Here's The Trouble...

"The right-wing is just a bunch of crazy, bigoted morons!"

"The left-wing is so afraid of offending anyone!"

"We need to clean out police departments because they're filled with corruption!"

"Teachers are lazy!"

"The media is biased!"

Something's been eating at me lately.  I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it's finally dawned on me, particularly when you see the last five statements read together.

Generalizations need to stop!

Somehow, some way, we've allowed ourselves to make sure we group everything we hate into one finite group without ever needing to question that group.  Let me explain with the first example.

We all know the right-wing in politics is represented by Conservatives (in Canada) or Republicans (in the USA).  Anyone who opposes these viewpoints is automatically labeled in some way (depends on the person), but all in the same way.  So if one Conservative is also a meat eater, than all Conservatives are meat eaters.  And that's not necessarily true.  So why is that we allow the generalizations to be made on a bigger scale, like that if you're a Conservative but also anti-gay, then that must mean that all Conservatives are anti-gay.  That's obviously not true, but yet that painting is still being shown.

Let's move to groups like police, teachers and nurses.  Some people will proclaim that they are "lazy".  But are they?

Not even a little bit.

Look at police and how they're characterized as being ruthless, gun-toting thugs.  Is that true of all?

Absolutely not.

And how about that dastardly media?  As I've pointed out in the past, there is no "the media".  It's not like there are these grand meetings featuring gold name plates and caviar, where reporters and anchors determine what kinds of stories we are going to be feeding to the masses.  "The media" is simply code for those particular outlets that you don't agree with but feel the need to lump together.

Here's the deal: you're letting a bad apple or two ruin your perception of how the group (generally) acts as a whole.

And if you don't believe me on this, then let me throw another one to you: all sports reporters are cheerleaders.  Sounds outlandish doesn't it?  Yet, there are those who are labeled as cheerleaders by some followers.  So in theory, that original statement should hold true.

Here's another one: office workers are lazy.  Of course, that's not true either.  But why is it okay not to say that, when some people think it's okay to call rig workers "buffoons who couldn't get through high school"?

And don't say any of these generalizations aren't made, because they are.  I see it on a regular basis.  Different sides to different debates, battling it out over who can be pound their chest and hold ultimate supremacy over each other.  It's hogwash.  Absolute and utter hogwash.

Because the world isn't black and white.  No matter how hard you try.

There are fiscal conservatives who aren't bigots.

There are social progressives who want their tax money watched carefully.

There are good police officers who serve their communities well.

There are great teachers who are trying to make the world better for kids.

And there are reporters and media outlets out there acting as a public service for information.

I'm willing to bet some of these good people are just dying to get their stories out there.  They hate being characterized in the same light as the idiotic generalizations that follow them around day after day.

I'm not saying there isn't rot in the world and it doesn't need to have the light shine down on it.  But what I am saying is that the rot shouldn't be allowed to infect everything, including our judgment, to allow for generalizations to bury the good happening out there.

Because there is good in the world.  You just need to start looking for it.