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About Peter Gerlach, MSW
Expertise
I can answer questions about how to significantly improve your thinking and communication effectiveness, and your relations with adults and kids. I cannot answer legal, medical, grammar, punctuation, spelling, or spiritual questions.

Experience

I have studied and taught communication and relationship skills for 40 years, and have been a professional family-systems therapist (MSW) since 1981.

Organizations

I am a past Board member of (a) a large suburban community mental-health center and (b) the Stepfamily Association of America, and I am a current member of the National Stepfmily Resource Center (NSRC) Experts Council

Publications
I have published 6 books, including one on communication skills: "Satisfactions" (Xlibris.com 2002); and over 150 articles in the nonprofit educational Website Break the Cycle! - www.sfhelp.com

I have also published articles for Selfgrowth.com

Education/Credentials
BSME, Stanford University, 1959 MSW, George Williams College 1981 Clinical internship U. of Illinois Institute for Juvenile Reasearch (IJR) 1981 Over 100 post-grad courses on a wide range of human-relationship topics

Past/Present Clients
over 1,000 self-referred Midwestern-U.S. adults, kids, couples, and families

You are here: Experts > People/Relationships > Communication Skills > Communication Skills > question regarding generalization

Communication Skills - question regarding generalization

Expert: Peter Gerlach, MSW - 10/30/2009

Question
QUESTION: I met one girl on the Internet and I really love her, one time I ask a question "why foreigner think that western woman are liberated?" she said why did you generalize western woman? i said no but she still insist that my question is misleading or not correct. when i say foreigner means all foreigner.. i just want to prove to her that my question is correct

ANSWER: Hi Albert - sounds to me like it would help if you both agree on (a) who "foreigners" are (foreign compared to whom?), (b) who "Western women" are, and (c) what "liberated" means. I think the issue is not "correctness," but confusion over terms. - Pete

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: eh what about this question i read from other site

QUESTION BY ONE OF THE FORUMERS
WHY FOREIGNER THINK THAT PILIPINA JUST ONLY WANT THEIR MONEY?
October 1

Hello guys I just encounter young canadian man here in internet. He always humiliates Pilipina. Of course as Pilipina I always try to convince him that not all Pilipina are the same. We created differently..

October 4

I didn't generalize but base on my observation most of the foreigner think that Filipinas only want money, maybe you are not belong to them.

October 15

I am pertaining to all foreigner, Canadian, American, British, Australian etc. I did'nt say that all foreigner are same, what I am trying to say is MOST of them think that Pilipina just only want money

October 16

Still we have different views....I never generalize foreigner..As I said most of them but not all it means there still few left..There still few foreigner who believe and respect Pinay. I know some of you will make oppose for what ever i say in this forum..

October 23

From the start before all of you commented on this topic I already said that we (People) created differently (that is why I never generalize all people). Yes I is different to Canadian all of us has a unique character. We can’t place ourselves on one job, can you imagine the world where everyone was President, oh gosh…Even every appearance have variations we have black and white, small and tall, fat and slim and etc. If we are all the same its too difficult to distinguish who is Pedro or Juan or I can say that I am Juan or Pedro lol even our outlook on life is varied depending on the experiences that we encounter, that is why we have different opinions. God gives us the freedom or freewill to choose which we think is best for us.

Imagine hughzeh how many times do I have to tell you that I never generalize people, how many time I explain to you that we are different from each other yet you still insist your belief that I generalize people.. sigh. But you even questioning the title of the tread…Ok I will give you simple example…How bout the story of sleeping beauty lol…Look at the title SLEEPING BEAUTY. The word sleep but it not necessarily mean that all the scenario aurora just sleep, other example is the SOUND OF MUSIC, the movie of sound of music not all events the character sing a songs.. So the title of this thread not pertaining to ONE action of ALL FOREIGNER because we are DIFFERENT. IF SI PEDRO AY MASAMA si PEDRO LANG ANG MASAMA KASI IISANG TAO LANG SYA AT HINDI SYA ANG KABUUAN NG PHILIPPINES O NG IBA PANG BANSA…Sometimes even the title of the story have a HIDDEN MEANING likeThe Green Mile, Rain Man, Dances with Wolves, Catch-22, Hearts in Atlantis, Cool Hand Luke, The Shipping News. GET IT

so sometimes the title have SUPPORTING DETAIL,

ANSWER BY ANOTHER FORUMERS
if your truly mean what you mean to say, then you must do the very best of your abilities so other people might understand...

You say you never meant to generalize foreigners, if so then you must make it clear to others as well...

If you truly mean what you say, then the title of your thread is highly misleading and as such it failed to give adequate information about your viewpoint...

If you do not understand this, I am simply stating that you must be truly careful in writing your opinions lest it will bring the ire of others...

I JUST ASKING THIS QUESTION CAUSE WE ARE RELATING TO THEIR TOPIC
WHO IS RIGHT AND NOT

Answer
Hi again - you seem extremely frustrated and intense on trying to express your belief and be understood. I'm sorry, I can't answer your question. have no knowledge of what people in the countries you mention think of Philipinas. I suspect they have a range of opinions from indifference to the prejudice you mention. - Pete

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