We may assume a great deal about someone based on their city, language, or social position before we have heard their experience. That shortcut makes it easier to categorise them, but it may not help us understand them.
In conversation, it is more useful to ask what matters to them and how they experience a circumstance we share. We may find a common need while also acknowledging that our conditions and expectations differ.
Connection does not require a claim that everyone is the same. It requires respect that allows differences to be expressed. The other person then has room to introduce themselves in their own words, rather than constantly correcting a story we have already made up about their group.
Comments