Mirror, Mirror, on the wall...

Ever since we got married a few years ago I and my husband have been debating this topic. Even today we have not been able to lay this argument to rest. What you may ask am I talking about? The eternal war of the sexes - who is better, men or women?

My husband has this rosy image about women - that they are good, peace-loving, salt-of-the-earth and harmless. Whereas, men according to him, can be ruthless, arrogant, shallow, violent and sinful. I, on the contrary, firmly believed that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Women can be petty, vindictive and experts at playing mind games whereas men can be naughty and mis-behaved sometimes but are really boys are heart and putty in the hands of clever women.

Over the years, both of us have developed a slightly more tolerant view towards our own sex. Now my hubby agrees that women can be as bad as men or even worse. I, on the other hand, have learned that men have been masters at manipulation tactics since history and continue to be the same. I guess we were both young when we got married and have interacted with more people since then to gain a more realistic perspective.

What surprises me still though is that we humans tend to prejudge individuals based on their gender. Every individual is basically a product of his/her genes, upbringing, family background, education and the experiences he/she undergoes in life. Since none of these are common for anyone, no 2 people can be alike. Why then do we compartmentalize people according to sex, religion, race, caste, community, state, country etc? Why are we always in a hurry to stereotype every new person we interact with? Any thoughts?