ABSTRACT
As a result of the civil rights movements and the sexual revolution during the 1960s, and present struggles for social justice by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals and people with disabilities, many Americans have a new critical view of our society. Some who hold this new critical view are political and social activists or radical intellectuals. But most who share the new critical view are simply aware of ongoing racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism, and they openly recognize social class inequalities. Such critical awareness of how differences in race, gender, sexual identity, ability, and social class make differences in people's lives is more progressive and spirited than what could be called complacency about social difference. It is progressive because it envisions a more equal society, and it is spirited in resisting the unequal status quo. Complacency about social difference and inequality is often based on a belief that the socially disadvantaged are inferior human beings who morally deserve unequal treatment. A person with the new critical view, who is not an activist, can still look a social inferior in the eye without condescension and admire their character. But a complacent person might look for defects in the character of someone disadvantaged—if she recognizes their humanity enough to assess their character. That is the heart of stereotyping. Stereotypes devalue those who are socially disadvantaged, as individuals, so that there is no reason to be bothered by their unfair treatment.
