<i>You know you&#x27;re just making the case for sterotyping without using the word &quot;sterotype&quot;, right?</i><p>No, I don&#x27;t know where you get that from.  I&#x27;m not arguing that prejudicial stereotypes are good or should be used.  I&#x27;m suggesting that the strategy of pretending a stereotype doesn&#x27;t exist is a poor strategy for fighting the use of prejudicial stereotypes.<p>We all know our brains are <i>unbelievably</i> bad at statistics.  You&#x27;re not going to get humans to all of a sudden start applying rigorous probabilistic analysis and deductive reasoning to inform their opinions.<p>You can give statistical reasoning to your white friends for why they shouldn&#x27;t cross the street when they see a group of brown or black kids dressed &quot;like gang members&quot; up ahead.  You might be right, and they might even agree.  And guess how much difference that will make the next time the situation comes up?<p>It&#x27;s a strategy that&#x27;s as ignorant of human nature as Communism and just as likely to be successful.