I would like to comment on the difference between a "generalization" and a "trend."

[Writer]

I've seen the accusation of "stop generalizing" many times in here: whether it's related to discussions about generational traits, behaviors of certain subgroups, etc. I think it's an accusation oft misused. Of course, it's never good to generalize a group of people. Not only are you chancing racism, but you're also risking offending people who don't quite fit into that category.

However, sometimes a statistician or researcher will present statistics that show a general trend or leaning toward a certain trait. A good example of this is that Texans tend to vote Republican, or that moneyed individuals tend to view "Meet the Press." These are not generalizations, necessarily, because it's supported by data that demonstrates a general TREND. And if you've ever studied a statistical bell curve, you'd realize that there will always be outliers when looking at statistical trends - those stats that fall in the tails of the curve.

So I do wish that some would think twice about tossing out accusations that a person is generalizing just because it doesn't fit your particular situation. If you happen to be a part of that .5% of Democratic voters in small town Texas, for instance, please consider that a general statement that "Texans are a bunch of Republicans" is statistically true, and the reason why you don't fit into that category is because the statistic is NOT ABOUT YOU.

Thank you for listening ;)

~Writer~