Stereotypes

Nothing will get a person into trouble faster than making an over-generalized stereotype.

It doesn't matter if it is a stereotype based on gender, race, or social status (or a perceived social status). It is still a stereotype.

Mama thinks all should note that if you make those types of statements you would do well to prepare yourself for tough questioning or backlash.

Simply because someone has a tongue piercing or lives in a trailer does not make them uneducated or stupid. Perhaps you've never seen a doctor with a tongue piercing because he or she takes it out during office hours. Perhaps the mere thought of someone coming from a less-than-prominent past or background being more educated (or just down right smarter) than you is scary.

To that, Mama says tough. Perhaps you should expand your social circle to include people from different walks of life. By that, Mama means that you should spend more than five minutes with those particular people to find out that there are educated and uneducated people from all walks of life.

There is a quote that says we are all born ignorant, but we must work hard to remain stupid. Some people in this world show the truth in that statement.

For the record - Mama lives in a trailer AND bought it by choice. Why? Because at that time it made good sense. Mama's beloved husband just got out of the Air Force and hadn't found civilian employment. It made no sense to leave housing to chance. We bought the place outright completely remodeled on the inside. We certainly did not have to worry about making a rent payment, now did we? Oh, and Mama graduated with a Bachelor's degree in three years and did it working full time AND was awarded Summa Cum Laude honors.

Education takes place more than in a classroom. It takes real world experience that a lot of people apparently miss out on by limiting their choices.

Lesson number two in how not to be a jerk - don't make over-generalized stereotypes and maybe take a critical thinking course or two...