What is wrong about generalizing the majority?

Really I think the two go hand in hand. When the majority fits a certain description, shouldn't I generalize?

Like yesterday I was in a kind of a debate class and we started talking about how Gaza is represented in the west. We either have Hamas showing us as beggers in need of aid and under severe seige, or we have other activists showing that we are great and creative people. My classmates started to talk about how we should give a positive image about Gaza and its people and I told them this is BS since we don't deserve such a picture. We have some good things yes, be we also have some ****ed up crap. During my talk I said "Gaza people don't deserve a positive picture simply because they are not good people" and one girl jumped on me and said "Don't generalize" despite the fact that the majority is not good.

The trouble is that often times the "generalization" is incorrect. Many times people generalize and associate the vocal minority as the more common group in a country. Besides, I hate being prejudged.

All generalizations are bad!

If your generalization has a basis in fact, then there's nothing wrong with using it. It's OK to say, "all squares are rectangles," even though it's a generalization.

You said yourself that Gaza is partly good, partly bad; therefore to generalise it all in one manner (bad) would be wrong would it not?

You said yourself that Gaza is partly good, partly bad; therefore to generalise it all in one manner (bad) would be wrong would it not?

ganon92

Really I think the two go hand in hand. When the majority fits a certain description, shouldn't I generalize?

Like yesterday I was in a kind of a debate class and we started talking about how Gaza is represented in the west. We either have Hamas showing us as beggers in need of aid and under severe seige, or we have other activists showing that we are great and creative people. My classmates started to talk about how we should give a positive image about Gaza and its people and I told them this is BS since we don't deserve such a picture. We have some good things yes, be we also have some ****ed up crap. During my talk I said "Gaza people don't deserve a positive picture simply because they are not good people" and one girl jumped on me and said "Don't generalize" despite the fact that the majority is not good.

GazaAli

well if you have enough proof to back your so called generalization up,i don't see anything wrong with it.

You can't generalize the majority. The majority is your representation of the generalization, not the generalization itself. There is nothing wrong with using the majority to generalize.

All generalizations are bad!

If your generalization has a basis in fact, then there's nothing wrong with using it. It's OK to say, "all squares are rectangles," even though it's a generalization.

aransom

That's true by definition, not by generalization. A generalization would be something like, "Christians are conservative," not "Christians practice Christianity," which is a definition. Of course, many people's definitions of Christian is different from mine.

Really I think the two go hand in hand. When the majority fits a certain description, shouldn't I generalize?

Like yesterday I was in a kind of a debate class and we started talking about how Gaza is represented in the west. We either have Hamas showing us as beggers in need of aid and under severe seige, or we have other activists showing that we are great and creative people. My classmates started to talk about how we should give a positive image about Gaza and its people and I told them this is BS since we don't deserve such a picture. We have some good things yes, be we also have some ****ed up crap. During my talk I said "Gaza people don't deserve a positive picture simply because they are not good people" and one girl jumped on me and said "Don't generalize" despite the fact that the majority is not good.

GazaAli

I'd probably rather say that the problem with statement is that "good" is an incredibly broad term, and that you don't really have any factual proof that the majority of gaza's population doesn't meet the demands of being good persons

[QUOTE="GazaAli"]

Really I think the two go hand in hand. When the majority fits a certain description, shouldn't I generalize?

Like yesterday I was in a kind of a debate class and we started talking about how Gaza is represented in the west. We either have Hamas showing us as beggers in need of aid and under severe seige, or we have other activists showing that we are great and creative people. My classmates started to talk about how we should give a positive image about Gaza and its people and I told them this is BS since we don't deserve such a picture. We have some good things yes, be we also have some ****ed up crap. During my talk I said "Gaza people don't deserve a positive picture simply because they are not good people" and one girl jumped on me and said "Don't generalize" despite the fact that the majority is not good.

Warship_19

All generalizations are bad!

If your generalization has a basis in fact, then there's nothing wrong with using it. It's OK to say, "all squares are rectangles," even though it's a generalization.

aransom

[QUOTE="aransom"]

All generalizations are bad!

If your generalization has a basis in fact, then there's nothing wrong with using it. It's OK to say, "all squares are rectangles," even though it's a generalization.

Agent-Zero

It is a logical fallacy.