Stereotypes can be iniquitous. It may be said that we can’t live without them. They are a short-cut in a complicated world. And we need short-cuts to live. Stereotypes tell us what we should expect, and we find them particularly useful when they tell us when to be wary, when to be careful or cautious. But logically we must know that they are inherently false. It cannot be true that everyone in a particular group shares the same traits. There may be some truth in the original idea, but when we apply it too rigorously we have to realise it is a flawed way to see the world. For example, think of the stereotype of suburbia – quiet streets, neat lawns, twitching curtains, judgemental neighbours. Before long we have to add some of the uncomfortable truths, like the alcoholism and drug-taking going on behind respectable doors, like the swingers parties, like the prevalence of domestic violence. We have to admit there is some truth to the stereotype, but it should just be treated as a guide, not a rule book.

How dangerous they become, however, when we assign them to groups of people. The bigger the group, the more ridiculous it is. The assumption that all Jewish people, all young black men, all Chinese people, all women, behave in a homogeneous fashion is absurd. The millions of people in that group must be hugely varied, with varied needs, talents, likes, fears, desires and expectations. Nevertheless, despite the irrationality of it, society keeps on using stereotypes to the detriment of the people in the group it is talking of. We are so used to it, it has almost become hard to spot.

Think of the title of the film “What Women Want”. It is clear that each individual woman wants something different, being a unique person with a unique experience and history. How many videos have you seen on YouTube (or is it just suggested for me?!) asking similar questions? Today I saw one promising to translate, “What men mean when they say…”. I didn’t click on the link. But I would suggest that different men mean different things. Lumping half of the population into one group becomes anything from vague to offensive, and is not even close to accurate.

At the basis of stereotypes we have so many kinds of prejudice – racism, sexism, homophobia, religious hate and so many more. We may feel we can avoid the more obviously offensive and brutal stereotypes which fuel those kinds of prejudice. I hope we can, though it is shown over and again how many people seem unable to sort the individual from the crowd. We still live in a world where people can condemn ‘the poor’ because they can’t feed their children, condemn the immigrant because they arrive at our shores, condemn the struggle to ensure Black Lives Matter, all because of an idea that is associated with that group.

The idea of the undeserving poor has been with us for centuries, but it may have had its heyday in the Victorian era when the industrial revolution brought the poor out of the fields and under the noses of the rich. Dickens fought against it in many of his novels, the one which most readily springs to mind is A Christmas Carol. Scrooge refuses charity to the poor because he says the state already provides for them (‘Are there no workhouses? Are there no prisons?) And he suggests that he works hard for his money, it is his, and what are these people to do with him? But Dickens tries to remind us that the poor have faces, are real people with loves and hopes and fears. They are our ‘fellow-passengers to the grave’ as he says. We are linked with them and they with us. Essentially, he is breaking down the stereotype to the real person. I hope you can see the link with the discussion over Free School Meals as clearly as I can.

But even less iniquitous stereotypes still cause damage. The idea of the irresponsible student, who gets up in the afternoon after partying all night, who does no work and cares nothing at all about the people in the community around them, this stereotype has reared its head during the COVID crisis in universities this Autumn. And it has done damage as all these things do. I am not saying that no student has had a party. I am not saying that it is not true that more students will like to go to a party than a similar number of people from another demographic. I am saying that not all students are the same. The result of the stereotype has meant that some have blamed students for the spread of COVID (instead of the universities who asked them to come, the huge halls of residence, the parents who encouraged them to go, the lack of testing available etc). And in this moment of blaming them, many have forgotten those who have been isolating in their rooms, have been working hard but unable to make friends, those who have been sick and a long way from home and those who love them.

Stereotypes, both big and small, as innocuous as they may seem, are all a way to make beautiful, unique individuals into an easily manageable lump. It may be easier for us, in that moment, to think of the world in this way, but the pain, heartache, violence and suffering it causes are not worth it. You may wonder why I do not focus on the big hitters like sexism and racism – well there are plenty of others who do that, and most of us are well aware of them. But what I would like, in my small way, is to point out the sneakily reductive way we all think of others. Guard against it! Human beings deserve to be gloried in, celebrated, in their infinite variety, rather than reduced to the lowest common denominator.