Generalizations Are Not Your Friends

Generalizations irk me. They don't fit, they're judgemental and when a person uses them they come off looking uneducated and irrational. Yeah, that's a generalization there. Sue me.

I get particularly peeved when generalizations are used with regards to poverty, race, health, culture and family size. These particular issues bother me for several reasons: I am a mother to biracial children, daughter to parents of 8 children, a nurse and my most desired career is in public service to the poverty-stricken. So yeah, it bugs me. Sue me again.

This week I had a hard time remaining civil at work. I was dealing with a difficult mother and her large family. To be fair, she was being unreasonable and causing a lot of extra work for me, my supervising doctor and another provider. But she is not the reason I became so angry.

Another nurse saw fit to butt in and say, "Oh, they're Medicaid - lazy." I looked her straight in the eye and said, "My children have Medicaid," and added silently, "And I work 10 times harder than you do any day of the week." She stuttered and back-pedaled. An uncomfortable pause ensued. I guess she thought she could lighten the situation so she ate her foot again. "How can somebody even have that many kids? And still be sane?" I took a deep breath, looked at her again and said, "My parents have 8 children and are quite sane." She shut up then.

I will be the first to admit that I get more than frustrated with people who are difficult or irrational. But I pride myself on being very particular about my frustration. I'm not irritated with someone because of their medical coverage, their family planning choices, their choice of names for their children or anything else unrelated.

Jerks come in all shapes, sizes, colors and socio-economic divisions. Trying to pinpoint their origins is close-minded and useless.