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Wk3 Stereotypes

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Stereotypes
Donna Wolfe
PHI 103 Informal Logic
Instructor: Carol Parker
August 12, 2013

Stereotypes
The first stereotype I would like to look at is older workers. Many employers believe it is not worth the time and expense of hiring older people as workers. When referring to ‘older people’ I am speaking of people over or very close to the age of 60 years. It is a waste of time to hire them, spend money to train them, just to have them get sick, not be able to handle the job or retire.
The argument for not hiring older workers is based in profits. Older people have shorter time to work before they will be leaving an employer, either to retirement or due to health reasons, older people get sick more often than younger people do, and older people cannot use new technology. In an article entitled Older workers: an exploration of the benefits, barriers and adaptations for older people in the workforce we find the following: “Negative stereotypes of older workers included that they are resistant to change, lack energy and enthusiasm, are unable to adapt to new technology and reluctant to undertake training” (Frasier, L. et al 2009 pg 3 para 1)
There are many misconceptions in this thinking. Older workers are more experienced, which benefits a company – they don’t need as much training or one on one working with a mentor. They are more likely to be able to do their work without the shadowing of another employee. They are more likely to be stable in their work ethnics, and more reliable to show up for work when scheduled. They already know how to work with other people, and are more outgoing and willing to help, customers or other workers. Older people have more time to fill, their children are grown and gone, their spouses maybe gone as well. They are willing to learn new things, and sometimes pick up faster on technology than some ‘younger’ people.
The second misconception I would like to look at is Black Cats. Black cats bring bad luck. If a black cat crossed your path, you will have bad luck. The stereotype here is based on a certain color cat crossing your path, and is “a fallacy of the "false cause": just because some event follows another event, it does not necessarily mean that the first event caused the second event (Mosser, C. 2011 pg 1 para 9)”.
It has always been an old wives tale; based in superstition that black cats are associated with witches, therefore bring bad luck. Hence, if one crosses your path – you are in for a string of bad luck.
The color of a cat has nothing to do with superstitions of any kind. Many types of animals have been assigned to be ‘partners of witches’, cats, goats, pigs, frogs, but none have ever been proven, and neither have the witches. And, of all of these, none have ever been proven to bring bad luck, unless you happen to trip over one while it is crossing your path. However, being black is bad luck for cats, because of this stereotype, black cats are often overlooked for adoption at shelters.
The last stereotype I would like to look at is a misconception that all Autistic People are mentally retarded.
In a book from 1993 entitled Autism: Explaining the Enigma we learn: “Seventy-five percent of autistic people are classifiable as mentally retarded (Frith, 1993)” - claims such as this, miss-information and old information make it hard for people to find the truth in Autism. People really don’t know what to expect when they are told someone is Autistic. It is a lack of information available to most people. So without information, they simple believe Autism as another type of Mental Retardation, and assume all Autistic people are mentally retarded.
Autism is not a mental retardation problem, Autism is a communication disorder. Twenty years ago doctors were just starting to find out what Autism is, just starting to realize that Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning there is no definite placement, all Autistic people are on a spectrum or sliding type scale of abilities. Some Autistic people do have some mental retardation, but not all. Some Autistic people are very smart, just unable to communicate effectively, or understand certain cues, such as body language, making communication with other people difficult for them. Many folks holding onto this stereotype are basing it on 20 year old information, because newer information is not widely advertised. It is a silent stereotype.
From the web site of the Autism Science Foundation we learn:
“When people refer to “Autism” today, they are usually talking about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), which are five complex, brain-based disorders that affect a person’s behavior as well as social and communication skills. The Centers for Disease Control describes ASDs as: "developmental disabilities that cause substantial impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with ASDs also have unusual ways of learning, paying attention, and reacting to different sensations. The thinking and learning abilities of people with ASDs can vary—from gifted to severely challenged. An ASD begins before the age of 3 and lasts throughout a person's life (ASF 2013)".
Listed as ‘developmental disabilities’ and [lack of] ‘social and communication skills’, nowhere is an assumption made of mental retardation.

References:
Anderson, M. (1998) - Mental retardation general intelligence and modularity. Learning &
Individual Differences, 10(3), 159 - Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=2229787&site=eds-live
ASF 2031 – What is Autism?Information from the Autism Science Foundation © 2013Autism Science Foundation - Retrieved from: http://www.autismsciencefoundation.org/what-is-autism
Fraser, L., McKenna, K., Turpin, M., Allen, S., & Liddle, J. (2009). Older workers: an exploration of the benefits, barriers and adaptations for older people in the workforce. Work, 33(3), 261-272. doi:10.3233/WOR-2009-0874
Frith, U. (1989). Autism: Explaining the Enigma. Oxford: Blackwell. Frith, U. (1993). Autism.
Scientific American, 268, 108-114. Retrieved from: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/detail?sid=d62aabea-6330-46ed-af9e-830c162f9030%40sessionmgr13&vid=4&hid=101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=aph&AN=2229787&anchor=AN0002229787-6
Mosser, C. 2011 – Logic: an introduction by Curt Mosser, Copyright © 2011, Bridgepoint
Education, Inc., retrieved from: https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUPHI103.11.2/sections/sec4.1

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