How to judge a person

Question

I like to judge other people based on how they look or dress, but is that ok? Am I being too shallow? Would I be wrong if I rely on stereotypes to draw some conclusions? If I meet someone I hardly know, but I know some information about that person, how can I go about judging that person fairly?

Answer 1

No you should really avoid relying on the cover to make a judgment. That means do not judge a person based on presumptions. I know there are many people who like to judge others based on how they dress or talk. But a wise person should do otherwise. If you see someone wearing messy, disheveled clothes, you think that person is messy and disorganized, but the opposite might well be true. You could see someone who looks intelligent, but the second the mouth opens, all of your thoughts vanish.

The problem with most people is that they are too stereotypical. They make assumptions about people based on race, gender and religion. Everyone has an opinion about somebody and that is fine. But if a lot of people all think one way, it is not good. This is what turns a group of ordinary people into a deadly mob. So, in a word, to judge a person well, you want to avoid making assumptions at the superficial level. Try talking with the person more often to get a whiff at what he or she is really made of.

Answer 2

I find it funny that so many people want to know how to judge a person without ever trying to really get to know that person well first. My suggestion: move as close to your target as possible. Understand this person’s ideas, goals, mannerisms, ticks and more.

Learn as much as you can about someone before you pass judgment. You cannot make vague statements when you are not sure if the information is even true. If you think that a certain business is running a sweatshop, get the full facts before you give your opinion. You could be wrong about the whole situation and spread a distorted view of the facts.

So be careful about what you believe in this world. You do not want to make more enemies than you need. When I want to judge a person, I analyze the person’s past, present and future behaviors. Start by focusing on the present or what the person is doing now. Then, focus on the past. In some cases, history repeats itself, but that may or may not be true. Last, focus on the person’s future or what would be going on five or twenty years from now. Compare and contrast the information from these three different time periods. You will be a good judge of a person’s character this way.