judging people and labels

[king kong bong]

this is for the people that say we cant judge and label people based on the group they belong. yes we can, let me explain. a majority of people in whatever group they belong to are dicks, its just a fact. only a small percentage of em are cool. you say not to judge them as a whole but rather individually. did you ever stop to think why people said these things about certain groups? stereotypes have some small amount of truth to them. for example lets say you meet an emo kid and he's/she's a whiney lil bitch. you meet another one, same thing. another one and its the same thing. another one and they are actually cool. another one and they're a whiney lil bitch. do you see my point here? these stereotypes are based on peoples personal encounters. if you keep meeting people and they all act the same, whats one to think? lets face facts, in this society majority rules.

[NoosaHeads]

You shuold Take the Log out of your own eye before you try to take the splinter out of your brothers eye...

[king kong bong]

so are you sayin that there isnt an ounce of truth as to what im saying?

[BongSmokityDuo]

even if there is an ounce of truth it's ignorant and lazy to group people up and judge them as a whole based on what kind of music they like, or how they dress, or the color of their skin, etc....

[king kong bong]

well tell it to society.

[NoosaHeads]

be carefull of being pidgeon holled.
what you are saying fits you into a pidgeon hole of its own..

show some character and individuality by accepting individuals for who they are..
But I know were your comming from It is easy to judge and we all do it .
it shows true character to be accepting and understand without passing judgment..

[king kong bong]

i had it better worded in my head.

[psychopixi]

I think that we need to label people just to help ourselves through life. We should be prepared to be surprised when someone we think of as being one thing turns out to be another, and that's cool, but without labels we wouldn't know what to expect from people around us. If you can look at someone wearing burberry and a tracksuit, and you instantly think "chav" then you're better equipped to deal with that person's actions because you can associate them with other chavs you've met, and you have a vague idea of what to expect from them.

For example, if I walk through a group of chavs one day, and get hassled by them and pissed off then the next time I'm walking along and spot a group of chavs up ahead, I'm gonna expect them to behave like the last lot and try to avoid putting myself in a situation where I'm gonna get hassled. Maybe they were different, maybe they were gonna be cool chavs, but I can quite happily accept the fact that I might not find that out because it also means I wouldn't find out if they were complete dicks, just like the last lot.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think we ought to label people and then stick fiercely by those labels and refuse to let the people show what they're really like. That's stupid! But whether I've labelled a person as "chav", "goth", "emo" or "John Doe", they're still gonna have to prove that they're a decent person before I'm gonna want to hang out with them.

[lateralus]

It's odd that I think often about the exact subject of a lot of these threads.

One day I began to think about the subject of wisdom, and I realized that all wisdom is, is judgments. If we didn't have judgments, we wouldn't be able to progress as humans. We wouldn't be able to make intelligent decisions without wisdom. I started to think about how this applies to culture and race. Judgments are a natural side-effect of the learning process.

That isn't to say if you've met 100 assholes and they happen to be Iranian you should think "well, Iranians are assholes." I've met a hundred white assholes, a hundred asshole Mexicans, a hundred asshole black people. Every race has their assholes. On the other hand, a lot of people feel the need to show how truly openminded they are, and claim that there is no difference between people of one color to the next. In my opinion, this is just increasing the problem - there are some inevitable, and undeniable differences from culture to culture, color to color, etc, and not being able to see and understand those differences is pure ignorance.

Now. Here's another difficult subject. How do you pick the half-true stereotypes from the ones that are complete and utter bullshit? I could name a hundred stereotypes that just aren't fucking true. Some do have some truth in them. How do you make the best judgments, and use those judgments to better yourself and your understanding of the world? A judgment won't necessarily help us - a judgment could not only make us look like a moron, but harm us in the end, serving as counterproductive (this is obvious).

