I Could Tell You That You Are Wrong, But Then I Could Be Wrong
Posted: Sunday, March 16, 2008
by Mr. Keith
IChooseThin
Everyone has prejudged people at one time or another in their lives. It is a common occurrence and it goes on day in and day out. Everyone is a product of their environment and more often than not, do not even realize that they themselves do this very thing. I bet I can show you a few observations that you are guilty of and do not even realize that you are one of the people that allow it to happen to themselves.
Even if you take this concept to the small screen, television, it still works. Even on Gilligan's Island Mr. Howell was the bad guy out to just make more money. Jed Clampett was wealthy but the good things he did were either portrayed as silly, ignorant or just plain naive. On the Dukes Of Hazard Boss Hoggs was the one with the money and was dumb and evil. Sure you can find exceptions to this "rule" but more often than not, the one with the pile of money is as evil as Lex Luthor on Superman.
Are you sure you do not associate wealthy people with being evil?
Another
situation when you prejudge a person is if they do not correctly speak
the English language. If you meet a person who speaks English poorly
you will judge them even more severely. The judgment I speak of is that
all too often when a person speaks broken English and stammers and
stutters with his words, the average individual attests this struggle
with being stupid. All too often as a person struggles to find the
words in English they are considered dumb. One point that most of the
"jury" overlooks in the declaration of this verdict is that this person
stumbling through the correct connection of verbs and nouns is speaking
a second or maybe even a third language. English is considered to be
one of the most difficult languages to learn and here is a person
attempting to learn it as a second language. Even with this being a
second language many will landmark this person as being stupid. This
individual who cannot string together nouns correctly in English may be
a scientist in their homeland and yet they are judged as "dumb" because
their English is broken.
Are you sure you do not prejudge people who are learning a second language?
Another
situation is meeting people who are overweight. The heavier a person is
the more "skinny" people avoid them. When overweight people are out in
the world they receive stares and insults as if they wear an X on their
back. Children are savage in this aspect. If there is an overweight
person in school they are ridiculed and taunted and even hated by their
peers. Living the life of an over weight person is one where the joy is
stolen at an early age and it is replaced with missing self esteem.
Over weight people are not loved for who they are and more often than
not ridiculed and even avoided by those who are not over weight. How
many movies have you seen where the beautiful woman had a girlfriend
with low self esteem and was overweight?
Rich and evil...
immigrant and low IQ... overweight and lazy? Are these assumptions you
make on a daily basis and do not realize that you do this? All too
often people rush to judge those they do not know. All too often the
world is revolving so fast that they are lost in the shuffle of
misconception. We should all learn to give other people a chance. So
the next time you speak to someone in broken English stop and help them
with their struggle of the language barrier. Look them in their eyes
and see the person that resides within. The next time you see an over
weight person do not look away in disgust. Greet their eyes and smile
at them. Look into their face and you may see their soul and that soul
may light the spirit of compassion in your heart. Overweight people are
just people and they need compassion like everyone else on this planet.
Do not prejudge because that judgment is more than likely wrong.
Very good piece Mr. Keith, there is a lot of truth in what you say. If I may be so bold as to add the big one ......ugly. People are very prejudice to ugly. The whole world celebrates beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there are some everyone could agree on that are just bone dirt ugly. Like anything else, some not all, are the the most beautiful people inside. The exact opposite of the drop dead gorgeous shallow as a frizbee beauty queen. Good luck on your site. Michael
Hi Mr Keith, Very nice job! Makes me take inventory :-) If everyone took this advice, life would be much better for all of us. God Bless! Teresa
Very good article Mr. Keith, one of Johnny cash's songs titled "The man in black" he poins out what you have described here. "Semper fi" I'm an ex marine also
Mr. Keith, Excellent article. You make some very good points about prejudging people and situations.
A great deal of truth in your article, Mr. Keith and something all of us has to deal with one time or another. Thanks for the reminder!
hi Mr. Keith, very well written, interesting piece. judgment is so against my grain i can't stand to know someone has been so rudely classified. my kids have taught me much by bringing home friends with blue hair, piercings, tattoos, mohawks, etc. if not for having these kids in my home and talking with them, i might never have known that they were sweet, endearing, and interesting as well as intelligent people. they just want to feel different right now. so what? the masses mocked Jesus, too. thanks for a good article, best regards, sue