Maybe I'm over analyzing this
"I have more Longaberger baskets that a straight, single man should have."
That's how I described to a co-worker how many of those rather expensive tchochkes I've acquired. Thinking about it later, though, I wondered the statement would offend someone. After all, a stereotype is involved and that often means trouble. Just because I don't know any other heterosexual men that own baskets of that brand doesn't mean there are not some.
So at what point does a stereotype go from being a potentially handy thing to be aware of to being offensive? That's an answer that I just don't have so the working premise that I adopt is "if it might offend, don't say it but be ready to apologize for anything." Probably not the safest outlook, but it will do for now.
But the statement was clear and succinctly illustrative, wasn't it? Thus the power of stereotypes will ensure that they will forever exist. It is up to us to either co-exist or remove the need.
