Are positive stereotypes offensive to the race they are about?

Question

for instance saying things like "indian people are the nicest people" or "black drs are more down to earth then white drs" (only examples)

Answer 1

how can something POSITIVE be OFFENSIVE

wow...

Answer 2

I think they can be, but I don't think stereotypes in themselves are a problem at all...   Mexicans really ARE "drunks" most of the time, black, mexican, and middle eastern men really ARE more unethical abuot s*x then white men, etc., etc...    BUT the ONLY problwm with ANY stereotype goes when the person says, "That doctor is black, so he must be nicer"...   "I can't be friends with that Mexican I just met because he probably drinks beer too much..." etc.  I don't think "nice" can be harmful (and I'm assuming that particular stereotype about doctors was just completely made up, right?), but saying, for example, that a certian group of people is smarter (if you're not including specific factors that could make one smarter, such as religion, income/school quality, etc.), can be harmful when you go into a group of Black guys (let's pretend they are supposed to be the 'smart' ones) and get on somebody's case when you find them to be incredibly stupid, but not in a way that makes them indecent, whereas if the group you had been with had been mostly Spanish (our pretend "dumb" stereotype; completely random associations used for example btw, which I don't even personally agree with these associations), you would not have gotten mad at them for asking the questions because you just expected them to be "dumber".

Of course, you do not have to involve race to have a steretype.  A common, true, and well-justified stereotype, for example, is that Christians are illogical and arrogant, or that "males like s*x better then females", neither of which is always true, but is definitely true in the vast majority of cases for either (of course there are further complications and factors in the one about Christians, such as pseudo-Christians for example, but we don't need to get into anything that detailed for the purposes of this discussion).

Answer 3

yes.

Answer 4

stereotypes are just stupid. period.  

Answer 5

Stereotypes are offensive because they are generalizations that ignore a human's individuality, not because they may be positive, negative, true or false.

Answer 6

On the police videos 85% is only one race so that deletes any and every positive stereotype.

Answer 7

They're not good. Like the stereotype that Asians are smart and good in math. If an Asian is not smart and good in math, he/she might feel disappointed in himself/herself.

Answer 8

no it makes them feel good about themselves