Should we judge people by the Look?

[killer-curry]

We are always looking at people, they have different faces, different skin tones and also different appearance. But should we judge people by their look?

 

[ShinyUmbreon189]

It really depends on their appearance and how good you can read people. Some people assume that people with tattoos are bad people or criminals when that's not the case, I've known many people with tats all over that are very nice and respectful people. Now prison tats or people with gang tats, that's a different story.
I'm not one to judge someone based on their face either, like piercings (I have both of my ears pierced). But if someone is filled with tons of piercings then I can see why people would judge them, it definitely cripples them in society. Now face tats, I don't understand why someone would even consider face tats but I guess to each their own. I just wont associate with them, but I guess I wouldn't mind.
If someone is of different color, it doesn't matter, trash comes in all colors. It really depends on their personality and how they present themselves to others.

So no, we shouldn't judge someone based on appearance. Their true colors will show once you interact with them and from there you can decide if you want to judge them or not, or should I say, not interact with that person.

 

[Lize]

I actually don't completely understand how people judge by looks. It barely tells us anything about a person. I mean, sure, perhaps it tells you a bit about their behavior. Like, someone with a lot of tattoos and longer hair might be a metal head, or whatever. But that says nothing about ones personality. You'll have to figure that out for yourself, by interacting with them and getting to know them.

I suppose the biggest problem is the first thought of a person we get when we see someone. First impression tells us a lot, and the first impression already starts at the sight of someone.

Other than that, post above me said what I mostly agree on. Except that I still wouldn't exactly mind to have a friend with some kind of gang tattoo or prison tattoo, nor would I care if they had any piercings in their face. I suppose I'd be a bit more wary, but that's about it. They're still their own person and that's why I'd be with them.

 

[KetsuekiR]

While we shouldn't judge people based on how they look, we do, and rightly so. It's human nature to avoid that which can cause you harm, it's an evolutionary trait and it's gotten us through the ages. Much in the same way you wouldn't approach a 300lb biker covered in tattoos as easily as you would approach a more, er, approachable looking person, we judge people based on their looks to decide whether or not we're better off associating with said person.

The problem, however, arises where the line between first impression and only impression is crossed. Seeing someone for the first time and having certain feeling about them is fine, and natural too, but having that image alone in your head and not even trying to see if it's justified only shows how incredulous and unpleasant you are.

As Lize said in the post above, first impressions start at the moment we see someone. It's what comes afterwards that really matters. Either you put it aside and forget said person (some people tend to talk bad about people they don't even really know, which is ridiculous), or you go ahead and meet them, and I mean really meet them.

 

[Crizzle]

No, we shouldn't. It makes no sense to. But we will anyways.

 

[Caaethil]

Yes.

The question is asked in a very basic sense, as in, should we, or shouldn't we? And the answer is yes, we should judge people on appearance. Whether you act on that judgement depends on the situation.

If you see somebody who is dressed very well and seems rich, you might assume they're a bit greedy and selfish. However, acting on that assumption is bad, because if you're rude to that person and they turn out to be a philanthropist who gives a lot of their money to charity, you've just made a fool of yourself. Should you have made the judgement in the first place? It doesn't really matter. It's whether you act on it.

So when should you act on a judgement? Easy. When you're a fragile 80 year old and a group of teenagers dressed in black start moving to your front door huddled up together, don't answer.

There, you judged somebody and it probably helped you. Easy. All in all, just judging everyone is honestly a safe bet that is given a bad light by popular opinion - we all judge people around us all the time. It's just acting on whatever suspicions you may have that can sometimes be problematic.

 

[zakisrage]

No. Sadly, though, it happens all the time. People have assumed that I'm gay because I have long hair, wear pink on a regular basis, and often wear speedos at the beach. These people get surprised when I tell them that I have a steady girlfriend.

It's best not to judge based on appearance. Sometimes they turn out to be the opposite of how they look (or what stereotype you could attach to their looks). A punk who has tons of tattoos, wears a mohawk, and goes commando might turn out to be very polite and classy, while a suit-clad businessman with slicked hair might be trashy as hell. That skinny blonde girl who wears a miniskirt and a halter top could very well be shy, while that heavy brunette girl who wears long pants and a sweater could be an attention whore. The woman who has a buzz cut and wears biker jackets could be straight, and the woman who has long hair and wears dresses could be a lesbian. That muscular football player in the letterman jacket could be the nicest guy, while that scrawny nerd with the square glasses could turn out to be a bully. You never know what someone's going to be like by appearances alone.

Lookism is pretty bad, and sadly it goes back a long time, especially in terms of beautiful vs. ugly. Take the ancient Greeks, for example. The young, beautiful Phryne was accused of blasphemy (a serious crime in most pre-modern societies) and was acquitted because of her looks. The old, ugly Socrates, on the other hand, was accused of a less serious crime and got convicted. Don't forget all the fairy tales and folktales where the heroes are gorgeous and the villains are ugly (although plenty of exceptions do exist). We imagine angels as androgynous pretty boys with curly blond hair and white robes and wings, while we imagine demons as ugly, deformed monsters that look more like animals than people. And speaking of animals, we even subject animals to lookism - if baby seals looked like tarantulas, there wouldn't be nearly as much outrage over killing them. TL;DR lookism is ingrained in human culture. You'd think we'd have moved on from this, but to some extent we haven't. I've even heard studies say that ugly criminals are more likely to be convicted than attractive ones and tend to receive longer prison sentences. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Spherical Ice]

Not necessarily appearance in the sense of skin colour, facial structure, etc., at least past whether you personally find someone attractive, no.

However, I think it's naíve to discount prejudging how someone presents themselves in general as completely baseless. The way people dress themselves, carry themselves and their general demeanour, while obviously never completely indicative of who they are, can be very usefully indicative of their personality, at least in my experience.

There's also the matter of the difference between judging somebody internally and actually acting upon those judgements or treating people differently as a result of it.

 

[Nyoxios]

I notice a lot of difference personally.

Since I was 18 my hair was thinning out. I coped with it by just keeping my hair really short. during that time, people always judged me younger than I was. But since I shave my head, I'm constantly judged older than I am. I almost never have to show my ID card when I want to buy alcohol.

Another thing is how people act upon meeting me the first time. I'm a bit of an introvert and very cautious about new people. When I had my hair short, people mostly made fun of me or just didn't take me seriously. That also changed since I shave my head. It looks like my appearance now demands more respect. Or maybe new people are too uncomfortable to make fun of it since not a lot of 23 year olds are bald.

 

[RegalSin]

You know what? The answer is no. However these people play out there parts and roles