On experiences and stereotyping

Something I find really interesting is that this week, very little has happened to me personally.  I've watched a lot of YouTube videos, moved to the dorm I'll stay in over the summer, played dumb flash games on the Internet, applied for a few jobs.

Outside the walls of my dorm room, however, bigger things have happened.  The shootings in California happened last week, for instance; this has sparked a lot of controversy and discussion that I'm sure you can find online if you look up 'Elliot Rodger.' You can probably find his manifesto somewhere online as well. I've only read a few pages; I may read a bit more, but I think I'm getting the gist of it - he hates women and he needs to stop writing with disagreeing verbs. (For the record, I'm reading a copy of it here.)

It's an interesting read, I'll give him that, but I think part of Rodger's issues come from lack of apology. He stumbled into a girl at summer camp and she pushed him and swore at him; she hung out with the popular kids and didn't apologize later. Rodger didn't say he was mad because she didn't apologize - he was mad because a popular guy he had hung out with was now fraternizing with this mean girl.

I'm no expert in the field, so I'll leave the psychoanalysis to any psychology major willing to take it up. It's probably a fascinating topic.

I think that it's important to remember, though, that a few negative instances should not define one's views on an entire gender. For example, my girl scout troop took a trip to New York City near the end of eighth grade. We did a bunch of tourist-y things, including seeing a Broadway show. We took the metro back; since it was late, there was at least one person who was visibly not sober. To make a long story short, every female on our end of the car - even the six fourteen-year-olds - was offered a bouquet of flowers by a man who was clearly high.
The important thing to remember is that this is an isolated incident. That remains the only time I have been offered anything by someone hyped up on drugs; that is not the only time I have been offered flowers. Should I be wary of every man bearing flowers as a possible drug addict? Should I avoid going on the New York Subway? Should I be bolder about going on the New York Subway at night? After all, the worst that's ever happened to me is that an inebriated individual tried to relieve himself of a bouquet. They seemed to be nice flowers.

Experience is relative.