The Zodiac....

The ultimate form of stereotyping?
If,for exsample,you know a person's star sign before you know THEM,most who beleive in astrology would have already stereotyped the person as having the 'advertised' traits of their star sign.
I'd like to hear other people's opinions on this...

...Are people still true individuals when stereotyped into groups by astrology?
Or are they just individuals of a group?

You really think so?
I think stereotyping is a consious choice.

I hate to be stereotyped & I choose not to stereotype others.
I think it's a really insulting thing to do to someone.

It is everywhere,you got that right.
I think people should try & fight it.Fight for their individuality.

The reason a lot of people get tattoos & body piercing done is because they want to express their individuality,but it ultimatley gets them stereotyped.
Ironic.

You are always you,no matter what people have labled you.
And that's exactly what a stereotype is really-a label.

That makes me wonder...Is a star sign a label,labling your personality?

That makes me wonder...Is a star sign a label,labling your personality?

Good answer! It's true,we can't get along with everybody.Some people just rub certain people up the wrong way.I think it's more psychological than astronomal,though.
But I guess that's stereotyping people as well! I suppose people have been put into groups & labled from the year dot & will continue to do so.
I'd like to see people seen more as individuals,though.
I don't think you can stereotype everybody.

Astrominal!? What the hell was that?!
I mean astrology related.

Good to hear. The moment I read 'stinky fish' I stereotyped you for an ugly, dirty, slightly deformed creepy fish... the word 'stinky' ya know, it's automatic... didn't even stop to think that maybe a fish is just nAtUrAlLy stinky or you the human suffers from a condition. So maybe my stereotype isn't true and you do bathe! 😛

I came on this site and hardly knew anything about the zodiac, but as I kept reading along the posts seemed to group people based on sign and I think its ridiculous. I have never thought of anyones sign(until now), in regards to whether or not we would be compatible or they could make a good friend, etc. So this site started to put stereotypes in my head about certain signs, but as a sensible individual I kow you cant base the personality of a person solely based on their zodiac, Even though I've found that some of the things I do personally I have in common with people of the same sun sign as me.

Its up to you whether or not you want to even consider stereotyping or becoming a stereotype, I just think of everyone as individuals.

Yeah sb I've seen it too, but i'm talking about stuff like whose got the best physique, aquas or blah blah....stuff like that. Maybe I just didnt believe in what signs/zodiac were all about. I wouldnt group people because I never thought to ask what their sign was...until now. Even now I realize what signs some of my friends are and they're personality just doesnt fit the mold at all....and some do.

I agree with Stinkyfish that humans have been stereotyping since the year dot but less and less so as the world progresses. It was a necessary mindset to have humans needed to be associated with some tribe or community in order to survive and protect themselves from animals and other tribes etc. Now that we are all so much more sophisticated and with the technology we have we are able to branch out and be hermits if we so wish and still be self sufficient pretty much. And the freedom that technology and adequate living standards has given us has afforded people to think more about the way they are perceiving the world which has given rise to various schools of philosophical thought. They centre around some vary basic questions of existence of which the title of this post would be one of many offshoots.

I disagree with Stinkyfish that sterotyping is always a conscious decision. Maybe it's nice to think that you would give everyone more or less the same reasonable doubt but I think when you encounter a stranger you sunconscious is immediately drawing all sorts to infernces and calculations about him or her based on its vast archive of stored memories and images and associated sensory emotions. Perhaps all this is done before we even have the time to register any conscious thoughts about this stranger.

I think only someone very wise who really knows themselves inside out and meditates for like 3 hours a day can possibly have a chance of not stereotyping in some way.

This reminds me of a scene in the movie Life of Brian where all the people who followed Brian, mistakenly thinking he's the Messiah, to his house where his very disgruntled mother open her back door to discover the great crowd gathered outside. So Brian comes out to his balcony to try to persuade them that he's not the Messiah. And he says to them

"You don't need to follow me. You don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves. You're all individuals!"

Then they reply

Yes, we're all individuals!

BRIAN:
You're all different!
FOLLOWERS:
Yes, we are all different!

And then one guy pipes up

"I'm not..."


hehehe a very humorous way to illustrating the pre-programmed group mentality of human nature.

Everyone who understands someone's star sign will always stereotype, or at least was thinking it, but I don't think it's right to treat them accordingly to their star sign personality. Not EVERYONE is exactly like the personality their star gives them. I personally just expect some things from the person, but I won't judge them or treat them accordingly. Honestly, I found that I haven't been getting along with a lot of Gemini women...

LOL...yep sb

It only takes one to make or break a stereotype.

I think stereotyping,like anything,can be eliminated from one's thought process.
Difficult,maybe,but definitely possible.
What really twists my knickers is astrology grouping people into sets & saying that all Aquarians etc have the same or similar attributes.Utter garbage.
How can anyone possibly make that presumtion? If you know a person's star sign before you know THEM,beleivers in astrology are instantly presuming and imposing on the unfortunate individual certain inbuilt characteristics.
They then see what they want to see in the individual,because everyone of every star sign has every attribute of every star sign,to some extent.
People are INDIVIDUALS.I just can't see how you can immediatley presume to know a person's characteristics,strengths,weakness & personality before getting to know them.
Very presumptuous & personally,I find it very offending when someone asks when I was born & acting on this information alone,hits me with "Oh,you must be like this,be good at that,struggle with this..."
Does anyone understand where I'm coming from?!

Everything drops down into the catergory in "Tolerance" 🙂