My father has this crazy idea in his head that when I paint my nails black, I clearly am goth, or emo, or whatever. Now if you know me, you realize that this is a completely ludicris thing to say as I'm the farthest thing from emo or goth. So when I came downstairs the other day with my black nail polish, black sweater, and black pants on it, I think I gave my dad a minor heart attack.
But I wonder why people are so ready to believe that as soon as you start wearing black you are emo or goth. Doesn't that count as judging? Shouldn't my own father be above judging me, his daughter, whom he very well knows is not goth.
I guess that is just today's society though, the action to judge is involuntary. When you walk down the street and see the teenager with 15 different piercings what is the first thing you think? I know I immediatly think punk, smoker, possibly thief. When I see a blonde wearing lots of pink I immediatly think air head. Apperances really are everything, and there is no getting around it. I want a couple facial piercings but I won't get them because I don't want employers to judge me, I don't want to be seen as a trouble maker because that is what society associates with lots of facial piercings.
Its sad that this is the way we work, and that this is the way we have always been. Some say now that it is 2011 we are supposed to be above judging and discrimination, we are supposed to be more open to different things, but to that I say, we never have been and most people don't see it as a problem. So who is really going to start?
you are sooo right. i am definitely one to speak on behalf of you. i've been judged like crazy my whole life and i wish that people wouldnt do that, but really. we're all human. its just nature for us to look at someone and have thoughts about what you think they'll be like when you actually speak to them. Stereotypes dont help either. But i dont think you could ever look at someone and NOT judge them.
ReplyDeleteI think it's sad that everyone makes these judgements. It's really not fair. But I guess you can learn from getting judged. It will make you think twice before you judge others. I mean, everyone judges when you first see someone. But its so important that we don't rely on these first judgements-you need to get to know people!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good point, I know when I painted my nails black my dad stared at me for an hour, asking if i was okay..before he decided that they looked nice after all. There's so much pressure today to define yourself by how you look, what you wear, and the way you do your hair. Especially in high school, where people are judged so harshly. You really have to look deep to get to know anyone, and the fact that we base so much of our opinions on the way a person looks is ridiculous and completely off base (normally) from what the person is actually like.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that people judge others by what they wear and such. I think that first impressions are everything; the fact that you won't get facial piercings due to the impression it gives an employer is a wise decision. A way to see whether we should pierce ourselves in certain places could be to think of what someone we admire would have to say about it - also people who are out there changing the world. I wish that people would not look upon being judgemental as a negative, but rather as a normal human trait that we all have. People do, however, need to be ready to give up their preconceived notions about the person they are judging and possibly have to admit that their views of that person were wrong.
ReplyDeleteits human now to judge someone before getting to know them, which brings me to the saying "dont judge a book by its cover", its really true.
ReplyDeletetoo many people focus on the outward look of a person, and i agree that when i see someone with a ton of piercing i think negative thoughts as well, but its still wrong.
I know that if I saw myself on the street, im not sure if i would talk to me, but it all depends on the "style" the other person is wearing. I wouldnt walk up to someone on the street with piercing and black hair wearing a long, dark trench coat, but thats just me.
Some of the nicest people i've met in my life are ones that I thought i'd never be caught dead talking to, but thats just the thing, you could be missing out on a great person.
ps, stereotypes suck.