Why are we judged by strangers? Why are we stereotyped so often because of the way we look, sound, or act? Why are we accepted by some people, and not accepted by others? It is simply because we, as humans, have been raised with a mentality that we don't have to accept, care about, or get to know people. We are raised to be attracted to pretty things, and truly beautiful things often go unnoticed. We are told from a young age to "choose your friends wisely" by parents expecting their kids to be great one day, not realizing that most kids are not "wise", and therefore, often make the wrong decisions based on outward appearances. I have heard many people say “All the world’s a stage, and men and women merely players...”(As You Like It by William Shakespeare). Well, it is time to change the scene. Being a person, I have experienced many of these things, from being judged unnecessarily, and not being accepted by certain groups of people, as have many of you. We can all agree that it is time to put a stop to this.

I have a dream that one day, there will be no stereotyping of strangers or friends. I have a dream that one day, people will not have to worry about being judged unnecessarily. I have a dream that one day, people can be accepted by everyone, no matter their ethnicity, age, social status, or gender. I know you probably feel like this won't ever happen, but trust me, it can. In fact, if we are all actors and actresses in this play called life, then can’t we get a say in what happens? Can’t we change the script? Can’t we learn to love instead of hate?

It is proven that within the first few seconds of meeting someone new, you decide if you like them or not. The problem with this is that your brain isn’t giving you enough time to get to know the person, instead, it automatically judges the person, labeling them into the Keep, Recycle, or Throw Away piles of your head. We need to train ourselves out of this mentality, instead, like learning a new part for a play, learn how to get to know someone before deciding anything about them. Instead of judging and stereotyping, we should all take a larger, harder role and try to accept and love people for who they are.