Perception is everything. How we perceive people aligns with our judgments of them and as the corny saying goes, "don't judge a book by its cover." But hey, it's true.
We think we know everyone.
We think that that girl in the corner is a bitch and the guy walking past us is an asshole. But do we ever take the time to get to know these people? Rarely.
We base our judgments on what others say about them, giving them a title such as, bitch, asshole, douchebag, and stereotyping them to no end.
Half the time we don't know the people we're judging. Sure, you know their name, have a class with them and follow them on Instagram, but do you know their personality? Their likes and dislikes? Or are you basing your opinion of them off of what your friends say?
We perceive people how we choose to whether it's good or bad. And quite frankly, that is what's wrong with society.
How dare you get to know someone before forming an opinion about them!
We all do it, don't deny it. The worst part is, the person you're stereotyping might actually be really nice. They might be funny, a great friend or just an all around good person. Who knew?!
People are misunderstood. You don't talk in a huge group of people you don't know and suddenly you're labeled as arrogant as opposed to shy. You tell one girl you're not interested and you're labeled as a douchebag faster than the walk from the street to the bar.
We're all people. Sure, some people might actually be rude, bitchy, arrogant and douchey but you're not allowed to decide that before getting to know them. Everyone has a different perception of the people around them.
I've seen it happen so many times, myself included. Someone told someone, who told someone else that you're a *insert vulgar word here* and suddenly your jaw is dropping because you're shocked that people think of you that way. Here is something you should know before it's too late, people love to talk shit about other people. Surprising, right?
If you take anything away from this article let it be this; stop adding to societies twisted norm. At the end of the day, everyone wants to be liked and accepted by others. Don't judge a book by its cover. Start by talking to them first, you'd be surprised what you might realize.
