Who was that surgeon?

A man and his son get on an airplane. The plane takes off and shortly thereafter it hit a thunderstorm, and which causes a crash landing. The father was killed instantly but the son was injured but survived. He was rushed to the hospital and was wheeled to the OT. After the boy is prepped for surgery the surgeon approaches the operating table but stops suddenly and says:

 – I can’t operate on this boy. He is my son!”

Who was that surgeon?

Many a times this tale is used as a riddle as this can create an instant confusion in the mind of the people. I tried. 

At first, they look blank and confused. Then the answers started coming.

-        The other father …if he is the son of a gay couple!!

-        Maybe another father – the biological one or adopted!!

The obvious word like “Mother” came much later. Try this out yourself with a group of people and see what you observe. 

This is an excellent example of Stereotype or internalize bias!! The word surgeon only conjures up the image of a man …very rarely that of a woman.

This far is ok. But this can get insidious if we get into the negative pattern of Stereotyping. For example, stereotyping a community. Jokes stereotyping a particular community us quite rampant. Till the time it is done in a safe group is ok. But if that behavior gets a vent in the workplace then then the consequences can be disastrous.   

Sometimes the target member who falls prey to stereotypical treatment can cause self-defeating behavior. This reminds me of a small incident. Raghu was a very talented actor and wanted to peruse acting as his career. He made some fame by acting in theater. But he hailed from a family where his parents and siblings were either doctors or engineers. He grew up in a culture that belittles his career choice and hence he had to face tremendous mental stress as he can internalize negative messages from his immediate family members.