I can just see forty people labelling me racist now. Har har. :thumbsup:

[paperlunatic]

this is for the people that say we cant judge and label people based on the group they belong. yes we can, let me explain. a majority of people in whatever group they belong to are dicks, its just a fact. only a small percentage of em are cool. you say not to judge them as a whole but rather individually. did you ever stop to think why people said these things about certain groups? stereotypes have some small amount of truth to them. for example lets say you meet an emo kid and he's/she's a whiney lil bitch. you meet another one, same thing. another one and its the same thing. another one and they are actually cool. another one and they're a whiney lil bitch. do you see my point here? these stereotypes are based on peoples personal encounters. if you keep meeting people and they all act the same, whats one to think? lets face facts, in this society majority rules.

i totaly agree.:thumbsup:

ive always thought this, but when i try to say it, i sound predjudice

but i pretty much have a grudge against everyone, becuase im the kid who didnt fit in at highschool, which is why i freeked out and got kicked out.
but hey.. the bright side is, im a total recluse who gets stoned whenever i have weed. and get home schooled until the new school has an opening.
its an alterative school.
but im a total recluse. no one ever see's me unless im ridding my bike to get food at the stoor.

[crudemood]

i think its okay to judge people, as long as you're not acting upon your judgements negatively then we're fine.
But then we can go so much deeper into this and im too sober to be able to think any harder!
I do agree with you King Kong Bong, it happens all the time, its like a natural reaction to judge people. We just can't help it. IMHO anyway.

[3rdEyeVision]

the world would go to shit if we all stereotyped people all the time....imagine crossing boarders and stuff and having the hardest time in the world just cause you like to listen to a different type of music. People take everything way too far and just need to relax and embrace everything. You should tallk to more people and stuff though King King Bong or whatever. Maby then you would realize that all people have personalitys and arent just about one thing.... maby if you actually took the time too know people they wouldnt all seem the same.

[flamingskullballs]

yeah, people think i eat alot, just cause im FAT

people think im bad, jjust cause imma STONED

people think im cool, just cause im COOL

[kush07]

Stereotypes are bad for society. When you here a stereotype you think about it and unknowinghly conform to it. It's like the stereotype that marijuana has as a gateway drug or any of the other stereotypes that it and its users are given. Most, other than the munchies, are pure and utter BS. If you hear a stereotype that people say you fit in just say they fit into the stereotype that puts others into stereotypes.

Happy Toking :rasta:

[psychopixi]

When you here a stereotype you think about it and unknowingly conform to it. It's like the stereotype that marijuana has as a gateway drug
I've never done any other drugs, so I guess I'm not conforming to that stereotype.

[lateralus]

When you here a stereotype you think about it and unknowinghly conform to it.Maybe you do. I sure as hell don't. For example, I listen to Twiztid, and I'm not a dumb juggalo. ;)

[king kong bong]

Maybe you do. I sure as hell don't. For example, I listen to Twiztid, and I'm not a dumb juggalo.

same here. to like something you dont have to conform, just like the damn thing and thats it.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the world would go to shit if we all stereotyped people all the time....imagine crossing boarders and stuff and having the hardest time in the world just cause you like to listen to a different type of music. People take everything way too far and just need to relax and embrace everything. You should tallk to more people and stuff though King King Bong or whatever. Maby then you would realize that all people have personalitys and arent just about one thing.... maby if you actually took the time too know people they wouldnt all seem the same.

the world is already in the shitter my friend. i was speaking from societys standpoint. i know many types of different people and i know they have personalities BUT are those personalities really theirs or the personality of that group/stereotype. i have noticed a lot of those personalities are the same which led me to ponder this very thought of judgement and labels. hey im cool with everyone as long as they are cool with me but i often find myself on the cutting board cuz i am comfortable with myself and belong to no group/label. they always say why do i do this, why do i do that. its simple, because i can. ones that are themselves are always attacked by these groups/labels. i have taken the time to know these people and i keep gettin the same results thus proving my theory.


I think that we need to label people just to help ourselves through life. We should be prepared to be surprised when someone we think of as being one thing turns out to be another, and that's cool, but without labels we wouldn't know what to expect from people around us. If you can look at someone wearing burberry and a tracksuit, and you instantly think "chav" then you're better equipped to deal with that person's actions because you can associate them with other chavs you've met, and you have a vague idea of what to expect from them.

