History Main / AggressiveCategorism

[[[[WebComic/{{XKCD}} quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/howitworksxkcd_5298.jpg]]]]

[[WebComic/{{XKCD}}[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/howitworksxkcd_5298.jpg]]]]

* ''GeorgeCarlin'' was quite fond of doing this in his [[RantComedy rants]].
* ''BillMaher'' also supported classifications in stereotypes, believing in them because he thinks they're all true, hence why they're stereotypes for a reason.

* In ''TuckerAndDaleVsEvil'': With his paranoia and prejudice against "Hillbillies", Chad makes an example of the scary and not at all amusing kind.

* "Palin's greatest hypocrisy is her pretense that she is a woman". [[http://palinsexismwatch.blogspot.com/2008/09/professor-wendy-doniger-palins-biggest.html Professor Wendy Doninger]] writing in the Washington Post. (Perhaps examples of this could be called "Flat Earth Feminism"?)

* In {{Crysis}}: Legion, [[SemperFi Colonel Barclay]] refers to ''WarOfTheWorlds'' when discussing the Ceph. Gould is {{Mind Screw}}ed by this - he's a ProperlyParanoid ConspiracyTheorist who has feared TheGovernment and [[ArmiesAreEvil especially the military]] his entire life, and "lifers who read ancient science fiction don’t fit comfortably into his worldview."

* "Palin's greatest hypocrisy is her pretense that she is a woman". [[http://palinsexismwatch.blogspot.com/2008/09/professor-wendy-doniger-palins-biggest.html Professor Wendy Doninger]] writing in the Washington Post. (Perhaps examples of this could be called "Flat Earth Feminism"?]

* "Palin's greatest hypocrisy is here pretense that she is a woman". [[http://palinsexismwatch.blogspot.com/2008/09/professor-wendy-doniger-palins-biggest.html Professor Wendy Doninger]] writing in the Washington Post. (Perhaps examples of this could be called "Flat Earth Feminism"?]

-->''"Call this an unfair generalization if you must, but old people are no good at everything."''

* In ''BitchyBitch'', Midge's insufferable [[TheFundamentalist fundamentalist]] coworker does this all the time. For example, she "knows" that the recently hired temp is a witch who can put curses on people, because she has a neclace with a pentagram.

Bob knows that Alice is stupid: She's a woman (or a non-white, or whatever), and women are stupid - never mind that Alice has a PhD and an IQ of 150, she's still a woman... and women are stupid, thus Alice is stupid. If Bob finally accepts that Alice is indeed smart, he might resort to [[NoTrueScotsman claiming that she is not "really" a woman]]. Bonus points if Bob uses Alice not being stupid as an example of the principle that women are stupid - either because she's too smart to be a real woman, or as "the exception that verifies the rule". Also bonus points if "Alice" isn't even a woman, and Bob [[StrawAffiliation simply assumed a neutral Internet nickname to be female because he thinks the person is stupid]]. Alternatively, Alice actually does something stupid one single time - and Bob draws the conclusion that she is (and all other women are) ''always'' stupid.

Often done by RacistGrandma, HeManWomanHater, WindmillCrusader, StrawLoser or NobleBigot, and often used to highlight how shallow the character's thinking is. This is often PlayedForLaughs on the character's expense or as a joke in its own right. Rarely done by more nuanced and PlayedForDrama characters such as TroubledSympatheticBigot. Note that "ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld" is usually ''not'' this: Even when it's not a joke or metaphor, it's usually restricted to one parameter.

Bob knows that Alice is stupid: She's a woman (or a non-white, or whatever), and women are stupid - never mind that Alice got a PhD and 150 IQ, she's still a woman... and women are stupid, thus Alice is stupid. If Bob finally accepts that Alice is indeed smart, he might resort to [[NoTrueScotsman claiming that she is not "really" a woman]]. Bonus points if Bob uses Alice not being stupid as an example of the principle that women are stupid - either because she's too smart to be a real woman, or as "the exception that verifies the rule". Also bonus points if "Alice" isn't even a woman, and Bob [[StrawAffiliation simply assumed a neutral Internet nickname to be female because he thinks the person is stupid]]. Alternatively, Alice actually does something stupid one single time - and Bob draws the conclusion that she is (and all other women are) ''always'' stupid.

Sometimes combined with StrawAffiliation to make it extra insane: If you have Trait X you belong to group Y, and everyone in group Y are Z. For example, if you are a man who has long hair, you obviously turn over gravestones and nail live kittens to church doors. Because men with long hair are satanists, and satanists do that kind of stuff. Compare NonsenseClassification and InsaneTrollLogic. When used by characters rather than the narrative itself, tropes such as DepravedHomosexual, BondageIsBad and AllGaysArePedophiles are often played as aggressive categorism. With the first two tropes, this come in the form of reducing people to their sexuality and reducing the sexuality to the sex. With the last two tropes, it comes in the form of deciding that everyone who have quality X (In this case gay or sadomasochist) also has the unrelated quality Y (in these cases "pedophile" and "generally bad person" respectively). This line of thinking easily leads to an AbominationAccusationAttack.

