The Colby Echo

Issue date: 2/9/07 Section: Opinions

Don't judge me.

Why not? I judge people all the time. Almost everyday I construct an opinion about something or someone. I put people and ideas into categories that make sense of my life and my surroundings. All human beings endeavor to establish rules and guidelines for what they accept and what they don't; it is how they interact with their environment to determine what is advantageous to their prosperity.

People are all naturally self-conscious, and judging is the way that society rationalizes its own behavior. It is in some cases stereotyping, and it is indeed analyzing the demeanor of others, but is it wrong? There is a negative connotation associated with judging, but it is to this type of judging that I am not referring. Many of the "isms" can fall into this category -racism, sexism, etc. The "isms" are truly an embarrassing societal blight and I like to think that I do not condone this type of judging, or even passively assuage others as they do. However, judging can have positive, healthy motives as well.

If someone shows up late to an appointment, one could make the assumption that this person is apathetic and not interested. If someone makes a rude gesture or remark, one could make the assumption that this person is crass or lacking manners. If someone gives me the finger (you know which finger) on the highway, I could say that this person is childish and inappropriate. These are all judgments, judgments that anyone would agree are rationally conveyed.

So why is the act of judging so stigmatized when, as we just established above, it is not only suitable to some circumstances, but is also a part of human nature. We choose a field of study because we eliminate all others as inferior or not conducive to our lifestyles. In fact, we are judging other people's professions as we do it! When we choose partners, we judge whether people are suitable to marry or not. Imagine the audacity of judging something like an insurance company, deciding that it is not qualified or experienced enough to serve you. The examples are numerous and serve to reaffirm my point, which is that the act of judging is an everyday activity that is both intricate and necessary.

Furthermore, judging is also a part of being decisive. It is indeed not easy to put things and people into categories of good and not good, but it is nonetheless a necessity. Businesses do it, and so do schools. Even your mother did it when she decided which vacuum cleaner to purchase, which by the way has far-reaching ramifications, like saying implicitly that the business has poor leadership, poor customer service, inferior vacuum quality, etc.

So we all do it, and this is not a cop-out. It is not like saying that driving over the speed limit is all right because everyone does it. Judging is done by everyone and is also a logical part of everyday life.

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