Stereotypes exist because their is a grain of truth to them.
Would I be unjustly stereotyping a Lion if I assumed that running by him might get me mauled and eaten? Of course not, he very likely would eat me if I did something that stupid. In that regard it is technically stereotyping for anyone to assume that a black person would be offended by them casually using the "N word", thats a generalization about all black people. Generalizations are simply a part of life, it just makes some people feel warm and fuzzy to pretend that they are above it all and it makes others feel powerful when they lay down PC BS for others to follow.
Stereotypes are a survival mechanism at their core, your mind makes generalizations because it learns that erring on the side of caution can be beneficial when dealing with other people (of any race). The problem of course is that some people do not know how to draw the line between a "given person" and a stereotype.
When we meet someone, the first 2 seconds forms the basis of our opinion about them based purely on looks and body language (this is pretty much how everyone works) and those deductions are colored by stereotypes which are built from our past experiences.
Now if you assume that your deductions/conclusions about this particular person are factual without further proof that is, imo at least, racism. If you simply use it as a basis and let your experience with that person act as evidence to support or contradict your hypothesis then I honestly see no problem with that.
In short, the harmful effect of a stereotype is when they are used to pigeonhole someone and predetermine your final conclusion about them. The positive use of stereotypes is their use in every day social interactions to avoid conflict and in many situations it could save your life. Whether its conscious or subconscious we all stereotype others based on sex, race, appearance, etc... and we typically do it within the first 2 seconds of meeting them.
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| To Each Man, Responsibility |
