This I Believe

Growing up I was always told, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. As I have gone through life trying to follow this belief, I find myself lying to myself constantly. Though I tried so very hard to not judge people by their appearances and wait until I have gotten to know that person before I make a drastic decision in my mind about that person, it just doesn’t work. I have found that every single moment I am encountered by others I am judging them. No matter the situation, As I encounter people passing by at the mall I take one look at them and decide what kind of a person they are. Of course it sounds morally wrong; however, who is to judge. How can someone judge me and the kind of person I am without even knowing me? I have found that no one goes through life purposefully presenting them selves in a way that they don’t want to be viewed as.

Being the new kid last year I came in to school making judgments about people the very first time I laid eyes on them, deciding who would be a good friend and who I wanted to stay clear of. Punk, nerd, hippie, druggy, jock, emo, snob, brat … the list continues. Though these accusations sound terrible and people may wonder, how can you say such things about someone before you even know them? My response would be try it some time it’s actually quite easy and I do it all the time. After the first couple minutes of school last year, before I had even gone to class I knew who I wanted to be friends with and who I wanted to stay away from. Many times it is just that obvious, for I truly believe that no one dresses one way in hope of being viewed another. So looking at the cover of a book in today’s culture is quite promising to tell what the books all about. I have now gone to this school for almost a year and a half and my first judgments that I made in those first couple minutes of me entering the school have still not let me down.

Though it sounds wrong and may make many people uncomfortable I believe in judging books by their covers. For I believe that I can take one look at a person and know what kind of person they are. Of course there are exceptions to this, but it is what people portray themselves as that makes them who they are. For Marshall McLuhan was speaking the truth when he said, “The medium is the message.” It doesn’t matter what a person is really like, no one cares. They don’t take time to get to know you as a person before brutally judging you based on your appearance.