peoplessuch

Peoplessuch is a neologism used in online discourse to name a rhetorical pattern in which speakers generalize about entire groups by using phrases like "people such as" or "people who are." The term labels not a specific belief but a type of argument that tends to flatten diversity within a population and treat it as a monolithic character.

Origin and etymology are informal, with the coinage appearing in internet discussions in the early 2020s. It is typically written as a single word, peoplessuch, though you may see spaced variants in some contexts. The concept is used mainly as a meta-commentary in linguistic and rhetorical analysis rather than as a formal theory.

Usage and examples: In critique, a commenter might say, "That remark relies on peoplessuch language," indicating that the statement relies on broad generalizations about a group. In analytic writing, scholars describe peoplessuch rhetoric as a form of essentialism that reduces individuals to a stereotype. The term is most often encountered in forums, blogs, and social media where argumentative analysis is common.

Reception: Peoplessuch has limited formal recognition and is largely used as a label in online discourse. Some readers treat it as a useful shorthand for identifying generalizing rhetoric, while others view it as a playful or pedantic coinage.

See also: generalization, sweeping generalization, stereotype, rhetoric, linguistic analysis.