When people watch a thriller or some type of mystery movie, they anticipate a plot twist that has the most unsuspecting character turn out to be the bad guy, and this stands true for most suspenseful movies. Why are we so judgmental of others appearances? Just because there is a man walking down the street wearing a long black coat and a top hat does not mean he’s part of the Mafia. It seems relatively easy to deceive someone into thinking a person is something he or she is not, just through appearance.
Stereotypes invade the world’s societies with false conceptions. Canadians don’t always use the word “eh” in every sentence they use and yes, there are still skinny Americans in existence. For some reason however, we as human beings think that people who share the same country, friend group, or even gender should possess the same qualities as individuals.
Honestly, I find myself judging people that I don’t even know just by their looks. I don’t mean to; I often do it without even having to think about it. Yet what I do think about is my own appearance. Knowing that people judge others almost without even knowing it makes me feel extremely self-conscious, especially in public places like school.
When I was younger and more rambunctious, my appearance never bothered me. I didn’t have a care in the world if people would dislike me because of the words on my shirt or the way I parted my hair. Yet I realized later on the type of person people had grown to know me as, and I soon snapped out of my uncaring phase and began to wear clothes that didn’t make me look rebellious.
It’s difficult for me to think of a positive effect that would come from judging or being judged by people. Many negative effects seep through my mind, however, and the one that sticks out the most is bullying. It’s not happening with just kids, like most people believe. Adults get put down for their looks and interests as well, and in my opinion, no matter how many organizations we create to try to help, as depressing as it sounds, bullying will stay permanently glued to society for the rest of human existence.
If there would be one positive effect that would come out of being deceived by appearance, it would be the lack of trust in people. Yes, there are some negative sides to that as well, but think about it. If a person wearing a mask and holding a knife would walk by someone, then unless it’s Halloween, I would suggest that the person assumes he or she is a cold-blooded murderer that police are on the lookout for and seek safety immediately. It may not always even be that obvious. Children are the best at deceiving people to either get what they want or to hide a terrible secret, and I’m sure there are plenty of horror movies to cover that theory.
The art of deceiving someone has become so simple, and to me, it’s always been that way. Sure, people could be right at times when judging someone by appearance only, but I wouldn’t bet money on what their opinion turns out to be. Stereotypes were born and raised by our judgments, and they are not going away anytime soon. The fact of the matter is, human nature has a flaw for being judgmental, putting others down, creating stereotypes and so on. No matter what, that flaw will remain with us forever.
