Posted on Mar 19, 2014
Stereotypes vs. Uncomfortable truths, a hypothetical discussion.
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My question is, how many examples of a stereotype does it take walking around before it ceases being a stereotype, and simply becomes an uncomfortable or unpopular truth? Is it percentage based? What are the variables?
This was a discussion that was brought up in a class to encourage open dialogue, and I think it's intriguing enough to bring here..
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Statistics
Statistics
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A better way to phrase this question might be: How many times must one observe a specific behavior in a specific group to draw a useful, if limited, conclusion about that group?
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It's been demonstrated before that group behavior is seperate and distict from individual behavior.
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Statistical truths are to be accepted and applied. They should also be understood. The first step to understanding is that correlation does not mean causation, nor, even if there is causation, is the strength or direction of the causal arrow clear or even one way. That was a run-on explanation of just one facet of uncertainty in statistics. However, returning to the first sentence, we can't just ignore it.
The problem comes when applying statistics, even well-understood statistical truths, to individuals. For example, assume for a moment it is true that young black men are more likely, even significantly more like than others like women or white men to be engaged in criminal activity. Assume for a moment that statistically speaking, any given young black man on the street is likely to be committing a crime of some sort, like transporting stolen goods, possession of controlled substances or guns, etc. Again, let's just assume this is true, or is true in certain areas of the country, or is true in the Bronx between the hours of 2AM and 5AM. Does that mean the police should be able to detain an individual fitting that description without further cause, purely statistics? Should that mean there should be a curfew in that area during that time applied to young black men? I say no.
So statistics are important and useful, but applying them in a way that infringes on civil or human rights is properly called unAmerican.
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