Seeing People, Not Labels

Ever notice how fast a comment thread jumps from one story to “they’re all like that”? We take a close, compassionate look at overgeneralization—why our brains reach for it, how it spreads through media and memes, and what it does to real people on the other end of the label. With clear examples and an accessible dive into social psychology, we unpack the mental shortcuts that once kept us safe and now flatten complex identities into easy categories.

Mike shares the subtle ways language shapes reality, exploring how repeated phrases harden into beliefs that chip away at empathy. We talk through the ripple effects when immigrants are branded criminals, when people with disabilities are reduced to a label, or when entire generations are dismissed as lazy. The conversation stays grounded in practical change: person-first language that centers dignity, curiosity that opens doors instead of closing minds, and calm, respectful ways to challenge “those people” statements at the dinner table or in your feed.

You’ll also get a simple one-day experiment to spot and disrupt blanket statements in your own world, plus gentle prompts that help rebuild nuance without losing conviction. By the end, you’ll have tools to notice labels, ask better questions, and choose words that make room for human detail. If you value empathy, accuracy, and kindness rooted in truth, this one offers a clear path forward.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find conversations that put people first. What generalization will you challenge this week?

Chapters

• 0:10 Welcome & Purpose Of The Show
• 0:22 Kindness As Real-World Impact
• 1:28 Today’s Focus: Overgeneralization
• 2:11 What Overgeneralization Looks Like
• 4:52 The Brain’s Shortcut: Why We Stereotype
• 6:10 Media Repetition And Bias Loops
• 6:53 The Human Cost Of Labels
• 9:02 Practical Ways To Speak With Care
• 11:00 A Daily Experiment To Rebuild Empathy
• 12:14 Closing Reflection And Encouragement

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:10

Walking slow. Down the mouth. Strangers.

SPEAKER_02: 0:18

When I doesn't matter. Welcome to the Kindness Matters podcast. A show that celebrates the powerful truth that kindness can change the world. Every week I aim to shine a light on people and organizations making a positive difference in their communities. Proving that compassion, empathy, and connection still thrive. This podcast is about more than story cells. It's about real impact. Through heartfelt conversations, inspiring acts, practical example, humanity, kindness matters podcasts, fight for us, to rediscover the power of kindness as a force for people, growth, and genuine connection. If the message of this show resonates with you, please share it with your friends and family. Because when it comes to kindness, the ripple effect is limitless.

