A comment from my last post:
i read that too, but i found it mildly amusing cause just like most stereotypes, it's based on at least some truth. if it wasn't a bit true, then how would the generalization have come about in the first place? also, generalizations always come with exceptions, so you've made a moo point. saying socal drivers are shitty is like saying asians are frugal and have small eyes; it's true in many cases, but not in all. and an example of how it's possible for norcal and socal to have apparent differences: hella.
and about us only living in san diego. this is true, but we've also driven thru l.a. and orange county to get home and back many times. i think that qualifies us to make generalizations about socal drivers based on our experiences. after all, socal mainly consists of the l.a., orange, and sd counties no?
First of all, while it may be true that stereotypes come from some truth, a generalization is not at all required to come from truth. A generalization is just someone making inferences about something they know and applying it to something they do not know. And of course, if they do not know anything about it, then how can that be based on truth?
Secondly, the whole point of my entry was that the whole Norcal vs. Socal thing is a generalization, and that is a bad thing, especially when it pertains to something negative. Saying that Socal drivers are shitty is only somewhat true because most drivers are shitty. Shitty drivers are not just limited to Socal. Plus, stereotypes like these are only propagated further because people only remember what they want to. If you knew nothing about Socal drivers, and someone told you Socal drivers were shitty drivers, then you would obviously expect Socal drivers to be shitty. And therefore, any shitty drivers you see would stick out in your mind, further cementing that stereotype in your mind. Expectations are very hard to overcome.
Also, while it is true that you have driven through L.A., Orange, AND San Diego counties, that is probably pretty much the extent of your experience. And to say that is a little misleading, because in actuality, the only thing you are doing is driving on the Interstate 5 through L.A., Orange, and San Diego counties. That's not saying much. If the extent of your knowledge really is only driving through Socal, then by no means are you qualified to make a generalization. Once again, you would be applying knowledge about something you do know to something that you do not know. You cannot be qualified to do something that you know nothing about, and if you think you can be qualified, then you are never going to get a job.
i read that too, but i found it mildly amusing cause just like most stereotypes, it's based on at least some truth. if it wasn't a bit true, then how would the generalization have come about in the first place? also, generalizations always come with exceptions, so you've made a moo point. saying socal drivers are shitty is like saying asians are frugal and have small eyes; it's true in many cases, but not in all. and an example of how it's possible for norcal and socal to have apparent differences: hella.
and about us only living in san diego. this is true, but we've also driven thru l.a. and orange county to get home and back many times. i think that qualifies us to make generalizations about socal drivers based on our experiences. after all, socal mainly consists of the l.a., orange, and sd counties no?
First of all, while it may be true that stereotypes come from some truth, a generalization is not at all required to come from truth. A generalization is just someone making inferences about something they know and applying it to something they do not know. And of course, if they do not know anything about it, then how can that be based on truth?
Secondly, the whole point of my entry was that the whole Norcal vs. Socal thing is a generalization, and that is a bad thing, especially when it pertains to something negative. Saying that Socal drivers are shitty is only somewhat true because most drivers are shitty. Shitty drivers are not just limited to Socal. Plus, stereotypes like these are only propagated further because people only remember what they want to. If you knew nothing about Socal drivers, and someone told you Socal drivers were shitty drivers, then you would obviously expect Socal drivers to be shitty. And therefore, any shitty drivers you see would stick out in your mind, further cementing that stereotype in your mind. Expectations are very hard to overcome.
Also, while it is true that you have driven through L.A., Orange, AND San Diego counties, that is probably pretty much the extent of your experience. And to say that is a little misleading, because in actuality, the only thing you are doing is driving on the Interstate 5 through L.A., Orange, and San Diego counties. That's not saying much. If the extent of your knowledge really is only driving through Socal, then by no means are you qualified to make a generalization. Once again, you would be applying knowledge about something you do know to something that you do not know. You cannot be qualified to do something that you know nothing about, and if you think you can be qualified, then you are never going to get a job.
3 Comments:
"First of all, while it may be true that stereotypes come from some truth, a generalization is not at all required to come from truth."
i agree with this. perhaps you can classify socal drivers being "shitty" as a stereotype then, opposed to a generalization. it's as much a stereotype as saying old/women/asian people can't drive. i more than justified this thought to myself the moment i saw a line of drivers driving the wrong way OFF a FREEWAY ON-ramp during traffic.
"If the extent of your knowledge really is only driving through Socal, then by no means are you qualified to make a generalization."
so you're saying driving thru socal many times doesn't qualify one to make a judgement on socal? so how would one be qualified then? and why is wrong to make generalizations based on personal experiences anyway? it's all part of the learning process. i mean if it weren't for generalizing, i wouldn't know to anticipate a slowdown everytime i see a turn or hill coming up in the road.
I know that making generalizations is part of our natural learning process. If we didn't make generalizations, we probably wouldn't know anything. The point is, classifying Socal drivers as shitty drivers is a negative generalization towards a person or people, and that is not right. Are you saying it is okay to judge a very large group of people based just on a few bad experiences? Where do you think racism comes from? And this only leads to a self-fulfulling prophecy.
Also, yes, I am saying that you are not qualified to judge Socal drivers because you've driven through Socal "many" times. How many times exactly is "many" times? Let's say you drive up and down six or seven times a year. That means you drive through Socal twelve or so times a year. If you've been here three and a half years, that means ~42 times total. While that may seem like a lot, most of that time was ONLY spent on the Interstate 5. What about all the other freeways? What about local streets? What conditions have you driven in? The only thing I think you are qualified to judge is drivers on the Interstate 5. Actually, to really be qualified you would have to take random samples to (hopefully) accurately gauge how good or bad Socal drivers are. You drive back at specific times of the year, so it's not really a random time.
Oh and I think I've already said this before, but I hate it when people slow down when there's a hill or a turn in the road on the freeway. YOU DO NOT NEED TO SLOW DOWN WHEN THERE IS A TURN ON THE FREEWAY UNLESS THERE IS A SIGN POSTED TELLING YOU TO DO SO. The freeway is designed so that you can drive safely at the speed limit.
it's funny how you're now comparing driver-bias to racism. we all know (or should know) that these are two very different scenarios. and since when was "a few bad experiences" a prerequisite for racism? most racists probably haven't ever been directly affected by the people they hate. with that said, i'll agree that it's bad for people to generalize when they haven't experienced things for themselves, but if they have experienced them, then what's the harm? and you say it's bad because it's negative. hahah. what's wrong with making this negative generalization? how would this be different from one saying "socal drivers are the greatest!"? they're both generalizations, but just to in opposite directions.
also, i'd argue that driving on socal freeways is a good enough of a determinant in itself of socal drivers. the people driving on freeways are the same people who drive off of freeways. a bad driver drives badly anywhere, whether it's freeways, sidestreets, or whatever. all this isn't even considering the fact that i have indeed had my share of socal city/local street driving experiences too.
anyway, i'm tired of arguing this.
Post a Comment
<< Home