You walk into the grocery store, there they are. They’re in the same coffee shop you visit to fill your daily caffeine requirement. They are in your classroom. They are, quite literally, all around you.
People.
Human beings.
Yet, as sarcastic as I may sound, I’m being serious. People are everywhere, and they get judged. Whether you would like to admit it or not, you judge people. I am not an exception either. People get judged and criticized every day for all reasons under the sun. Some are based off of rumors. Others are personal problems, and some are just downright illogical. Whatever the reason is, it’s a judgment.
A judgment is an assumption that we make based off first impressions. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, as you are judged for sports tryouts or when you walk in a room for an interview. However, most people are judged for things over which they have no control. Mainly, people judge one another because they see things about the other person that are different than them. Oftentimes these “different” things have a quick assumption made about them; we do not understand these differences.
This ignorant assumption can be a look on your face, a change in body language, a swift look up and down, or even a brief, yet sharp exhale. Sadly, sometimes, it’s verbal and made very apparent. We mock them or we make a post on a social media throwing shade at the person. In doing this, people grow cautious or scared for being different, or more accurately -- being themselves. The sudden change in demeanor and words linked to a judgmental mindset can make people uncomfortable and question themselves. They began to explore their insecurities from different perspectives, simply because you judged them.
Even the most confident of people we know are insecure about some aspect of themselves; they just might conceal it better than others. But the fact still stands, they have at least one insecurity. Since everyone is flawed, we are in no place to ridicule and critique another’s flaws. However, we feel the need, and we still do so.
When people’s self-confidence begins to worsen, they begin to look for what they are told to be lacking, not within themselves, but to the one who derides them. They began to do, wear, or even say things that are similar or exactly like that person. They conform to them, and this should not be so. There was nothing wrong with that original person. By judging someone, you make someone else’s lifestyle and personal trends your business. When that person starts to conform to your ways, you may say how they are “trying too hard” or how they are “copying” you. By making a person feel lesser than you, you’re are basically stating that you are better than them and that they should strive to be like you.
No.
This is not OK. However, it’s widely accepted for this criticism and judgment to happen. Television shows such as E! New’s Fashion Police and Fox’s TMZ does exactly this.
Why is it acceptable and why do people conform?
Well, not many people want to stand out and be different because they fear that they will be ridiculed and made a mockery. We are all individuals who are different for a reason. We are to admire and learn from one another; accept the differences, not critique them. I encourage you to dare to be different against all the odds. You are a wonderful person with lovely aspects. Don’t dwell on what someone else thinks of your shortcomings; however minuscule and insignificant they are. Stay positive.
Don’t let someone validate this for you; you validate you!
