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Labels Are For Packages
Stereotypes. Every school has them, it is impossible for teens to escape stereotypes haunting their lives. Everyone is labeled, whether it be as an "emo", a "prep", or a "nerd"; there are countless labels given. When we meet people our mind automatically wants to sort them into groups, whether we try to or not.
These are just assumptions though, and not fact. This glitch in our mind, combined with gossip leads to stereotyping. The assumptions made may be very far from the truth, you could have totally misjudged someone. For example, someone may wear designer clothes but still be a very nice person. It is not a very hard thing to do when you consider that these stereotypes are given purely on what a person looks like, or what they wear. Looks can't define a person. People are very complex, no two exactly alike. Unique in every way possible therefore it is impossible to "classify" people.
The saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" really comes in to play here. People are more times than not, not what it seems. A person may wear all black and be a cheerleader, a person could be a jock and be a straight A student. The point I'm trying to make is that people are not their shells, don't judge them on that alone. A person could even be hiding the real them to try and "fit in" with the rest of the crowd. Their shell would just be a cover, to hide the real them, who may really be a fantastic person. If people wouldn't judge other people based on such insignificant values such as clothes and looks people would be able to express themselves individually and accomplish great feats. The world would be a much better place, there would always be someone new to meet, to get to know.
Stereotyping causes destruction. After a person is labeled it is impossible for them to get away from it, they are there after always known as what ever someone decided they were whether it be true or not. It ruins life's and many students dread going to school, which causes some to eventually drop out. The complications that come from this never leave. It could very easily ruin a persons life for good. Dropping out causes much trouble in finding jobs and that could cause depression.
If you took the time to really get to know someone you might just find out they're great. Some people never bother to really listen and that is their loss. Some people pretend to hear and never really listen, they may be so caught up in their own lives that they don't bother to learn about those around them. You may just lose an experience that may have changed your life forever, a person who may just have been there for you above all others.
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This article has 2 comments.
Dear RosinaMarie,
i think you are absuloulty right with your article. It is wrong to value somebody by his clothing or so on. His Character could be the opposite, from what you judged him. For Example if you label somebody as a nerd, everybody says it, but if they only wear Glasses, and got only B's on his letter of reference you are not a Nerd. For me is a Nerd somebody who is a suck-butt, and have no friends, and his whole life exists of learning and learning... But you get your whole Schooltime the Label as a Nerd. For example at our school, if someone says "Emo" to somebody else, who is only listening Rock, and wearing only black clothes, he is getting bullied as an Emo the whole Schooltime, but you are'nt an emo if you only hear Rock and wear black clothes, you have to scratch your self then you are an Emo.
Very good and informative text.
Dear Luca.
Much greeting from Germany. :)
Dear RosinaMarie,
I read your article and I also absoloutly agree to your statement comparing to a saying that 'a book shouldn't get judged by it's cover'. So the people/students who are meaned as the books just shouldn't get judged by their appearance because the inside is all what's finally important! Furthermore nobody has made hisself. They just wait that you start opening them to detect how interesting and fantastic they are and don't only look at their covers ! So I just want to say that I entirely agree to what you said, that nobody should label someone just because of the appearance because as you also wrote in your article the most of the assumptions could be very far away from the truth, (and mainly this is fact) but if you label someone only because of his appearance you never will get to know who really is behind the mask and so many people hide their real who behind their appearance,often a kind of plump mask and I also think that it's right that you could lose a very important experience if you go on judging and labeling and just don't care.. because it could be that this person who you have labeled,is someone who you've ever searched in your life..because so many of the people who just label are in friendships with others who just judge and label and don't care about anything else, just of the 'covers and masks'. Additionally I just want to say that I also agree with the declaration that life's very boring if you stand on the side of the people who are not interested in anything else as what they see with their eyes and don't want get to know people who are other and mainly more interesting,- and not conform to boring 'barbie stereotypes' or something like that, -who are perfect and famous.
So finally I suggest that it's just stupid if you belong to the people who throw something precious away just because it doesn't look nice in their eyes. So this could be applied again with a comparission of a stone which looks ugly from the outside but has an diamant in it. So I think you just should give everyone a chance to show his inside and who he really is and then you can label the person as you like!
Yours, Melinda.