Friday, June 10, 2011

Pigeonhole

Around the age of 15, I first heard about the word "pigeonhole" and for some kind of reason, it struck me. It was a word I wanted to remember because it says so much.

A pigeon is a type of bird and a pigeon hole is a very small hole made in a piece of wood for pigeons to stay in. This hole is only slightly bigger than the pigeon, so the pigeon has little room to move.
If you pigeonhole someone, it means that you make too many generalizations about that person based on a stereotype. It's not really nice to pigeonhole someone. It means you are oblivious to that person and you base your opinion on the overall belief. For example: it's a stereotype that computer experts are nerds and they don't socialize in real life. There's no need to have these prejudices. It would be nicer to get to know the person behind the computer expert and let that person be whoever he is.

Another type of people that is being pigeonholed: singles.. Why do people assume that single people are lonely without exception? Do you need a partner to be happy in life? Why do people assume that singles can't be happy on their own? Why do families always have to be mom, dad and the children? There are so many other ways of life and why should one form be better than the other.. There are quite a few singles out there. Not all of them are single by choice. There are so many reasons why people are single. As many as why people get married or have roommates. What is it to you, to know why someone is single? It's not really helpful to comment on someone else's lifestyle, whether that lifestyle is a choice or just a fact.

I know people can be harsh and they don't always have good intentions. Does it make them feel better about themselves when they pigeonhole others? I don't know. I think they may be shortsighted, but I won't make that a statement, since I don't want to pigeonhole them..

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