ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Stereotype group algebra

Stereotype group algebra is a fancy way of talking about how people sometimes make assumptions about other people based on things like their race, gender, or other group they belong to.

Let's say you are a boy and you love playing with trucks and cars. Someone might assume that because you are a boy, you also love sports and rough play. This is a stereotype, and it's not always true.

Now, let's imagine we have a room full of kids, some of whom are boys and some of whom are girls. Let's also imagine that we want to figure out how many kids in the room like playing with trucks and cars. We could use stereotype group algebra to help us figure this out.

We would start by counting all of the boys in the room. Then, we would assume that all of those boys love playing with trucks and cars because that's what boys are supposed to like, according to the stereotype. So, we would put a number next to all of the boys in the room that represents how many of them we think like playing with trucks and cars.

Next, we would count all of the girls in the room. We would assume that none of them like playing with trucks and cars because that's not what girls are supposed to like, according to the stereotype. So, we would put a number next to all of the girls in the room that represents how many of them we think do not like playing with trucks and cars.

Finally, we would add up all of the numbers we put next to the boys and subtract that total from the number we put next to all of the kids in the room. This would give us an estimate of how many girls in the room like playing with trucks and cars based on the stereotype group algebra.

However, while stereotype group algebra might help us make a guess about how many kids in the room like playing with trucks and cars based on gender, it's important to remember that stereotypes are not always accurate. Just because someone belongs to a certain group doesn't mean they all like the same things or act the same way. It's better to get to know someone individually rather than making assumptions based on stereotypes.