Frankly, I think they are now. I wouldn't have said it but some people opened my eyes to this and I tried to deny it for a long time.
Hell no. Without going into personal details, I am a living example of how stereotypes are inaccurate. I have to deal with that stupidity every goddamn day. My vote is an enthusiastic no.
Of course most stereotypes are ignorant. However I can't help but notice how many stereotypes are self-propagating. We identify each other by, let's say, the melanin content in our skin. We form group identities based solely on this and, as a result of our tendency to be social animals, we honor that group structure and hang out in our designated groups. With the groups established, the behaviors of all of them vary as inter-group flow if ideas is rivaled by intra-group flow. Some will see the variations as a beautiful example of human differences, while others will ignorantly try to say how those differences make another group inferior to their own group, but in the end, everyone is making sweeping assumptions about each group because each group has, at least in part, isolated itself to where it DOES take on unique characteristics. I don't think the stereotypes are outright justified, but that we do tend to adhere to the stereotypes already in place, and use them to define us. Call me an ignorant hippie though, I dunno. :-/
Most of the time, no. Most women are not led around by their emotions. Most men are not Neanderthal brutes. Most black people are not criminals.
No because it isn't a way to speak about others that you don't know anything other than what you hear.
If I see a random black person standing next to a random white person, am I racist if I assume that the black person is more likely to be a criminal than the white person? Is it justified?
I know if I saw a white man holding the hand of a black child and walking out of a building I would think the child was adopted, his wife was black, or the child was from a previous relationship of his wife's If I saw a black man holding the hand of a white child and walking out of a building, I would think the child was being kidnapped.
The fact that you even make those sorts of associations indicates your stereotyping nature. But I would not worry about what negative connotations such an outlook may carry, considering stereotyping has likely saved each of our lives on numerous occasions. Besides, even if your conscious does not stereotype, your amygdala will.
Jeez. How can an adult think like that? I'm disappointed in people. It's scary to think that society is made up of people who think like this.
I accidentally deleted part of deiciders post (again, I'm very sorry deicider). At this point this is the only way I can fix it:
Jeez, Enmos. You censor, you. But Deicidor makes an excellent point- it's our nature to stereotype and it can be, on occasion, a good thing. But for myself, I prefer to try to ignore the lizard brain and have a rational reason as to why I would make an opinion.
Sort of a pointless question, as are many like it that attempt to force a clear yes/no response - because the obvious answer is yes AND no. Consider: Does the stereotypical person living in the Deep South prefer southern-style cooking to nothern-style? Of course. Do most people in the lower economical class shop at WalMart as opposed to the higher-priced (and quality) stores? Again, of course. Are stereotypical Black people crooks and dealers? Of course not! Is the typical jail/prison inmate a lawbreaker? Of course. And what about demographics? They most certainly divide us into dozens of stereotypical groups - according to income level, choice of automobiles, choice of type of entertainment, etc., etc. So again - the true answer is both yes AND no.