What is that thing we first notice about a person we meet for the first time? The way they look, how they dress, their hair style and maybe makeup. These things help us put together an idea of who the person is, albeit a momentary one that can change based on actions and further impressions created by their attitudes, way of speech etc.
I liked how Trevor Noah made an observation about this in his standup show. He said when someone has an accent, it's a native speaker perceiving how a foreigner handles their language. And that gives people the opportunity to think that a person with an accent is less polished, a newbie, like a fish out of water trying to fit in. if the accented person loses his or her accent then that label will change too. It's what we want to naturally assume when we hear a French accent or a Russian accent, those perceptions have been shaped by pop culture hence the common expectation.
What other labels do we give people we encounter? You meet someone who drives a truck. You might guess his hobbies are drinking beer,watching sports, maybe likes action movies. Because if someone is a truck driver for a living we assume they may not be very smart, lack a post graduate degree and have little to no interest in fine art or literature. That's rather unfair don't you think ? I can pinpoint segments of society with specific ethnic profiles whits' the passion they need to harbour o assume a truck driver is a lowly profession and such a person is a mismatch for someone who isn't. It's based on the background of the people who judge and when you face the reality, no one needs to attend university to drive a truck. But they can still be smart and sharp minded just not keen on the professions that apparently you need a degree to do. But no well to do family I know, would say they are proud of their child going into such a profession but perceptions can change if the individual can make a good case for it.
Imagine dating profiles and how professions affect a person's chances, according to Fortune.com, pilots get the most swipes, then come lawyers, doctors and firefighters. A little too superficial? Sure. But then again this is Tinder. This age is about making impressions based on what we see and read. A quick minute is all it takes to build up what we think we need to know about a person we just met and that might shape our desires regarding how we interact with that person going forward.
I would like to remind myself that it's not fair to judge someone based on a few interests or preconceived notions that arise based on what they say or do. In personal interactions we often focus on shared interests and ability to have a conversation about them. I seem to make conversation with most individuals regardless of background or interest, as I am quite intrigued by many things. However, its possible how they perceive me is not as favourable. It's a sign of our times. Perhaps made worse by the quick attention spans we now have thanks to social media feeds, snapchats that last 10 seconds and other short lived media constantly asking for attention but not getting the attention it deserves.
