People are so judgmental these days. I have been judgmental, you have been judgmental. We have all been guilty of it at some point. It’s not always a conscious effort, however.

A person’s preconceptions are based on their own experiences, beliefs, and values. We all make snap judgments about people and situations. It’s self-preservation in a way. We have the instinctual need to protect ourselves from harm or death. If we see someone who is different somehow, we tend to turn the other way. If you have had a bad experience with a person with tattoos or piercings, that will shape your thoughts. If you’ve had a bad experience with a police officer, a biker, or even an atheist, you’re going to carry that with you forever. We will always be shaped by things that happen to us, our belief system, and how we were raised (what we have been taught). Our experiences shape our thoughts and interactions with others sometimes subconsciously.

There are so many misconceptions about people who are different than others. Here are just a few, and there are many, many more!

• A person with tattoos/piercings is scary or unclean.
• Muslims are terrorists.
• Atheists lack morals.
• Jewish people are tightwads.
• Mexicans are criminals.
• Black people are thugs.
• Policemen are gun happy.
• Gay people will give you HIV.
• Fat people are lazy slobs.
• Pagans are devil worshippers.
• Bikers are rough and mean.
• A woman with red hair, red lips and shows her cleavage must be a porn star.

SHAME ON YOU if you believe any of that nonsense! Those ideas are absurd! Of course, you can believe whatever the hell you want to believe. It IS a free country, but we should always treat people with respect because they DO have feelings and emotions just as you and I do. They have troubles of their own. They have experiences that have shaped them, too.

Everyone is unique. If you don’t know them then you know nothing about them! Simple as that! Don’t just assume you know…..

Just don’t. It’s very unbecoming…. UGLY in fact.