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At the end of February, MIT Technology Review emitted a pithy rundown of a 34-page research paper from maths-modelling boffins at Brandeis University in the US; the paper essentially posited that in a bid to make that all-important "countercultural statement", hipsters can end up looking alike. For groovy models of how random acts by hipsters "undergo a phase transition into a synchronized state" – along with some knotty network equations – see here [PDF].
Accompanying the article was an edited stock image of a generic millennial chap in plaid shirt and standard-issue beanie, or "trendy winter attire", as Getty put it.
The MIT journal's editor-in-chief, Gideon Lichfield, took to Twitter to tell a "cautionary tale" about what followed the article going live:
"We promptly got a furious email from a man who said he was the guy in the photo that ran with the story. He accused us of slandering him, presumably by implying he was a hipster, and of using the pic without his permission. (He wasn't too complimentary about the story, either.)"
[...] Lichfield pointed out that he didn't think calling someone a hipster was "unflattering or unduly controversial" but contacted Getty to be safe.
The stock photo giant checked the model release and lo! The guy in the image wasn't even the same dude who was complaining. "He'd misidentified himself," Lichfield said.
"All of which just proves the story we ran: hipsters look so much alike that they can't even tell themselves apart from each other."
Maybe he was confused after renting this movie?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @12:25PM (22 children)
The problem with traditional stereotypes is similar to that of (the lack of) privacy.
Even if in (not so) ancient times both worked well enough to understand what could kill you before was too late and everybody knew the whereabouts of everyother neigbour around the geographically limited environment of the town's tribe, now neither translate well to an unforgetting instantaneous global world.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 08 2019, @12:53PM (20 children)
Entirely untrue. Stereotypes are just as useful as they ever were. The problem some people have is in realizing they were never meant to be universal truths, just quick and dirty assumptions that you need to keep an eye on in case they don't apply this time.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @06:22PM (1 child)
Not-so-entirely untrue then.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 08 2019, @08:35PM
That's their error, not an error in the stereotype. Much like you shouldn't have to put a "for external use only" sticker on a tractor, you should not have to explain that a stereotype is neither a fine-grained tool nor an infinitely wide brush to paint people with.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @07:00PM (9 children)
Stereotypes are just as useful as they ever were.
Sure, when you are using them on others.
But when people stereotype you as a racist, you don't like it very much.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 08 2019, @08:22PM (8 children)
That would be them failing to use them properly, yes. They're not meant for accusing individuals with. They're stating something that's true often enough that you need to be aware of it.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Funny) by aristarchus on Friday March 08 2019, @09:17PM (7 children)
Yes, but while TMB's point that the stereotype that all TMBs are racist is onyl mostly true, and the mistake is to take it as a universal truth which would justify in knowing that TMB is racist, when the inductive nature of stereotype formation only makes it likely that the TMB is actually racist, it is still true that TMB is probably racist. Quite the feat for a Tribal Member.
Now the point is that a stereotype can itself be wrong, even as a matter of probability, particularly when it is the result of racist presumptions. So we must be careful with claiming that they are useful and that we only need to be on the lookout for the exception that proves the rule. We need a proper categorical syllogism.
For example, someone might aver, "All conservatives are stupid". This is an over-generalization, even though it contains a certain truth. John Stuart Mill famously [wikiquote.org] corrected the inference: "While it is not true that all conservatives are stupid, it is true that all stupid people are conservative".
So, not all racists are TMB, but all TMB's are racist. Stereotype seems legit, based on posting history.
(Score: 3, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 08 2019, @11:15PM (6 children)
I'm not racist anymore. I haven't watched a single one since Dale Earnhardt died.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 09 2019, @03:05AM (5 children)
One weird way to submit a QED.
Not that I'm saying ALL Nasscar enthusiasts are racist, but stereotypically they all are.
(Score: 3, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday March 09 2019, @02:52PM (2 children)
No, they all are. Race-ist. And quit trying to make a perfectly good dumb joke boring by taking it seriously.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 10 2019, @07:01PM (1 child)
Deflect all you want, my comment was obviously a play on your stupid axiom and I was throwing it in your face to see how you like it. Buncha sensitive little kiddos that like to dish it out but can't take the heat themselves.
Ah well, not surprising in the slightest.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday March 10 2019, @10:00PM
Look, it's okay to admit you didn't get the joke. We understand that some people are just stupid, have no sense of humor, or - for the very unfortunate - both.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 09 2019, @06:30PM (1 child)
So my black friend who has lived his whole life in the city of Detroit, and had the dream of being a NASCAR driver when he was young is a racist?
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday March 10 2019, @10:01PM
No, he just wants to be. It's good to have goals.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @07:50PM (7 children)
Please, enlighten us as to how stereotypes have ever been useful? Also, how are you able to tell when the stereotype is based on statistically likely traits or when it is simply bigoted bullshit?
(Score: 4, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @08:15PM (1 child)
The conservative rule of stereotypes:
Stereotypes I use on others, totally fine.
Stereotypes used ON me, the root of all evil and you're a virtue signalling SJW.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 08 2019, @08:25PM
You realize what a fierce individualist you're talking with, yes? That kind of makes you an idiot. See above a little ways for why.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 08 2019, @08:31PM (4 children)
Okay, I will then. Let's go with "Black people are violent criminals" for this example. It's not true of all black people or even a majority of black people but it's true enough that it will drastically increase your life expectancy if it keeps your lilly-white ass from walking around ghettos. That's been a useful inaccuracy for white folks or anyone who looks like they might have money and be unarmed for as long as I've been around.
It doesn't mean you assume all black folks are the stereotype but being aware of the stereotype and why it exists could keep you from making a very foolish decision.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @11:47PM (1 child)
Found the racist! Oh, by the way, you ought not drive across Oklahoma after dark. Just saying.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday March 09 2019, @02:57PM
Well duh. They roll up the streets at sundown. You'd have to drive on cattle trails.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 09 2019, @03:14AM (1 child)
But you can say the exact same thing about any neighborhood with a criminal element. Thus you are a racist, probably diet racist but still.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday March 09 2019, @02:56PM
Yes, you can. Unfortunately poor black neighborhoods, despite much lower police presence, still have far more violent crimes committed in them. So the stereotype is still useful even between two poor neighborhoods that only differ in predominant skin color.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by FatPhil on Friday March 08 2019, @01:00PM
Oh - the earth is flat. Or it may as well be for >99% of people >99% of the time. (Oh, I watched /Behind the Curve/ over the weekend, it was a somewhat toothless puppydog of a documentary, but still interesting because of the subject matter).
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves