prejudging

[Neko Pounce]

So... yeah, something odd has been going through my mind, prejudging.
I mean, no matter how hard you try, if you?re walking behind someone with is wherein some baggy shit that falling down to the legs then no matter who you are, most people will thing ?wow, does this guy think he?s a hard man, what a utter prick?, for all you know, he might be a charity worker, who gives to the poor, but the clothing will make you think otherwise.

It works the same way visor versa, I mean, someone may have hair covering one of their eyes, you?ll most likely assume they don?t want to talk; they don?t want to know you even exists. Or as some call it, ?Emo?. What a pathetic name, just to save you thinking of something creative just to mock them.
You know what the worst part is? Due to the way treat you because of how you look, you end up being just like they prejudge you, so in the end there right.

What I really want to know is, ?what is your option on prejudging and honestly, do you think you could really not prejudge people?

Thank for reading, please tell me your oppion.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Eh, treat others how you would be treated.
I do not judge people upon their looks, their voices, their past.
I judge them upon their actions.
As for the hair thing? My hair only covers one of my eyes because I fail at trying to control it.
So yes, I think I can get around without judging the book by it's cover, so to speak.

 

[Roganwilson]

It's really just a defense mechanism that we have to keep us safe. You are programmed to make a judgment about the person, whether or not they are a threat or an asset, a waste of time or worth it. It's no more voluntary than flinching. That being said, I try to restrain my judgments from marring my interactions with people, and treat them as their actions dictate.

 

[Mr Pantomime]

Humans are preconditioned to judge people by their looks. It doesnt mean that its ok, it just means you have to work all the more harder to not do it.

 

[Stasisesque]

I'm not sure "judging" is the correct term. Yes, some people are easily catagorised by their appearance or demeanour, but very rarely will that affect the way I treat them. If I'm in a sketchy neighbourhood late at night then yes, I'm going to do my best to avoid anyone wearing a hoodie - it's got little to do with prejudice or discrimination, but I'd rather be safe than worry about being polite for instance.

I like it when people shatter my first impressions, but I always mentally form a first impression.

 

[smithy_2045]

As soon as you see someone, you judge them, whether it's conscious or not.

 

[tharglet]

If someone's going for a particular look, then yes, you're going to assume they have at least some of the traits associated with that look.
I'm quite willing to change my opinion of a person if they prove otherwise though

 

[theevilsanta]

It takes a special person to not prejudge someone on how they look (and by special I mean "special"). When you see a person with your eyes you see what they wear, what kind of grooming they do, what hairstyle they have, how they stand/sit/carry themselves, what their body type is, etc. The tough part is understanding the ambiguity of how people look. It can mean so much and so little.

edit - Everyone judges. It's part of life and a necessary part of it. You can prejudge someone though, and not treat them like you have. Having an open mind doesn't mean you don't prejudge.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

-Le Sigh Snip-

There is always one person who just can't accept that there are people different in this world.
Perhaps it is just impossible for some people to fathom that not everyone has to sink to such lows as to just judge everything and everyone on their looks, or sounds, or smells.
And I've noticed that you seem to have some hostility in your posts recently, and not just aimed at me.
No, I didn't read your post that you had to drag to my attention, because you felt the need to start it off by cussing. There was no reason to do so.

 

[TheTaco007]

I just thought I'd let you know that your opening post is riddled with spelling and grammar errors.

Anyway, on topic: They had to make a conscious decision about how they wanted to dress, so why shouldn't we judge them for that? It's wrong to judge someone for something they can't help (sexuality, race, etc.) but for the way they dress? They had to have at least put a bit of thought into that, and if the thought was "the lower my pants are on my body the cooler I will be," then I have every right to think they're an idiot or a prick for that.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

-Le Sigh Snip MK2-

Is there a reason you feel the need to attack my post, and my person, merely because I do not judge people like you do? What is it about my openness to the world that aggravates you to the point of having to quote me, and make long, drawn-out posts on why you think I should be someone to judge others on shallow things, when that is not who I am?
I am sorry you seem to feel that way, but that is now who I am, and that will not change for anyone.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

It's pretty much impossible to not make some sort of judgement on how a person is going to behave etc based on a variety of things about them and you. It's probably only going to be a short term thing until you have a better understanding of them based on continued experience of their behavioural patterns or force yourself to give them a 'clean slate' for whatever reason but you're going to do it.

However I think that isn't really what OP has in mind, "prejudice" and whatever the human/animal capacity to act on prior information aren't quite the same thing.

For example I have a tendency to pre judge people with anime avatars, especially ones with japanese names. I shouldn't but dammit I just can't help myself.

 

[Neko Pounce]

I just thought I'd let you know that your opening post is riddled with spelling and grammar errors.

Anyway, on topic: They had to make a conscious decision about how they wanted to dress, so why shouldn't we judge them for that? It's wrong to judge someone for something they can't help (sexuality, race, etc.) but for the way they dress? They had to have at least put a bit of thought into that, and if the thought was "the lower my pants are on my body the cooler I will be," then I have every right to think they're an idiot or a prick for that.

Yeah, it is. but i have dislexia and dispraxia, so i'm sorry.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

-Le Sigh Snip MK3-

*Extra sigh*
So what if it is "Natural and advantageous"? You could go tell that to someone it matters to.
I do not need to know what you think on the subject. Because you are wrong where it concerns me.
Yet another person presuming to know me. All I did was say how I am.
I've done my part for the discussion. I have said how I am. And that is how I am. I will always be like that. Perhaps it is all the blows to the head I took as a child, or how I was raised. I'm sorry for not judging people/things on looks, but that won't change.
I'm sorry, but I don't need a discussion right now, on something that I have already established. Perhaps I would have been more willing if your first action had not been to cuss at my post.
Please, have a good day. I hope you can find someone willing to have a discussion with you. Or perhaps we can have a discussion on another day.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

-Le Sigh Snip MK4-

No, my skin is not thin about cussing. It is just that you felt the need to cuss at the very start of your post, perhaps to draw attention. That was unnecessary. I would have paid more attention without it.
Your assumptions about me: Hold myself in high esteem - wrong. I am just another user, nothing makes me better. I am just here to help people, to do my part for those who need help, and I do help people. I set aside my time to help them, and I love every single one of the people I help. I don't feel hate towards anyone on this site. Even with Spinwhiz as my nemesis, it is just a joke.
As for the posts thing - About 4000 of my posts are from group chat, spread across several groups. I have not regularly participated in any group chat for some months now.
Gotten to know people and feel like this is "my site" - Wrong. I've gotten to know quite a few people. Some of them, I help. Some people I keep in contact with. I just like to see the people on this site, and perhaps get the chance to help more people. This site, is not mine. It has never been, it is not now, and it never will be. It is simply a site that I enjoy visiting, and do my part to make sure it stays clean.
Of course I feel I hold an obligation to threads. I am here, replying, aren't I? I just feel no obligation to have to reply to someone who starts by cussing. I will answer on my own terms. Anyone who drops the civility as a starting point to a conversation may not deserve an answer, as they may be seeking something else entirely, such as to get the other user into trouble.
I'm sorry that I can't walk away as "The bigger man". That would be impossible for me anyway, but I understand the saying. You are trying to force responses out of me, and so far, I have replied. There are other, better ways, of getting a response from someone, than forcing their hand.
And please, as one person has suggested that I say on this matter, "Have you suggested that trying to analyse someone's personality through a few forum posts is probably misleading grey?"
Edit: Oh, and now I need to go wash some dishes :3

 

[Geekosaurus]

It's not prejudging it's just called first impressions. If people feel the need to dress like douchebags then they should expect to be presenting people with a negative first impression.

 

[DiMono]

The problem with prejudice is that it's taught based on stereotypes, which by definition are simplistic. An example:

Emo kids tend to have straight black hair and dress all in black. Saying that someone who meets those characteristics is generally an emo kid is a stereotype. Prejudice is when you start treating people who meet that stereotype differently just because they fit the stereotype.

Like I said, prejudice is taught. There's no filter in our brains that says black people are this, women are that, etc etc, and children have no reason to treat anyone else any differently based on anything like that. However, when they see or hear people who can influence their behaviour, such as parents, treating those people based on their appearance, that prejudice is passed on. That's how prejudice is spread.

Now, I want to make it clear that I'm not just talking about prejudices that lead to treating people poorly: most of us are prejudiced so that we'll treat movie stars very well because after all the effort the media makes to shove them in our faces, we've learned that they're important and we should look up to them. Again, that's a learned behaviour, not one that's ingrained in us already.

Is it useful? Sure, under the right circumstances. Being suspicious of shady looking characters is probably safer than walking up to them with an ice cream cone. In general, though, all they tend to do is limit our interactions with people either by quantity or content.

 

[feather240]

We are organisms that have evolved. Do not seperate yourself from other animals based on the complexity of your brain. All the animals with the capacity to hold prejudices, hold prejudices. Whether in the form of choosing a sexual partner, in the sense of killing the sick in their group, allowing outsiders to join, dogs sniffing urine or chimpanzees fighting 'wars'. So if this idea of prejudices is present clearly within the animal kingdom and is clear thoroughly throughout our own civilization: How can it be argued that it is 'wrong' or ignorant to do such a thing?

Perhaps prejudices instead have served to instinctively favour those who employ them, perhaps they only worked in the past. What I would speculate, is that they are still necessary today. Not all of them, but the ability to draw assumptions. Is racism correct? Scientifically, I've never seen any evidence for or against that was reputable (nor have I looked very hard) Ethically, obviously not. Judging someone based on clothing? Perfectly legitimate. Clothing is an outward reflection, conciously made by the person. Certainly extreme decisions or actions should not be made/taken based upon this facet alone but the word prejudice carries huge negative connotations.

Haven't we reached a point where people are so complex that we can't always rely on labeling them?

 

[spartan1077]

I would say that I don't judge others before I talk to them, although I do it with athletic people automaticaly thinking that they are total jerks who hate "my kind".

 

[Sandernista]

I do prejudge people, and as long as you don't let that judgment color the way you treat them its cool.