Looks can be deceiving

While at work today, a customer was talking to me about the pictures that surfaced of James Holmes, the suspected shooter from the theater shooting in Colorado. They told me that from just seeing the pictures, they absolutely knew he was crazy. I’d be lying if I said that didn’t upset me. As cliche as it sounds, you should never judge a book by its cover.

But I really don’t want to focus this blog on Holmes or the incident in Colorado, but it’s about people who are ignorant when it comes to stereotypes. Just because someone changes the color of their hair, it doesn’t mean they’re crazy. Just because someone has their arms covered in tattoos, it doesn’t mean they can’t be professional.

I wonder who or what is to blame for these stereotypes, because they really don’t make any sense. What happened to judging a person for their actions, and not just the way they look. I’m well aware that this isn’t necessarily the thought process for the majority of people, but the fact that anyone thinks this way, is really quite a shame.

It almost is like the days of high school, when people are more often than not judged based on their appearance. I would’ve hoped that as we grow older, we would’ve outgrown that thought process. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always seem to be the case. Perhaps one day we can finally put an end to all stereotypes.

Don’t judge a person until you’ve met them, talked to them and listened to them. You’ll soon realize that someone’s physical appearance is really the least important characteristic that they have. There’s more to someone than how they look, and looks can always be deceiving.