Stereotypes are memes, forming similarly to superstitions, in that a) whatever real-life context originally spawned them was likely exaggerated, and b) they get shared without proper understanding of said historical context.
Its hard to think of a case where a) even though clearly exaggerated had no basis in reality. This naturally dosen’t automatically mean it is useful, let alone appropriate.
Before this derails, let me just say that I was claiming that in context changes in the dynamics of the sexual marketplace (changes in the attractivness of subgroups of males and females, availability of the opposite sex, ect.) would probably result in a perceptible change of stereotypes related to sexuality.
Not to mention that stereotypes present the danger of becoming self-fulfilling prophecies, in that they’ll make people more likely to try to conform to them just to avoid social backlash.
This has nothing to do with thinking about whether determining whether a particular sterotype is currently true or not or even whether employing it or not as a heuristic is rational.
Not really, since in the time span in question I can’t think of a time where access to other people of the same sex was made purposefully difficult because of their sex. Segregation by sex has however been a norm in many different times and places (its with us even today whenever you go to perform your bodily functions in a public restroom).
Its hard to think of a case where a) even though clearly exaggerated had no basis in reality. This naturally dosen’t automatically mean it is useful, let alone appropriate.
Before this derails, let me just say that I was claiming that in context changes in the dynamics of the sexual marketplace (changes in the attractivness of subgroups of males and females, availability of the opposite sex, ect.) would probably result in a perceptible change of stereotypes related to sexuality.
This has nothing to do with thinking about whether determining whether a particular sterotype is currently true or not or even whether employing it or not as a heuristic is rational.
Assuming heteronormativity here, are we? :)
:)
Not really, since in the time span in question I can’t think of a time where access to other people of the same sex was made purposefully difficult because of their sex. Segregation by sex has however been a norm in many different times and places (its with us even today whenever you go to perform your bodily functions in a public restroom).