There are certain words, especially in political discourse, that we hear too often such as ‘everyone knows that’ and ‘that’s what they always do,’ which is a double generalization. Frequently, ‘they’ is a nebulous group of people somewhere out there with no identity or proof that’s what ‘they’ think or even exist.
Then there is the suggested group generalization: ‘The Democrats oppose the second amendment, the Republican’s only support the wealthy.’ Here’s a favorite; the government just doesn’t care or has done nothing. We can all, oops, many of us can come up with a generalization not listed above and that most of us have used at one time or another.
In staying with the politicians, a generalization is likely used in the heat of discussion because specifics are not available to the person using it. He or she likely doesn’t know if what is said is true, or the term is used as an outright lie, knowingly or not, to bolster a position.
To me, generalizations weaken the argument of the person using them and even goes far enough as suggesting an overall factual ignorance of the issue at hand. Of course, other factors may well contribute to that conclusion as well.
What’s the generalization you use or hear that strikes a nerve?
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