We spend a lot of time on this forum talking about how the prejudices and stereotypes people hold influence society. Something that I rarely see, though, is an examination of our own prejudices, though I admit I may just be reading the wrong threads. I think it would be worth it to have a thread devoted to the subject, so I'll start.
1) If someone is heavy into "traditional" sports like baseball and football, I tend to assume they have lower intelligence. Wrestling and MMA score even lower on my mental IQ-meter. On the other hand, I tend to assume that people who enjoy less mainstream sports like fencing and traditional martial arts are more intelligent.
2) Related to the above, if someone actively participates in football or wrestling, I tend to assume they're more likely to be aggressive and bullying, even if I've only just met them.
3) If someone shares my tastes in movies, books and music, I tend to assume they're more intelligent. I don't have an opinion on most other genres, but I tend to assume those who enjoy crime dramas, war movies and country and rap music are politically conservative and more likely to have violent, hawkish attitudes.
4) When I hear that someone is a Christian, I tend to assume they're less intelligent and more likely to be hateful and intolerant, even while I'm willing to give many other religions and philosophies a pass on their vocal (or violent) minorities.
5) I tend to assume people with pets are more intelligent and compassionate than they may actually be.
6) I tend to assume that people who are politically conservative are greedy, hateful and/or stupid without any other cause. By the same token, I tend to assume that liberals are more intelligent and compassionate, even though our side can be just as loud and vitriolic, just for different reasons.
Anyone else care to comment or contribute?