A stereotype is a label that is too quickly applied to all members of a group. Individuals are complex beings, and while it might be convenient to "sweep them all into the same pile," we need to be careful to recognize when not every member of the group fits into a stereotype that someone presents us with.
Example #1:
In a now infamous leaked video from a Romney campaign fund-raiser event, Romney says of all committed Obama supporters that they see themselves as victims and as unwilling to take individual responsibility for their own welfare. It is highly unlikely that this is true of a vast sum of Obama supporters, but the use of this stereotype might nonetheless have persuasive power for an uncritical thinker.
Example #1:
In a now infamous leaked video from a Romney campaign fund-raiser event, Romney says of all committed Obama supporters that they see themselves as victims and as unwilling to take individual responsibility for their own welfare. It is highly unlikely that this is true of a vast sum of Obama supporters, but the use of this stereotype might nonetheless have persuasive power for an uncritical thinker.
Example #2:
Here, an analyst on MSNBC responds to Romney's accusation that Obama is engaging in a campaign of "anger" by accusing Romney and those who agree with him of being racist and endorsing an "angry black man" stereotype. Ironically, it seems to us that it is the analyst himself who is engaging in stereotyping, as he seems to assume any white person who calls a black person angry is doing so out of some sort of racist agenda.