Unreasonable Generalizations

I think at one point or another we are all guilty of making gross generalizations about a certain group or action that are based on nothing more than emotion.  Usually this comes during our younger years when we have yet to grasp the concept of research or that old saying "Think before you speak".

Unfortunately this has not changed.  Although we live in an age where a world of information that sits at our finger tips, this still happens and surprisingly from individuals we all would consider intelligent and educated. As an atheist I frequently debate individuals of various religious beliefs and one of the staples of any of my discussions is when I introduce information I know is fact or I counter a religious persons myth with science I always follow up the discussion with telling them not to take my word for it but to go and research the information themselves.

But what does this have to do with making generalizations?

Have you not heard somebody say in some form or fashion that "religious people are stupid" or "If you believe in the bible then you're stupid"? I have.  Several times.  That would be a gross generalization about a demographic that quite simply isn't true. Holding a religious belief is not a reflection of one's intellect.  There are a multitude of factors that can go into why people hold religious belief.  The reason I implore the individuals I debate to not take my word for what I say but to go out and verify it is because most people I have legitimate debates or discussions with are very intelligent.  I may find the myth to be stupid or ridiculous but not the individual.  I may find the person to be ignorant of certain facts but rarely do I find the person stupid or pathetic.

Now here's my issue.  There are some individuals I interact with that seem to forget the above when it comes to topics other than religion.  It is asked of the religious to use logic, reason, and critical thinking and apply it to their beliefs but when it comes to any other topic I see some atheists failing to apply the same logic and reason.

What about generalizations about other groups of individuals? Gamblers? Drug addicts? Is it logical to conclude that these groups of individuals are "pathetic"? I would say no. Why? Because that is a generalization that is based, not on facts, but on personal opinion or feeling, which is subjective.  It is easier to say that a drug addict is "pathetic" than it is to research the factors that go into addiction and to pass on ways to help fight said addiction.  What about a gambling addict? Sure it's easier to brush it off as ridiculous or to say "just stop wasting money" but there is a real difference between somebody buying a few scratch-offs and somebody spending the entirety of their paycheck at a casino without regard for how said person will provide food for their family.  There are psychological factors that have to be taken into consideration when addressing these types of questions.  The answer is never gross generalizations about these individuals.  Those are just two examples of what could be an endless list of examples.

The point is this.  Everybody has an opinion on things.  Every has a right to state their opinion and in the same breath nobody is immune to correction.  In order to grow and learn one has to be open to the possibility that their opinion could be wrong.  I'm wrong on a lot of things and I am grateful and become more intelligent when these things are pointed out to me.  We all ask the believers to apply logic when speaking about religion so we should also expect each other to do the same when the topic is something else. 

-Zombie