Judgement Day

Have you ever looked at a person, and just immediately hated them?

I have, I've looked at a girl many times before and my first subconscious thought is "She's really pretty, she must be a bitch, OK I hate her."

I still do it, I guess I feel "better safe than sorry" I don't want to assume she's nice and then have her make fun of me, I'd rather just make her a bitch in my mind and then when she turns out to be nice I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Odds are I will continue to do that in the future, but lets look into this stereotyping...

I want you to think of a few of your friends, it'd be best if you just recently met them. Now, what was your first impression of them?

When I first saw my friend Chips during the first day of ninth grade, I immediately thought to myself "Ugh she's a bitch, look at her perfectly colored blonde hair..." but once I actually started to get to know her, I found out that she is the farthest thing from a bitch! She is one of the funniest and craziest people I have ever met! And I am so happy that I met her.

Now I want you to do something different, I want you to take a different friend and I want you to pretend you aren't friends, now what would you think about this person? By the way he/she dresses or looks, or things you would have heard about this friend?

I worry that if people don't know me they assume I'm some kind of freak, which isn't bad because I would own being a freak. However it is difficult being judged, it hurts to know people would stick a label on you before you even got to know them.

And wouldn't you want to hurt anyone who would stereotype your best friend?

So before you stereotype the next person you see at the mall, at the library, or in your chemistry class, please try to think first "That's somebodies best friend. That person has a mother. I don't know what that person has been through in life, am I at a right to stick a label on them like that?"