Do all parents have trouble letting go?

[Nate Hunter]

Here are some of the most common stereotypes that I hear, most of which are wrong.

What you've listed are a bunch of broad generalizations. When I said that you fell into a stereotype, I meant a specific stereotype.

Some of what he listed were stereotypical points, which by their single point nature can be nothing more than a broad generalization. If you were to combine all of those points listed which refer to a specific group, you would have the basis of a stereotype.

Stereotypes are based on large amounts of experience, though, not observations of a single individual. However by observing a single individual we can classify the stereotype, or stereotypes, into which that person fits.

Collin, your actions, particularly within this thread, have given us the image that you are a young, probably caucasian, male who wants to rebel against parental authority by doing a thing his parents forbid. For some men this may be riding a motorcycle, for others it is receiving piercings. This desire is fairly common during the teenage years, more so than any other time of life. You have shown us that you seem to fit a somewhat emotional stereotype, and seek to rebel through conformity with one or more groups of people. You enjoy Hot Topic, and in so doing show conformity to the dark, rebellious side of pre-teen and teenaged behaviour. You seek to get piercings and in that show conformity to a stereotype of body modifiers. You have said that you aren't doing it to be like everybody else, but that's what everybody else says too. This shows that you are trying to be a nonconformist by accepting a conforming bahaviour pattern which you admit is addictive. You say steretypes are "wrong and stupid", when they are the tool of enlightened people to help see and identify behavioural patterns.

Collin, you even say that as a scientific experiement (quoting Wisemon on that portion), Humanity needs to be ended. This shows that you are a bitter nonconformist teen, most likely caucasiam or passable within the caucasian majority, who wants to rebel, but doesn't know how to do it without following someone else's lead. You are, stereotypically speaking, the "rebel without a cause". Just because you've found the path you'll follow doesn't mean you have found your cause.

Again, apologies if this, along with or separate from my previous post, rekindles the debate over this issue. But I think we are now beginning to see some serious thought on both sides of the issue. I got my answer to the how, and I thank you for that Collin. So now, let's see if we can keep discussing this without resorting to name calling or one-liners.

EDIT: Apologies for any typos that may be present here, but my keyboard seems to in a disagreeable mood today.