Why do we judge others?
I am a writer. I am a daughter. I am a brunette. I am a lifeguard. I am an Alpha Chi Omega sorority girl. I am a singer. I am scared of West Virginia. I am an American. I am a mentor. I am curvy. I am a step-daughter. I am a Crohns patient. I am a die-hard New York Yankees fan. I am a tudor. I am a college student. I am a niece. I am an over thinker. I am a granddaughter. I am a New Yorker. I am a woman. I am a catholic. I am a swimmer. I am an English major. I am not a smoker, though I do it whenever I’m drunk. I am a caregiver. I am a snob when it comes to pizza. I am the first born. I am perpetually at least 5 minutes late to most things. I am a frequenter of the Boot. I am an adventure seeker. I am in love with the color pink. I am a reader. I am Italian, Irish and German by descent. I am traveler. I am a great-niece. I am friend. I am a leader. I am white. I am a half-sister. I am a resident of New Orleans. I am a stick-shift driver. I am a hot mess whenever there is an open bar. I am a role-model. I am in love with Ke$ha’s music even though I know it’s terrible. I am a planner. I am bitch to a lot of guys who try to flirt with me. I am not afraid to call someone out on their bullshit. I am secretly a people pleaser. I am a rule breaker. I am an owner of too many Vera Bradley bags. I am the oldest child/cousin in my family on both sides. I am ...
All of these things have something in common. They are part of the big jigsaw puzzle that makes up me. But they are also all things about me which, when examined individually could be used to label me, categorize me into a stereotype, or pidgeonhole me into a certain group. I am tired of being judged based off one thing that someone finds out about me. “Oh she is in a sorority, she must be a bitch.” “Oh she is an English major she isn’t going to find a job after college.” “Oh she likes the color pink she must be preppy.”
Labeling people is so easy.
It is convenient because you don’t have to get to know the person. You hear one thing about them, or about something they did, or find out they are a part of some organization or see them dress a certain way and you judge them based off that, you label them based off one thing. The problem is that everyone is made up of different parts, so they shouldn’t be labeled or judged based off one part. That one part doesn’t define them as a whole.
Everyone does it at some point in their life. No one can truthfully say they have never judged someone, or labeled someone. It is really sad that our society is so willing to take one piece of knowledge and judge someone based of that one thing, that one aspect of them, even though there may be thousands of other important things that are also a part of them. You really can’t know a person by learning one thing about them, or even by learning two, or three or four things about them. It can take a lifetime to truly know someone completely and people you think you know, you may actually not know at all. When meeting new people, always have an open mind, don’t be lazy. Take the time to get to know someone before you pass judgment on them.
I really liked how you took a list of personal attributes about yourself and then reflected on how you could be stereotyped by these things. I think this piece could be stronger if you go through some of the characteristics you named and explained why you don't fit in with the preconceived notions of that group, so you could dispel the personal stereotypes you face and prove them wrong.
ReplyDeleteMaybe list the broader categorical, stereotype-worthy aspects first like: sorority, religion, family background, and then list what you perceive to be your unique or positive qualities to confirm that the negative stereotypes don't confine you. "I am in a sorority." first, then later, "I am also a great friend. I don't judge others as some might think sorority girls do." The big chunk of self-description at the beginning does not prepare me for the rest of the piece—which explains how judging is bad—because you list some very positive facts about you that nobody would judge you negatively for in the first place.
ReplyDeleteAnd, is it necessary to point out that we all judge people? Common knowledge. Maybe just expand on how you personally feel judged by certain aspects of your life, and let us infer that you don't agree with that certain pre-supposing of your character.
I think this piece could support itself by being a long list of your "i am.." Ryan is right, the end of the piece is a bit didactic. But, what I found weak in the opening is that some of the "i am"s are too similar to each other. For example: "I am a niece" and later " I am a great niece." What would be effective is you utilize juxtaposition, arranging this so that you list an "i am" and following it is a contrasting "i am."
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think you might be a "tutor" not a "tudor."
The first section is the most interesting here, and might be revised to illustrate what you have to say in the last two paragraphs. Look for pairs of qualities and characteristics of yours that undercut expectations, that are surprising, maybe contradictory even.
ReplyDelete