Pet Peeve

Just sitting here doing not much of anything and realized I have not visited this blog for some time. I don't usually write unless there is something that really gets to me, either in a good or not so good way. This gets to me - GENERALIZATIONS! Generalizations about a group of people, generalizations about a system, generalizations about an organization, even generalizations about a family - as if everyone involved is the same. "They are (fill in the blank); therefore, they must (fill in the blank).

I work in an environment about which many assumptions are made. I live in an area about which many assumptions are made. Is there a grain of truth behind the assumption? Of course there is! But when that grain of truth is applied to everything and everyone in a certain group, without knowing the facts about the individuals it is the smoldering pot of prejudice. Not necessarily racial or ethnic, but just plain old prejudging without knowledge. It is like saying that everyone with the last name of Smith or Jones behaves and thinks the same way. They all (fill in the blank). Especially if your name is Smith or Jones, you know it is not true.

I learned a long time ago, that it does no good whatsoever to try to refute a prejudgment. All I can do is to try as hard as I can not to prejudge, not to make those assumptions and not to generalize and to tell the truth as I know it when the opportunity presents itself.