Stereotype, political correctness and labeling: why “individual” matters

This is a topic having been in my mind for years.

Sometimes I cannot tell whether a statement is a stereotype or not. Well, as GPT comes, this time let’s ask what is the definition of stereotype first.

A stereotype is a widely held but oversimplified and generalized belief or idea about a particular group of people, thing, or concept.

Well, the definition is kinda informal. There are several examples provided:

•	Cultural stereotype: “All French people eat baguettes and wear berets.”
•	Gender stereotype: “Men are better at math than women.”
•	Occupational stereotype: “All programmers are introverted.”

If you ask me what I have synthesised from those examples, I would say “universal quantification”. Of course, in the real world, most of the statements being universal quantified are not reasonable (not necessarily to be stereotypes though).

Okay, then what if I use “high probability” instead of “universal quantification”?

Labelling is sth I hate, at least before I think about what it is. The disgusting feeling comes from improper reasoning of labels. For example, “WTF? You don’t have spicy food as a Sichuaner? How can you live then?”

The difference between stereotype and labelling is clear: one is about a group of people, while the other is about an individual. Individual is beautiful, because everyone is unique: people are having their personalities, features because they are themselves, instead of being a member of a group.

How about political correctness? Political correctness refers to the avoidance of language and actions that could be offensive to others, particularly those related to gender, race, religion, or other marginalized groups. It aims to promote inclusivity and sensitivity in communication.

Political correctness is the practice of choosing words and actions that seek to minimize offense, particularly to marginalized groups.

Examples of political correctness include:

• Using “firefighter” instead of “fireman” to be gender-neutral.
• Saying “holiday season” instead of “Christmas season” to be inclusive of all religious holidays.
• Avoiding terms that have historically been used as slurs or derogatory labels.

Political correctness often sparks debate, with some arguing that it promotes respect and equality, while others believe it can limit free speech and honest discourse. I would totally agree that some cases of political correctness are overdone, but it is still better than no political correctness at all.

The tyranny of majority is the main reason why political correctness is needed. The story about “standard mandarin” again: in my hometown, most people are taught that “we are speaking the most standard mandarin”. Well, I also believe that, until I went to high school in Hengshui. Of course, the majority of people in that high school are having accents from southern Hebei, but most of them believe that my mandarin is not as standard as theirs. Nobody is right: all of us are immersed in the tyranny of majority by defining “standard mandarin” as “the mandarin spoken by the majority of people”.

Worse things can happen of course. 牺牲你一个，幸福千万家 (One person’s sacrifice brings happiness to thousands of families) is a slogan can be auto-completed by Copilot, which is ????. I don’t think it is necessary to explain here why political correctness is a must to avoid such things.

To conclude, I would say that individual matters. I have seen so many people lost their individuality: they don’t know who they are if not interpreting themselves as a member of a group. At the same time, it’s more horrible to see people don’t respect others’ individuality by labelling, stereotyping, or political incorrectness. It is we build the world, instead of the world forms us.