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It’s true that language has its limits. And it’s also true language can be twisted and utilized unskillfully or even maliciously. I think it all comes back to context and intention. Sometimes generalization or categorization is useful in a particular context. Taking the example of slavery and racism in the US. For two centuries, a group of people were the legal property of other people. The people considered as property were then freed, but the other people created new laws segregating them and preventing them from having equal rights. Eventually they became free of those laws as well, but were subsequently prevented from getting loans, buying certain homes, etc. There’s some easy ways to categorize these segments of the population to make it clear who each group is and which group had political and social power over the other. And we can say not all of one group agreed with the way things were and tried to change them. But if we’re intellectually honest, we’d also have a hard time time saying that those categorizations didn’t matter or have real consequences, especially when talking to someone who experienced those consequences firsthand.

It’s definitely admirable to judge each person by their actions, as well as viewing them as an individual rather than a stereotype or through a preprogrammed prejudice. But it’s also a skill to see patterns and privileges and injustices and the ways some groups benefit from the oppression of others in an effort to ameliorate that harm and imbalance.

I don’t agree with that particular example…. But my reasoning for them would be the same reasoning for me.
Here’s why. That persons life experience has usually only been seeing “them “ in that context. A context which is constructed by media, their social media feed, their like minded group, many other things.
When someone has a different experience, testimony, if you will… that’s what can change prejudices. That’s where the coming together can change minds and hearts.

MY personal experience is all kinds and types of people are up to no good. But… they gotta see that for themselves… and be open and ready to see it. A lot of folks arnt.

I’m responding to this post bec if I’m not mistaken, I was the last to mention Christians when I vented on the political thread. So, I feel poked, hahaha,
Recommended reading :
“Separation of Church and Hate”
By John Fugelsang.

You’re right, doesn’t mean all.
Reminds me of this saying…
Not all men, but always a man.
Not all Christians, but always a Christian.
Is it an oversimplified generalization? Yes.
Can it lead to inaccurate and harmful judgments, bec it ignores the full picture and/or nuances? Yes.
But there’s a point to it. It’s emphasizing something. What that something is, is different for different people.

And yes, I think I’m aware that this is a tendency of the mind. Have I mastered my mind? No. Do my life experiences shape those tendencies? Yes.

Just something that has been percolating in my mind this morning. A logical framework that my geometry teacher in 10th grade taught that has stuck with me over the years and have found all kinds of places it applies.

All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. Another could be all Jedi are force users, but not all force users are Jedi.

I feel like there could be a lot more depth to go into but my mind isn't going there right now, maybe I'll add to it later.