Give a dog a bad name and hang him.

"The principle is that a person's plight is hopeless once his reputation has been blackened. Similar to 'he that has an ill name is half hanged'." http://bit.ly/9xiIvj

I wonder in what context you use this proverb? Doesn't this proverb mean that we should try to use less stereotyped or prejudiced words when we talk about people, or does it only refer to the hopeless plight caused by a bad reputation?

MMFlint said, "The patriots were those who opposed this war. Those who supported it have their own conscience to deal with. God forgive us." http://twitter.com/MMFlint

Daniel Bell considered himself a "liberal in politics, a socialist in economics and a conservative in culture.” http://to.pbs.org/ckIH7t