OVERGENERALIZING

(Hasty Generalization) when too few instances are presented to reach an accurate conclusion

by Emily McClelland and Karina Castillo

Contemporary Culture Magazine Ad

Despite the insistent claim of this ad, not all girls would love Cover Girl or Maybelline, and not all girls will look amazing wearing it. The companies clearly know this, but they promise their audience that they want it. They cant tell people what they want, nor can their product satisfy women who dont like to wear makeup. But companies dont care. They just want it to sell.
Photo credit: www.flickr.com, www.flicker. com

Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The male is male only at certain moments. The female is female her whole life or at least during her whole youth. Everything constantly recalls her sex to her; and, to fulfill its functions well, she needs a constitution which corresponds to it (JeanJacques Rousseau, Emile). Here, Rousseau generalizes about the care and lifestyle of each sex. He says that while men can live their lives in a neutral manner, women are forced to submit to their gender. Because men dont always have to be only men, they dont need special treatment -however, women must only be treated according to their natural purpose.

Politics
All kinds of people today call themselves libertarians, especially something calling itself the New Right, which consists of hippies who are anarchists instead of leftist collectivists; but anarchists are collectivists (Ayn Rand). This isthe great story here for anybody willing to find it and write about it and explain it is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president (Hillary Clinton).

Anger
I did it again. I picked another stupid ape. I should have known. Its not about showing you the universe. It never is. Its about the universe doing something for you (Ninth Doctor, Doctor Who). Thus says the Doctor to Rose. Of course he doesnt mean it. He doesnt really consider all humans stupid apes, and he doesnt really consider Rose a stupid ape, either. But hes mad, and when people are mad, theyre far more prone to generalizations than when theyre thinking rationally.

Labels
Everybody carries a label with them wherever they go -- even this statement is a label for humanity. Overgeneralization comes from baseless popular opinion. Its a trap, a cycle ensnaring groups of people and giving them a bad reputation. Not all women want or have to wear makeup. No woman needs to live her entire life in preparation for childbirth and marriage. Not all libertarians fit Rands description. Not all conservatives are out to get Bill Clinton, at least not the way she thinks. Not all teenagers are rebellious at heart or out to destroy themselves. But anyone will say anything to prove a point or sell their product. In advertising, companies want the general population to feel a need for their product. They skip specifying because that would rule out potential customers. It could mean harm to a smaller number of people, but that doesnt matter as long as the rest fall for it. People like Rousseau, Rand, and Clinton generalize to get their point across. Making exceptions would mean being wrong in some cases, and they dont want that, so they throw everyone into one pile. It doesnt make sense, but people are gullible.

All teenagers act out when left to their own devices.

Photo credit: wikimedia.org

Works Cited
1965 Beauty Ad. Flickr. Flickr. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. "Ayn Rand Q&A on Libertarianism." - The Ayn Rand Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. 1953 Cosmetics Ad. Flickr. Flickr. WEb. 19 Feb. 2014 Davies, Russell T. "Father's Day." Doctor Who. BBC One. 14 May 2005. Television. "Hillary Clinton Transcript." Hillary Clinton Transcript. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Maraniss, David. "First Lady Launches Counterattack." Washington Post. N.p., 28 Jan. 1998. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Emile. London: J.M. Dent, 1993. Print. St. Gil, Marc. Teenage girl smoking pot in cedar woods while on an outing with friends. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia Corp.. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.