Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

I had a customer at work today who, at first glance, would appear to most people as dirty, boorish, and ignorant white trash. Those thoughts did flash into my mind, but I squashed them as fast as they entered, as I truly want to treat this gentleman as well as I would like to be treated. After speaking with him for a few minutes, I found him to be pleasant, well-mannered, and quite bright. His appearance belies his demeanor and character. The cover of his book didn't match the story. Or did it?

This apparent oxymoron got me to thinking about stereotypes. Stereotyping is one of the ways we prejudge people. Stereotyping is not bad in and of itself, as it is just a shorthand way for our minds to sort and compartmentalize the almost seven billion other people on this planet. It is how far people take the stereotypes of others that causes all of the problems. Stereotypes, as offensive as some may find this, are always based in reality, although how much ranges from anecdotal observations to actually being present in a large majority of the population in question.

Keep in mind that it is natural to judge people by appearances, as it helps us to determine threat level, for instance. And although it is much quicker and takes less focus to just stereotype everybody, you disrespect the God-given beauty of each individual person when you do. Just remember, although the book's cover may look disease-ridden and be falling apart, the story could be sublime.