SPEAKER_01: 1:28

Hi friends, and welcome to the Kindness Matters Podcast. I'm your host, Mike Rathbun. I am so glad that you are here with us today. I appreciate you. Today's conversation is one that I've been thinking about for a while. It's something subtle, something that hides in plain sight, and it's how we speak and post online and how we talk about other people. It's something I used to talk a lot about on my previous podcast, the Pork Pond Gazette. That ran from 2020 to 2022. It was a current event show. And it seemed like the theme of today's show was something that it was everywhere back then, right? I assumed, maybe naively, that uh that it would die down, that it would go away, but it hasn't. And it's in fact it's only gotten worse. I'm talking about overgeneralization. When we paint whole groups of people with broad brush strokes, you you've heard it, right? Things like all politicians are corrupt, or millennials are just lazy, or that region is full of idiots, whatever the case may be, right? Those kinds of statements have become way, way too common. We hear them in our feeds, our news, even from our leaders, right? We've all heard it. And little by little, they can change how we see each other. They chip away at kindness. This episode is not about politics. It's about people. It's about how we think, how we talk, how we choose to be kind in a time when generalizations divide us. So let's explore this together. Now, over generalization, it sounds like a fancy word, but it's something that we all do, right? It's when we take one idea, one person, or one experience, and use it to define an entire group. It's our brain doing some mental math that looks like, okay, I met one person who fit this description, so everyone like that must be the same. For example, that one teenager on the block was rude, so all teens are disrespectful. Or when your favorite coffee shop is short staffed and you say, young people don't want to work these days, it's a shortcut. And shortcuts in thinking aren't always bad, right? But when they erase individuality, they become unkind. We stop seeing people as complex layered human beings and start seeing them as categories. And once we do that, empathy, real heart level empathy gets squeezed out of the picture. So let's talk for a minute about the psychology behind it. Why we why we do that, why we overgeneralize. It turns out it's not always because people are hateful or or mean-spirited. It's because our brains love efficiency. Psychologists like uh Dr. Susan Fink at Princeton explain that categorizing is a survival mechanism. Thousands of years ago, our brains had to make quick decisions. Is this person safe or dangerous, friend or foe? There wasn't time to collect detailed information. Labels kept us alive. The problem is that same ancient system still runs in our modern world, where complexity is the rule, not the exception. So instead of deciding whether the Russell in the grass is a tiger, we decide what kind of person someone is, based on appearance, accent, religion, or even political identity. Social psychology research, like studies from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, show that these mental shortcuts, also called schemes, make it easier for stereotypes to survive. And once a stereotype repeats in our conversations, in our media, our social feeds, I know you've seen it all in in Facebook comments, that sort of thing, it strengthens the bias loop. Even casual repetition, like a meme or a joke, can shape what we subconsciously believe about whole groups. That's why this matters so much. Language doesn't just describe reality, it creates it. Let's talk about the human side of this, okay? Because beyond the psychology and the data, there's pain here. Think about a moment when someone misjudged you, when they assumed something based on your age, your job, your clothes, or even your hometown. Do you remember how that felt? Small, misunderstood, maybe even angry. Now imagining I'll imagine ha that happening not once, but over and over and over again. And being broadcast to millions of people as truth. That's what overgeneralization does to entire communities. When immigrants are called criminals, when people with disabilities are called are mocked or made fun of, when people requiring assistance for food or housing are called lazy or scammers, when a political group is written off as heartless or stupid, it doesn't just sting, it shapes policy, opportunity, and even belonging. Research from the American Psychological Association shows that persistent stereotyping contributes to higher stress, social isol isolation, sorry, and reluctant participation in public life. When you constantly, constantly feel misrepresented, you start to withdraw. And here's the heartbreaking part. Kindness can't thrive where empathy has been replaced by assumptions. Overgeneralization tells us they don't deserve compassion. Kindness says every individual deserves to be seen. So what can we do about it? How do we shift from divisive speech to kind communication without losing honesty or conviction? Here are a few ways to start. First, pause before repeating or sharing blanket statements. If you catch yourself saying those people, stop and ask, who do I really mean? Have I actually met anybody from that group? That's important, right? Because I see a lot of people slamming a particular ethnic group or community, and I'd lay good money that they've never actually met or even worked with a member of that group. Second, use person first language. Say people who are unhoused, not the homeless. Say people with disabilities, not the disabled. It centers the person, not the label. Third, approach differences with curiosity. Instead of assuming, ask questions. Learn what's behind someone's perspective. You don't have to agree to be kind, but you do have to be curious to connect. Fourth, model it. When you're at a dinner table or in a comment thread and someone says they're all criminals, you can respond calmly with something like I know people in that group who don't fit that description. I think there's more to the story. Kindness does not have to be loud. Sometimes it's just steady. If you want to see how powerful words can be, try this small experiment. For one day, notice the generalizations you hear or think. Write them down, not to judge yourself, but to see how often our brains default to shortcut thinking, then challenge one or two of them with real stories. For example, when you read a headline or a social post that says all of them are like this, pause. Instead of scrolling, go find a story of someone in that group who defies that narrative. You'll be amazed how quickly your empathy reconnects. And the benefit doesn't stop there. This practice grows your patience, your humility, and your understanding. And that, my friends, is the soil that kindness grows in. As we wrap up here, um I just want to leave you with this thought. Overgeneralization may seem like just words, but words are never just words. They carry intention. They shape empathy. And empathy shapes how we treat one another. When we slow down, when we resist the urge to oversimplify, for example, we make space for something softer and braver. Kindness, rooted in truth. We start to see people as individuals again, nuanced, complicated, yet beautiful in their differences. So this week, as you move through conversations, pause and ask yourself, am I seeing a person or just a label? Because the more we choose to see people clearly, the more kindness becomes our default setting. Thanks for spending some time with me. I am so grateful for you for listening, reflecting, and being part of a community that truly believes kindness matters. Until next time, be well, stay curious, and choose kindness.