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: 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.