“Is it really cold in here, or is it just me? A generalization refers to a point of view, assumed to be nearly universally held, common to most, or usual, without considering specifics. “Does everybody like this music, because I really don’t.”
“Is it just me,” is maybe a rhetorical question, where you don’t expect an answer. But it’s more likely a statement of belonging to a certain group of people who think alike. The generalization of the question, “is it just me,” is that you assume that the answer is no.
We all need to feel a part of some group, whether it’s family, community, country, an organization, professional or work group, or social club. Even if your group is a bunch of introverts, you belong to a group of somebodies.
As an essayist, it’s probably common that I think mostly in generalizations. For example, if I think a certain way, about a certain thing, I might assume that “most” people think that way too. Clearly, I don’t think it’s just me who thinks that way or has experienced a particular circumstance, or I wouldn’t be sharing my opinion widely.
However, I am fully aware that generalizations can be dangerous. They can lead to hatred toward an individual because they belong to a group that you don’t like.
When referring to people, perhaps we should err on the side of sensitivity and not generalize, but stick to specifics. People are too multi-faceted to generalize about them. They might surprise you. I hope they do.
When I think that some of us or even most of us have gone through the same thing or feel the same way, I realize that not ALL of us have. If you read or hear someone generalizing about a group you belong to, and you don’t fit the description, don’t take offense, turn the page, flip the channel, click “NEXT.”
On the contrary, if I think that everybody agrees with me, or should agree with me, about something, I’m naïve, narcissistic, and self-centered. Or, not as generously, perhaps I’m a bigoted arse, as the English say.
I don’t care what one says, there will always be someone, if not a bunch of people who don’t get it, see it, or even know what you’re talking about. This is a case of, if it doesn’t apply to you, move on.
I’m aware that one should not assume that everybody agrees with what I think. For example, because as a woman, I think a certain way does not mean that all women think that way. If I’m a certain age and feel a certain way, doesn’t mean that all people of the same age feel the same way. My husband does a certain thing, it doesn’t mean that all husbands do that.
Most things can be generalized, as long as we’re aware that there are always exceptions. For example, most people will be unhappy with torrential rain. Also, most people will probably prefer a sunny day over an overcast day. Most people will agree that puffy white clouds against a blue sky are cheerful and a gray sky is ominous.
This reminds me of my college social science statistics course. My biggest takeaway from that class was the difference between cause and effect, and correlation. In a way, most of our generalizations are based on cause and effect thinking.
For example, if I was caught outdoors in a rainstorm and got soaking wet and when I settled down at home a few hours later and I began sneezing, had a runny nose, and felt altogether miserable, I might conclude that getting soaked gave me a cold. That’s cause and effect thinking.
What we didn’t consider in the rainstorm-to-cold conclusion are the other variables besides the rainstorm that may have caused my cold. I forgot that I didn’t wash my hands or “sanitize” after handling forty different items in the grocery store that had already been handled by a go-zillion other folks who hadn’t washed their hands and wiped their noses with those same hands – didn’t your mother ever say, “you don’t know where those hands have been…”
Germs cause colds, not rainstorms. Start thinking along the lines of correlations instead of cause and effect, which is often just plain wrong because it’s too general.
Correlational thinking goes like this, shark attacks are strongly related to the sale of ice cream. Nobody would reasonably claim that ice cream consumption causes shark attacks. These two phenomena are correlated but one doesn’t cause the other. Another variable, summer throngs of people at beaches, is the more likely cause of the rise in both shark attacks and increased sales of ice cream.
A sensible “out” if you want to use generalities is to use the word, “usually.” It’s just sensible in interactions with other humans, to never use the word always, preceded by the word you. Also don’t say, “you never…”. Use general words which apply to once in a while, sometimes, or occasionally.
Sometimes it might be, “just me.” But it usually applies to more of us, some of us, or perhaps most of us. The word, usually pretty much explains generalization. I think we should give massive accolades to the Depressed Persian Tow Truck Man from MADtv, who said most wisely that something can happen usually, but “never always.”