Do You Automatically Assume That People Of A Certain Look Have A Certain Lifestyle?

N

nasum

CAGiversary!
Or: Is anthropology just stereotype in fancy terms?

Sometimes it's obvious, green mohawk with facial piercings and a bunch of safety pins on your jacket means you're probably not an investment banker.

I bring it up because I bumped into a girl that looked like your standard party girl (excessive makeup, weird clothing, etc...) on my way out of the library earlier today and she was returning some pretty impressive reading material that didn't really fit her persona. She was cute enough, but I couldn't help but think that a nice normal outfit that looked more like casual friday at the office than CFM at the nightclub would have made her quite attractive.
 
Everyone judges based on appearance, regardless of how hard we try not to.

What really matters is whether you're willing to give people a chance to prove your first impression right or wrong, or whether you just avoid people who look a certain way etc.
 
I always assume just to be safe.
It's important to assume when a gangster looks like a gangster and when a drunk looks like a drunk.
But that doesn't mean I will treat them how they should stereotypically be treated. I give everyone a chance, but based on how they dress, that chance's percentage might be lower or higher based on too many attributes that I do not wish to list at the moment. Does that make sense? It's all good at first, but if you give me a stink eye and you say, "What chu lookin' at fool?", I won't hesitate to drop that percent to 0 and make sure you know to shut your mouth next time. ;)
 
Beauty is a relative concept and someone's lack of intelligence(hurrr) shouldn't be presumed solely on the way they don't conform to your socially/culturally constructed ideals of what an intelligent person should look like.

Anthropoloy would lead you to learn about that style of appearance and it's origins. Stereotyping would lead you to make sweeping assumptions about her due to the way she looks and expect her to conform to those notions.
 
Everyone does it... and to an extent, you should because how you CHOOSE to present yourself should say something about who you are. Thing is, there are a lot of ways people can interpret things so if you go to an extreme, you better know damn well what you're getting yourself into. There's tasteful ways to convey almost any image.
 
I have a background and mentality like Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers. I admire media that as a friend describes as stupid stuff made by smart people like The Big Labowski, Dude Where's my Car, etc. I'm a Dadaist and punky. I dress in band/anime/geek/humor/videogame tshirts all the time with cargo pants and chain wallet, but I have 2 degrees (Accounting and Telecommunications) and a certificate (Medical Device Tech.), no debt
not even a mortgage
, homeowner, and work a good job at a start up medical device company.

I tone down my dress for work, obviously, but when I'm out, that's my dress. If people don't like how I look or dress, they can fuck right off. I don't dress like a preppy/yuppie unless I absolutely have to. I only dress up at funerals, and work. I avoid social occassions where I have to dress up. Too uncomfortable, too much work to iron shirts. Sorry. :hot::drool::D
 
Well yes and no. I mean my initial impression of that person might be x, but that doesn't mean I just would not talk to them and such. I give every person a chance.
 
Everyone is judgemental, even the people who will argue they arent till they are blue in the face. Hint: The people who outright refuse to admit they are judgemental are usually the ones who are the biggest ones.

For me its natural. You seem something and in your mind you make decisions and choices based on your knowledge or lack of knowledge and assume things. I still dont discount people based on assumptions though and Im always willing to extend my willingness to get to know them.

But I have to admit, there are certain kinds of people I make assumptions about and dont give them a chance really because I have yet to ever be wrong. Those are mostly the ones with their pants around their knees, someones name tattooed across their neck and look like they dont have 2 brain cells to rub together. Basically a good majority of walmart shoppers.
 
[quote name='gargus']Everyone is judgemental, even the people who will argue they arent till they are blue in the face. Hint: The people who outright refuse to admit they are judgemental are usually the ones who are the biggest ones.

For me its natural. You seem something and in your mind you make decisions and choices based on your knowledge or lack of knowledge and assume things. I still dont discount people based on assumptions though and Im always willing to extend my willingness to get to know them.

But I have to admit, there are certain kinds of people I make assumptions about and dont give them a chance really because I have yet to ever be wrong. Those are mostly the ones with their pants around their knees, someones name tattooed across their neck and look like they dont have 2 brain cells to rub together. Basically a good majority of walmart shoppers.[/QUOTE]
So you must be a regular customer.
 
[quote name='DurbanBrown']I bet you are all just a bunch of cheap ass bastards![/QUOTE]

damn you spotted me!

Hmm, she invited to go out with her pals tonight. Where? Dance club downtown. Ugh.
 
I like to think I'm a fairly interesting example of these kinds of these. Throughout high school I had long hair down past my shoulders, and every person I ever encountered assumed that I was a stoner. In fact, I never even saw marijuana up close and personal throughout my high school years. Now I've cut my hair and look rather clean cut, and yet I light up 2 or 3 nights a week.

Similarly, I've got some decent size tattoos that aren't covered by my daily clothing, and I know people judge me for that, and yet I'm actually really nice in person. Intelligent, well spoken, not an asshole. So, yeah. I like these kinds of threads.
 
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