Question: stereotype being the forming of generally large groups with a specific set of traits that are said to apply to all of the group; prejudice being the preconceived notion on someone before actually meeting them... Do you personally think these play a role in the formation of a culture?

Rohan Kapitany answered on 22 Sep 2017:

Great question. Culture is a very big thing, so I’ll try to answer your question in a few ways.

One question I might ask you is – what would culture look like if we didn’t have prejudices or stereotypes. If you think it would look different, then you’ve answered your own question!

But I’ll try to break this question down a bit more – do our *beliefs* influence culture?

Yup, that has to be true. At a minimum, if I believe we should only wear blue, or never eat meat, or speak only one language, then that’s going to influence how we interact with other people (who wear red, eat chicken, or can’t speak my language). Other beliefs, like how generous or caring or trusting we should be, will influence whether I act in a manner that benefits only me, or benefits more than me.

If we look at how our *beliefs* about other people might influence us, we need to consider that our behavior might be positive or negative.

We don’t need believe things explicitly (so that we can say them out loud in our own head, or know that we believe them). We can implicitly believe in some things, which can be good or bad (implicitly means the idea lives in our head, but we don’t know it’s there).

A very sad example is how in the US right now, many black men and women (but not white men and women) are being shot by cops. It’s not because the policemen are explicitly prejudiced (mostly), but more likely because they have ideas in their head (that certain people are dangerous) and they act in that way.

One good thing is though, is that we can change our beliefs, stereotypes, and prejudices. If we know what to look for, we can update our beliefs, and create a more positive, inclusive, and caring culture.