For example, if I walk through a group of chavs one day, and get hassled by them and pissed off then the next time I'm walking along and spot a group of chavs up ahead, I'm gonna expect them to behave like the last lot and try to avoid putting myself in a situation where I'm gonna get hassled. Maybe they were different, maybe they were gonna be cool chavs, but I can quite happily accept the fact that I might not find that out because it also means I wouldn't find out if they were complete dicks, just like the last lot.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think we ought to label people and then stick fiercely by those labels and refuse to let the people show what they're really like. That's stupid! But whether I've labelled a person as "chav", "goth", "emo" or "John Doe", they're still gonna have to prove that they're a decent person before I'm gonna want to hang out with them.


yea exactly the point i was trying to get across.

[CaptainDankNuggets]

W/e

[JunkYard]

I judge people all the time, and throw labels at them, too. Only, I don't discriminate and 'try' to get along with all types. Lets face it...people are different, and they gravitate towards others who are like them...hence the labels! Nothing wrong with that, imo!

It's just how things work out, man. ;)

I think labels serve a purpose, too. They help people identify with others who are like them, right?

For example: I'm a stoner, and I gravitate towards other 'stoners', which is why I'm on this board, lol!

You get it?

[eddievanzant]

The reason why people join groups is because they WANT to be stereotyped. If someone joins the emo fad, they want to appear to need more attention, no matter how much they say they just like the fashion.

[JunkYard]

The reason why people join groups is because they WANT to be stereotyped. If someone joins the emo fad, they want to appear to need more attention, no matter how much they say they just like the fashion.

That's not always true, man. Sometimes people are just being who they are, and doing what they like, then unwittingly fit into certain groups. Although, I do think many people place the labels upon themselves just to fit it somewhere...

As for myself, I like smoking weed, but I don't do it just for sake of being recognized as a stoner, lol!

[Az.]

If your going to stereotype people, put them all in one group...... put them in "the human race" who doesn't seem to be doing shit about what the fuck is going on in the world......yeah some people might be trying to make a difference but at the end of the day we are all humans so we all must think the same....lol

To be completly honest I understand what you are saying....and i for one completly despise chav's but only because they are harming other people...and if I see someone who looks like a chav I will imediatly put myself at guard, even though the chav might be as sound as my best mate....im stereotyping here but emo's and goth's and all that are just trying to make a community of people that they can (at least think) they relate to....same as stoners really.....

[Jeff Spicoli]

I can read you like a book

[STDzRus]

I say you all stop putting labels on everything.

Cans on the storeroom shelves, take all the labels off. Milk cartons, take the labels off, shirts, take the labels off...EVERYTHING.

Labels are just another issue. Better to have a surprise than to fear what's coming.

[eddievanzant]

That's not always true, man. Sometimes people are just being who they are, and doing what they like, then unwittingly fit into certain groups. Although, I do think many people place the labels upon themselves just to fit it somewhere...

As for myself, I like smoking weed, but I don't do it just for sake of being recognized as a stoner, lol! Usually those people who just happen to appear to be in those groups are easy to spot because they have some characteristics that go against what group they appear to be in. It's not their fault that they are sometimes confused as one of those groups, but I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about the people who used to dress and act normal but began to only wear only certain types of clothes and act a certain way. Those kinds of people want to appear to others as sharing the same characteristics as a certain group. If I make fun of an emo for being sad before actually knowing that person, it is that person's fault; not mine.

[bedake]

I say you all stop putting labels on everything.

Cans on the storeroom shelves, take all the labels off. Milk cartons, take the labels off, shirts, take the labels off...EVERYTHING.

Labels are just another issue. Better to have a surprise than to fear what's coming.



Dude... you are back... welcome back dude

[VoidLivesOn]

I think its impossible no matter how much you dislike it...people are always going to judge! Hell you'll even do it on some occasions.

[eddievanzant]

It's impossible for someone to not be judgemental. Think about how many questions you'd have to ask someone if you didn't assume a few things. It's impossible to know even oneself completely and you'll know even less about someone if you don't assume a couple of things.

[BongSmokityDuo]

ignorant and lazy

[king kong bong]

^^^
ignorance

[dopesmoker]

ok...i see what you are saying and its not correct but its not incorrect either in my opinion. It all depends on your personal preferences toward certain people i guess.

[geonagual]

I always do my best to not put a label on myself or others. Lots of people can surprise you and you look ignorant for judging and not knowing the whole story.