sarahSKELLINGTON™

Strolling down the sidewalk you see such a vast variety of people, each with a different story. Everybody has their own unique look and vibe that we give off to all the others on the street, but deep down we are all just the same – we are all human. It is our nature to be judgemental of the people around us, and there is not much we can do to fight our instincts. You see a person and it is an automatic reaction to size them up and draw conclusions based on generalizations our society has crafted throughout the years. The problem is not the fact that we are creatures of habit, but rather that too many people do not realize the prejudices they have simply because of the way somebody looks.

If everybody could just look into their thought processes a little more and realize that when you look at somebody who dresses a little different, or has a unique hair style, or whatever it might be, you are drawing conclusions without knowing anything other than their appearance. It is impossible to block out these ideas in our heads, but it doesn’t mean we cannot avoid prejudices and discrimination.

You see, the problem is that people are trying far too hard to stand out from the crowd and gain attention. If we all just could conform to one look, one style, then everything would work out just fine. Just imagine… a world where everybody is unified and anonymous. Nobody looks better or worse, nobody is cooler or more of a loser, and best yet nobody is judged because of their appearance. The only way you could possibly know something about another person is through getting to know them and the one unique thing about them – their personality.

In this world you would be walking down the street and all the people you see would look the same as you, yet you would know that deep down inside they are all very different, special people because that is exactly what you are. Granted there would not be enough time to get to know every single person you see, but at least this way we would not make any misconceptions about somebody we did not personally know. And better yet no one would be drawing any conclusions about who you are without giving you a shot.

Wait but what if somebody decided not to follow the new rules of our perfectly peaceful society? What on earth would we do if a person decided to express their individuality and creativity through their appearance? God forbid someone would not want to look the exact same as the rest of us. I suppose if a person was as daring to break our rules we would have to revert back to the old way of thinking and begin assuming that he or she is disrespectful and up to no good. It seems like the only appropriate punishment for somebody who dares to be different.

But seriously, come on. We all are our own person both inside and out. Yeah it is impossible to know what a person is really like just by looking at them, so stop trying to. If we could all just realize that appearance is merely just that – what you look like – then maybe we would live in a place that is much less discriminate and prejudiced. Be yourself and let others be who they are too. Judge books by their cover all you want, but know that you will be missing out on a wonderful thing: the real story.

Sincerely and with concern,
sarahSKELLINGTON™