stereotyping or profiling

Question

If someone says 'By looking at him, you know he does x for a living'. Is that stereotyping or profiling?Thanks

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

AnonymousIs that stereotyping or profiling?

Does it have to be one or the other? It doesn't seem like either to me.

Stereotyping is more like saying He's an accountant. Therefore, (all sorts of characteristics you think all accountants have). But this example is just a matter of looking at someone, not knowing anything about him.

Profiling is more like saying Statistically, people from such-and-such a region are more likely to commit this kind of crime, so if we're trying to prevent this kind of crime, we should watch people from that region more closely than we watch others. But knowing what someone does for a living doesn't seem directly connected to crime prevention.

To know what someone does by looking at him, you would have to be a Sherlock Holmes, so maybe your example is more like making an educated guess, like a detective might do, than like anything else.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

What if the person looks like she's an accountant but she's not. By looking at her I'd say she is an accountant. Is that stereotyping.
Or

I don't know how to use 'stereotype' correctly.

There is the USA tv show 'maids' about maids who work for the rich, On the TV show, all of the maids are Latinas.

Can I say this about the show?

The show stereotypes maids.
The show stereotypes Latina as maids.

You shouldn't have ____. Just because she is spanish doesn't mean she's the maid. She could be the wife. [prejudgment or apriori or stereotype?]

Thank you Califjim.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousCan I say this about the show? The show stereotypes maids. The show stereotypes Latinas as maids.

The second one is a clearer use of "stereotype". It's a correct use of the word.

AnonymousYou shouldn't have ...

... based your judgment on stereotypes.
... assumed she was a maid just because she's Hispanic.
... stereotyped her as a maid just because she's Hispanic.

You could finish your sentence in any of the ways shown above.

CJ

stereotyping or profiling

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