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Question: Is it wrong to generalise in order to highlight an issue!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
not at all!.!.!.

as long as it doesnt deviate too far from the point and is relevant i dont see why not!.!.!.

i tend to relate stories as answers to my little sisters questions as to what to do if this happens or that happens!. i tend to generalise!.

if we didnt generalise then how can we possibly group things!? no 2illensses are the same but a doctor generalises so he can treat us!. say we have an illness!. a doctor would diagnose it as two seperate illnesses so he can generalise what is wrong with us and treat us two antibiotics!.

ok i generalised!.!.!.

dont know if i got my point across though :P

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The answer to the question is "it depends on the situation"!.

It would be wrong to generalise about an issue where the generalisation was specious, and misleading!. (e!.g!. girls are better than boys at ballet)

It would be right if the generalisation was coherent and added to the argument!. (e!.g!. girls are more likely to become ballet dancers than boys)

Of course most of the time the answer as to whether the generalisation is specious or coherent is in fact the crux of the argument!. (Are girls more likely to take up ballet dancing because they are naturally better at it, or because of some other external influence!?)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Sometimes you have to generalise in order to get your point across!. Generally speaking!.!.!. there's nothing wrong with it really!. I think it's important however that you do acknowledge that you are making a generalisation because then you are covering yourself by admitting that you are referring to something that is the average or even a stereotype!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Sometimes, for example in complex scientific / mathematical concepts, legal jargon, and technical areas one has to simplify and generalise in order to put the concept across to lay people!. However if one is deliberately seeking to obscure the truth by generalising then it is wrongWww@QuestionHome@Com


I think this issue requires some careful thinking, as it is all too often habitual for us that we generalised things for the sake of their appeal or for the ease of understanding!. I think a careless generalisation could ruin things as I could become too overburdened by a circumstance to develop a very narrow and personal view of most things, a prison that I might try to break free by imagining that all people are stuck like me, and therefore all people think, or should think like me!.

But this could be where we might start having complains about people not understanding us, and about not living up to our expectations, I would think!. Ones could go even further and try to impose their all too subjective viewpoints upon other people, this I might call a practice of ‘enforced generalisation’!.

The practice however could be more common in life then one might be able to notice, as all influential agencies, power structures, charities, organisations and campaigner of all sorts of right do try to take their message home to the widest possible audiences, and if they did not generalised for the ease of public understanding then who would listen to them, i!.e!. I could be made to realise that ‘anti-abortion’ campaign is directly related to me even though I am not a man, I am still human a being!.

I therefore would generalise this either, I would not say if it is right to generalise, or it is wrong, as each situation requires some careful thinking for its own right!. We can check to see as how wise an issue can be spread before it started losing its applicability and appeal!. We can take things of an issue as far as we could without losing its original meaningfulness!.
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what would you feel if the people around you said that all people who use "zebedees" as their pseudo name in yahoo answers are useless and hell moron!? would you accept that just like that!?

generalizing is not the key to highlight a topic!. you can mention possibilities on your outcome regarding to your observation about people sharing the same thing, but never be the race, color and all those jazz can give what/ who a person/ something really is!.!.!.

remember that words are sharper and more precious than diamonds!.!. and they surely live forever!.!.!. so being cautious on what you wanna say harms nothing and no one!.^_^Www@QuestionHome@Com

no, so long as you have statistics on what you are generalizing!.
example
"all pregnant woman should avoid alcohol!."
"all pregnant woman should avoid Christmas trees!."
no evidence for the second
or
"Mexican people like eating Mexican food!."
"Mexican people like to kill hamsters"
while some Mexican people don't like Mexican food
it is helpful to make this statement if you are trying to advertise
your restaurant to a certain demographic because this makes sense
and is statically accurate, to my knowledge!
however
refusing to sell hamsters to Mexicans is stupid because
i have never seen stats on hamster death associated with Mexican owners!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Always, in general!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

yes, it is always wrong to generalise in this situationWww@QuestionHome@Com

!.!.!.yes, others may get the wrong intent highlighted!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I like what yellow walrus wrote!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You should do it both ways, not one, it's important!. No!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Like for example, The Whole Damn World!?Www@QuestionHome@Com