No stereotype is true; is stereotyping useful?

[dsrtao]

The Angry Young Man
The Radical Lesbian Feminist
The Wise Old Man
The Wise Old Woman
The Hunter
The Joker, The Fool
The Trickster
The Nerd
The Jock
The Cheerleader
The Salaryman
The Gruff Guy With The Heart Of Gold
The Cynic
The Dupe
The Straight Man
The Earth-Mother
The Hippie
The Straight Arrow
The Prideful One
The Expert
The Incompetent
The Petty Politician
The Band of Five
The Party of Four
The Troika
The Rivals
The Fearless Leader

Comments

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Stereotypes don't have to be true, they only need to be "true enough" for whatever purpose one is using them for.

The trouble comes when the rough approximation given by a stereotype needs to be substituted for more granularity, but isn't.