During our in class discussion we talked about how in the foreword of Fires in the Mirror Cornel West says that people too often see others as symbols or groups rather than people. I think it's incredible how often we dehumanize other humans. Whether it's a soldier thinking of the another soldier as "The Enemy," or it's the student walking down the hall labeling others as "The Jock" "The Geek" "A Goth." In some cases such as the one with the soldier this dehumanization is done intentionally to make it easier for us to do or think believe something. But I also think that in cases like the one with the student it is done mostly subconsciously. Like our minds need to put people in groups in order to simplify how we view others. Maybe we put people into these groups because it would be too overwhelming for us too see everyone as individual with many different traits and personalities. Maybe our minds just wouldn't be able to handle and process that much information, and so we find ways to organize the people around us into neat little groups. My question is What do we gain (if anything) by grouping people like this? what do we loose?