Ahh, stereotypes. They are such useful tools for people who don’t want to waste time thinking.

A letter to the editor in a recent Daily titled “Ridiculous self-expression” (Monday, September 22) relied upon stereotypes to issue a complaint about three very distinct groups.

The letter, written by Kelli Kenniker, tried to establish credibility by using blanket stereotypes, foul language and misinformation to attack three groups of people.

An excerpt from the letter follows:

“Phish heads, hippies, tree huggers are all familiar to the general public.

“It is not their individuality, political statements, eye-blinding tie-dye, dreadlocks or even hemp jewelry which attracts attention to them.

“It is the smell — week-old body odor, stale resin and the inevitable patchouli.”

I usually would ignore a letter using exaggerated stereotypes and misinformation to attack people.

However, as a person with close ties to each of the three groups the letter attacked, I feel compelled to respond.

First, I’d like to clarify that Phish heads, hippies and tree huggers are three separate and very distinct groups of people. And, just to be certain they are indeed three distinct groups, I looked up definitions for each.

“Phish head” is defined as someone who loves — and draws meaning from — the music of the band Phish. However, the more common term used is Phish phan (fan).

“Hippie,” according to Webster’s Dictionary, is a term used, especially since the latter half of the 1960s, to denote a young man or woman who rejects authority, existing institutions and conventional attitudes toward morality, style of dress, etc.

The term “tree hugger” originated from a story of indigenous people who protected their homeland from the onslaught of development by forming a human barrier between the trees and the bulldozers.

Since then, the term has become synonymous with anyone advocating environmental causes.

Hmmm … not one definition mentions anything about body odor or patchouli.

So what do Phish heads, hippies and tree huggers have in common?

They are each alternative groups that question the mainstream on some level — whether it’s mainstream music, mainstream society or mainstream environmental policy.

They each have been attacked by the mainstream.

For example, cities often excessively beef up police security at Phish concerts; hippies have been unfairly distrusted and shunned since the ’60s. And the term tree hugger often has a negative connotation, spoken to convey the image of a radical eco-saboteur.

And, each was ridiculously attacked by Ms. Kenniker as “unbathed, rotting masses of flesh” who “torture everyone with their noxious odor.”

To debunk these attacks, I’d like to point out a few misrepresentations in Ms. Kenniker’s letter and in the generalizations she drew about these groups.

Ms. Kenniker backed up her attacks by presenting “facts” about a recent Phish concert in Colorado.

She “informed” readers that the band was overcome by the noxious fumes of the audience and immediately rushed to the hospital where doctors worked for hours to revive them.

This story is completely fictional. It never happened! The story was actually a parody written as a lighthearted joke — most Phish phans got a good chuckle out of the absurdity of the story.

Unfortunately, the letter failed to mention the story was a parody, leading readers to believe it really happened.

There were blatant generalizations in the letter, lumping together Phish heads, hippies and tree huggers into one group. Ms. Kenniker asserted all Phish heads stink, fail to wear deodorant and rarely bathe. Hmmm … well, this may be somewhat of a moot point, but Fran Drescher of “The Nanny,” someone notorious for her careful grooming, was spotted dancing backstage at a Phish concert this summer.

My point in writing this is not only to defend these groups, but also to point out the dangers of stereotyping.

When we stereotype, we not only unfairly discriminate, but we also miss out on the chance to get to know or learn to understand people who have life experiences different from our own.

One of the best ways to increase our understanding of the world is to meet and talk to people from every walk of life. Stereotyping can stunt our growth as individuals and limit our understanding of life.

When we open our minds enough to dismiss stereotypes and generalizations, we see that people do not fit easily molded, conventional descriptions.

So open your mind. You might be surprised by what you find.

You might find a Phish head who loves to shower. You might find a hippie who doesn’t wear tie-dye. You might find a tree hugger who isn’t radical. You might find a male feminist. You might debunk vicious racial, sexual orientation and gender stereotyping.

You could find a multitude of people who exist outside stereotypes.

The opening of the mind is a wonderful thing.

Oh, and by the way, this tree hugging hippie happens to like the smell of patchouli.

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Jonquil Wegmann is a senior in community and regional planning from Bellevue.