seem to rest on dubious ground.  Stereotypes are both true and not true at the same time.  Maybe if we all stopped using them, then we could get to know each other a little better and understand the many differences that make us interesting.  In difference lies majesty.  Even “good stereotypes” are a shabby cloth in which to dress difference.