Emily Week 4 - Judging a Book by its Cover
We all remember our elementary teachers telling us to never judge a book by its cover. Despite this phrase being so hammered into our heads, why do we still do it?
Even if you haven’t judged a book by its cover, you definitely have judged people by their appearances. This happens subconsciously, comparing what you are used to or what is “normal” to you with whatever is in front of you in order to tell if you should be wary or not. This stereotyping is very interesting, trying to sort everyone you meet into boxes to predict how they will act. In school, this can be seen in which friend group people are in. Those who are “popular” are seen as snobby or mean, but those who are nerds are “anti-social” and “shy.” Although very distinct friend groups do not happen at Ameircan, from what I have seen, the media always shows high school as this big battle to get stereotyped with a “better” group.
In the real world, there is no big group that represents at least a little of your personality, so they judge your appearance: your skin color, your clothes, your attitude. As shown in the OPTICs packet, African Americans are more likely to get pulled over than whites purely over their skin color. It doesn’t matter if they are moral or immoral, cops just assume and pull them over. This doesn’t just happen with cops, even my own father gets scared of homeless black people on the BART. He did not peep a single word to the homeless man, yet my dad came home and started telling this story of how terrified he was by the guy. If only someone was generous enough to offer the guy a shower and a set of clean washed clothes, he would be like everyone else on the BART. I think that is crazy, his personality would not be altered in the shower, so why not even smile at him and wish him a good day. My dad’s defense is that you never know what the homeless man could do to you but you never know what anyone you interact with could do to you, homeless does not equal crazy, and crazy does not equal homeless.
Although it is hard to break out of the “safe” stereotyping, try to just wish the first stranger you see a good day or night, and who knows maybe you will make a friend that you never would have before.
I think a potential reason why people still "judge a book by its cover," despite being told NOT to judge people in this way by teachers or others is because of what they see around them. For example, when you watch the news, you are unconsciously gaining racial bias. There is a lot of research that suggests that many news sources are racially biased. Many news sources have been criticized for covering Black people more than other racial or ethnic groups. These biased coverages could keep up the racial bias and also potentially change viewers' attitudes towards certain groups of people, without them even knowing about it. This is what you were saying that happens subconsciously; without even noticing, because they have seen it so many times, whether on the news, or in newspapers, the brain naturally forms patterns and makes judgements as a survival mechanism. Additionally, society and culture also play a big role in influencing our biases. From a young age, children often are influenced by stereotypes present in their environments, whether it is from their family, friends, or the media. The idea of what is "normal" or what is "acceptable" is usually dictated by societal standards and cultural norms. When something or someone is different from this "norm," generally our immediate response is to judge or stereotype. Lastly, I think the most simple reason is because putting people into "boxes" is because it helps some navigate the world around them. With people put into groups, it may be easier to know who to avoid, who to be friends with, etc. Unfortunately, this often means that assumptions are made about one person based on the group that they have been placed in, rather than who they actually are. This is pretty unfair because everyone is different and has their own experiences and personalities. I liked how you brought up your dad because that sort of shows that parents are sometimes stereotyping others right in front of their children, which is usually not good.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, I completely agree with you about the fact that people judge other people before even talking to them which creates a huge divide between people. I think we are all guilty of doing this at least once in our lives, including me. This is a problem that everyone should be aware of and actively try to fix because one cannot know a person before talking or interacting with them. It’s not fair to assume someone's personality or come to a conclusion about them beforehand because they might end up being a nice and sweet person. I like the example that you provided about your dad judging a homeless person because it is very common that people judge homeless people without even interacting with them. I have seen my parents do it a couple times and immediately assume that they want money for drugs, which has always pushed me the wrong way. However, there is a limit because one must always use some judgment to see whether the person is okay to talk to or not in regards to your own safety. Apart from that, I think if everyone in the world could look past appearances and not judge people beforehand, the world could be so much better and peaceful.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, your argument is so well supported not only through references to cliques portrayed in high school movies and the OPTICS ACLU article, but also by the inclusion of a personal anecdote too. It's a paradox, isn't it? We're constantly reminded not to judge a book by its cover, but it's as if we can't help ourselves. I find it perplexing how deeply ingrained this behavior is in our society, despite knowing better. I find the anecdote of your father's reaction to a homeless man on the BART particularly poignant. It resonates with me because it highlights how even those closest to us can perpetuate such prejudices. Growing up, I too noticed the fear stemming from these stereotypes in my parents, and it always left me with this sense of boiling anger. Your assertion that “homeless [doesn’t] equal crazy, and crazy [doesn’t] equal homeless” is a stark reminder that we should all strive to treat people as individuals, rather than representatives of a group. I also love your positive message at the end, as you encourage everyone to break out of their comfort zones and wish a stranger a good day or night, illuminating how even the simplest acts of kindness can break down those initial barriers.
ReplyDelete