Sometimes combined with StrawAffiliation to make it extra insane: If you have Trait X you belong to group Y, and everyone in group Y are Z. For example, if you are a man who has long hair, you obviously turn over gravestones and nail live kittens to church doors. Because men with long hair are satanists, and satanists do that kind of stuff. Compare NonsenseClassification and InsaneTrollLogic. When used by characters rather than the narrative itself, tropes such as DepravedHomosexual, BondageIsBad and AllGaysArePedophiles are often played as aggressive categorism. With the first two tropes, this come in the form of reducing people to their sexuality and reducing the sexuality to the sex. With the last two tropes, it comes in the form of deciding that everyone who have quality X (In this case gay or sadomasochist) also has the unrelated quality Y (in these cases "pedophile" and "generally bad person" respectively). This line of thinking easily leads to an AbominationAccusationAttack. In the same line, AllPedophilesAreChildMolesters comes in the form of deciding that everyone who have quality X (pedophilia) also has the unrelated quality Y (in these case child molester).

Sometimes combined with StrawAffiliation to make it extra insane: If you have Trait X you belong to group Y, and everyone in group Y are Z. For example, if you are a man who has long hair, you obviously turn over gravestones and nail live kittens to church doors. Because men with long hair are satanists, and satanists do that kind of stuff. Compare NonsenseClassification and InsaneTrollLogic. When used by characters rather than the narrative itself, tropes such as DepravedHomosexual, BondageIsBad and AllGaysArePedophiles are often played as aggressive categorism. With the first two tropes, this come in the form of reducing people to their sexuality and reducing the sexuality to the sex. With the last two tropes, it comes in the form of deciding that everyone who have quality X (In this case gay or sadomasochist) also has the unrelated quality Y (in these cases "pedophile" and "generally bad person" respectively). This line of thinking easily leads to an AbominationAccusationAttack.

Sometimes combined with StrawAffiliation to make it extra insane: If you have Trait X you belong to group Y, and everyone in group Y are Z. For example, if you are a man who has long hair, you obviously turn over gravestones and nail live kittens to church doors. Because men with long hair are satanists, and satanists do that kind of stuff. Compare NonsenseClassification and InsaneTrollLogic. When used by characters rather than the narrative itself, tropes such as DepravedHomosexual, BondageIsBad and AllGaysArePedophiles are often played as aggressive categorism. With the first two tropes, this come in the form of reducing people to their sexuality and reducing the sexuality to the sex. With the last two tropes, it comes in the form of deciding that everyone who have quality X (In this case gay or sadomasochist) also has the unrelated quality Y (in this case pedophile or generally bad person). This line of thinking easily leads to an AbominationAccusationAttack.

Sometimes combined with StrawAffiliation to make it extra insane: If you have Trait X you belong to group Y, and everyone in group Y are Z. For example, if you are a man who has long hair, you obviously turn over gravestones and nail live kittens to church doors. Because men with long hair are satanists, and satanists do that kind of stuff. Compare NonsenseClassification and InsaneTrollLogic. When used by characters rather than the narrative itself, tropes such as DepravedHomosexual, BondageIsBad and all pedophiles are child molesters are often played as aggressive categorism. With the first two tropes, this come in the form of reducing people to their sexuality and reducing the sexuality to the sex. With the last two tropes, it comes in the form of deciding that everyone who have quality X (In this case pedophilia) also has the unrelated quality Y (in this case being a criminal or generally bad person). This line of thinking easily leads to an AbominationAccusationAttack.

Sometimes combined with StrawAffiliation to make it extra insane: If you have Trait X you belong to group Y, and everyone in group Y are Z. For example, if you are a man who has long hair, you obviously turn over gravestones and nail live kittens to church doors. Because men with long hair are satanists, and satanists do that kind of stuff. Compare NonsenseClassification and InsaneTrollLogic. When used by characters rather than the narrative itself, tropes such as DepravedHomosexual, BondageIsBad and AllGaysArePedophiles are often played as aggressive categorism. With the first two tropes, this come in the form of reducing people to their sexuality and reducing the sexuality to the sex. With the last two tropes, it comes in the form of deciding that everyone who have quality X (In this case gay or sadomasochist) also has the unrelated quality Y (in this case pedophile or generally bad person). This line of thinking easily leads to an AbominationAccusationAttack.

* As with most other tropes, {{xkcd}} did it: [[http://xkcd.com/385/ How It Works]].