Outward appearances
seem to be the theme du jour on the opinion page of The Appalachian.
Despite legitimate efforts to look beyond the “book’s
cover,” it is not rational to ignore the first impression you
form about your peers and neighbors.
First impressions are usually based on stereotypes. Stereotypes
are generalized conceptions of certain people, groups or ideas.
They are useful because they prevent us from having to analyze everything
critically. On a basic level, stereotypes tell us the functions
of things. For instance, when you hear of an engineer, you assume
he or she is intelligent. There are specific cases of engineers
who do not fit this mold, but those would be the outliers.
It seems that stereotypes have been stereotyped. People often equate
stereotypes with ignorance. The only problem with stereotypes is
people assume they can employ stereotypes mindlessly. Stereotypes
are not all-or-nothing deals. It is not fair to say ALL Southern
people are poor and unintelligent, or that ALL African-Americans
are good at athletics, not at scholastics. People who believe such
things without questioning are, in my opinion, pitiful individuals.
Everyone is unique. First impressions should help to get a general
idea of who a person is, but it is still up to us all to look beyond
those assumptions.
In a society that lauds self-expression, how we look has a direct
correlation to how we think. We have a choice in what we wear, in
how we act and in how we are perceived. Groups with similar ideas
and values choose to dress similarly. It creates unity. That’s
why we created uniforms.
In the “real world,” people will use first impressions,
whether we like it or not. If you show up for a job interview wearing
three-day old jeans, a stained shirt and odorous shower shoes from
your days in the dorms, you probably won’t get the job. That
is, unless you’re auditioning for the sequel to “Road
Trip.” People expect certain appearances from us.
Would you like your surgeon to show up for your appendectomy wearing
his or her gym clothes? Would you respect a police officer that
wore a shirt flaunting marijuana paraphernalia on a routine traffic
stop? Probably not.
So here is what we should be advocating: Stereotypes are only bad
when people choose to be ruled by them. Discrimination is one example
of stereotyping gone horribly wrong.
If I wanted people to know everything about me, I would wear write
my life story on a shirt. All I can say is it would have to be a
very large shirt. Until then, I will acknowledge that there are
things about me that my clothing doesn’t reveal, and I will
encourage people to look for that.
People will judge you by their preconceptions. Most people will
never know anything about you beyond their first impressions. Make
sure the impression you give is the one you intend. Nonverbal communication
can sometimes speak much louder than anything spoken.
Some things have been so ingrained into society that it is nearly
impossible to change. The most important question you can ask is:
Why?
