Chelsea+Ouderkirk

I believe in minimizing stereotypes. It’s one of the hardest things to do, and I also believe that there is not one person on this world that doesn’t judge people. Even though it’s something I believe shouldn’t happen, I still stereotype people. A good example of this is from my experiences in middle school. My first day of gym class, I didn’t have any friends in the class. I stayed away from everyone, because I didn’t think that anyone would relate to me. A couple days into the class, a girl with bright blue hair, wearing all black, with a nose piercing came up to me to tell me that she liked my shirt. I would have never thought that someone that looked like her would even be friendly enough to say hi to me. I admit it was incredibly naïve and dumb of me, but it’s what I thought of her. As it turns out, she came to be my best friend during middle school. She was one of the kindest, nonjudgmental, fun people I had ever met. This experience kind of opened my eyes to the realization that people aren’t always what they seem. I’m not trying to say that just because my best friend from middle school opened up my eyes, that I never judge or stereotype people. She’s simply made me realize that even if I do have a first thought, I’m not opposed to being proved wrong again. I think that not judging people is one of the most important things to do in life. If you are always judging people and not giving anyone chances, you probably won’t end up with any close friends or family. People need to try to stop being so closed minded, because there are so many different types of people in the world that will surprise you. The person you think you might hate could turn out to be your best friend, and vice versa. We should always go by the motto that you should treat people the way you want to be treated. I know that I wouldn’t want to be judged or discriminated against because of the people way perceive me. I think that not judging people is something that is extremely hard to conquer, but it’s one of the most respectable qualities a person can have.