"you should never generalize" - unless you say something nice

[Jebus]

This is just a social observation that has annoyed me for a long time. If someone says something negative about a group of people, such as: "Mexicans are lazy" the popular response will most likely be "You shouldn't generalize" or "stop being such a bigot." Although I agree with this, why is it ok to generalize when saying something positive such as "Jews are so hard working" or "Asians are so smart"?

[Red]

This is just a social observation that has annoyed me for a long time. If someone says something negative about a group of people, such as: "Mexicans are lazy" the popular response will most likely be "You shouldn't generalize" or "stop being such a bigot." Although I agree with this, why is it ok to generalize when saying something positive such as "Jews are so hard working" or "Asians are so smart"?

For the positive ones, from personal experience, people don't seem to take them likely, and often get offended and call whoever said that a racist. But I don't know about you.

[brimstoneSalad]

For the people it is addressed to: because people are usually offended by insults, not by compliments.
For the third parties who do not belong to the group being addressed: because they're taking it upon themselves to be offended on behalf of the group it's being addressed to.

[Red]

For the third parties who do not belong to the group being addressed: because they're taking it upon themselves to be offended on behalf of the group it's being addressed to.

Like an SJW and half of dumblr?

[Jebus]

For the third parties who do not belong to the group being addressed: because they're taking it upon themselves to be offended on behalf of the group it's being addressed to.

I don't think most of them are actually offended. Rather they take pride in their acknowledgement and compassion for others and it is important for them to come across as such. Most of them don't realise that they are generalizing when saying something positive about a group and that by doing so they are pushing down other groups one notch.

[brimstoneSalad]

I don't think most of them are actually offended. Rather they take pride in their acknowledgement and compassion for others and it is important for them to come across as such.

Seems like about the same thing.

Most of them don't realise that they are generalizing when saying something positive about a group and that by doing so they are pushing down other groups one notch.

This too. It's a particular kind of stupidity.

[onlyifchased]

If I hear someone generalize about a group either positive or negative, that I am not a member of, I will not take the remark well because I wonder what generalizations they are harboring about groups that I am a member of, that they are just not choosing to share because they know I'm a member of that group. For example, a person who says "Asians are so smart" seems more likely to secretly think that Hispanics are lazy, but not be willing to voice that generalization because they know that I am Hispanic.

Alternately, if I hear someone make a generalization about a group that I am not a member of, I may be offended less on behalf of that group, and more because I will just think less of the person making the generalization. The same way you would react hearing someone say anything stupid.

[Jebus]

I don't think most of them are actually offended. Rather they take pride in their acknowledgement and compassion for others and it is important for them to come across as such.

Seems like about the same thing.

I thought you meant that they were actually offended (by proxy) whereas I meant that they were mostly acting offended.

[brimstoneSalad]

I thought you meant that they were actually offended (by proxy) whereas I meant that they were mostly acting offended.

It's hard to tell if somebody is "faking" or not. It's probably on a spectrum between being fake offended because its socially expected to make themselves look good or feel superior (when they don't actually care) to being legitimately offended because of whatever reason.

[Madger]

This is just a social observation that has annoyed me for a long time. If someone says something negative about a group of people, such as: "Mexicans are lazy" the popular response will most likely be "You shouldn't generalize" or "stop being such a bigot." Although I agree with this, why is it ok to generalize when saying something positive such as "Jews are so hard working" or "Asians are so smart"?

I think you may be making an assumption (it's ok to generalize when saying something positive) that isn't necessarily an opinion shared among any community. I don't think people like being painted over with the same brush, even for a "positive" generalization because that often has some unfortunate implications. For instance, how does the stereotype that "all Asians are smart" help an Asian student in the US who's struggling with a learning disability? How does the stereotype affect whether or not an Asian student is getting enough attention from their teacher? How does this affect an Asian person who doesn't believe they are smart? How does this affect an Asian person who works and studies really hard and has all their accomplishments boiled down to "well of course you're accomplished, you're Asian!" How does this affect the standards to which Asian people are held to in comparison to people of other ethnicities?

I think the reason marginalized groups especially, like Mexicans or Asians, are more vocal about why you shouldn't generalize them negativity than they are about "positive" generalizations is because it's still a lot more justifiable to just take a "compliment" than it is to be visibly offended and explain to the person giving the "compliment" why you are offended. And maybe some people simply prefer to receive it as a compliment. Either way, I've had discussions with Asians before who said they don't appreciate being generalized that way and that they feel it's rarely sincerely a compliment when someone stereotypes them as "smart" simply for being Asian.