Have you ever taken one look at someone, came to the conclusion that they were a loser, but in the end they turned out to be a really good friend? Or how about having someone think you were the loser, based on the one time they saw you in the hall acting like an idiot? Not much fun is it? It’s fine to say “Bad stuff happens. Mostly to me, so don’t worry”, but that is not entirely true.

Instead of having one incident where they have to put up with strange looks and talking behind their backs, some people have to deal with getting pushed, kicked, punched, and sometimes even killed because of how they look, act, talk, what their sexual orientation is, and sometimes where they are from.

Why is it that when people don’t fit into our ‘clique’ or don’t look exactly the same as us, we figure they aren’t worth the time to get to know? Is it because we are scared of change? Maybe. Could it be because we are all conceited in our own little ways, and only care about ourselves? Most likely. Even though we are being brought up in a world where we are told not to judge or hate people because they are `different` according to our standards, we are still doing it. People need to realize that hating someone because they don’t sit in a certain spot in the cafeteria, or that they are a different colour, or even because they are homosexual is not morally right. Take Matthew Shepard for an example. He was attacked and killed in 1998 at age 21, partly because he was gay. Since when has it been alright to ridicule or hurt someone because they aren’t identical to you? The way in which Matthew was different from others wasn’t hurting anyone. If the ways other people feel or act don’t affect you in any way, leave them alone and don’t get involved - it’s as simple as that. This way, others don’t get hurt and you don’t do something you might regret in the long run.

Even though homophobia is one of the main ways people are prejudiced against others, there are still plenty more. Everyday people are pre-judged by their religion, race, appearance, sex, age, and the way they act and talk. We are part of a society where we say that change and differences are a good thing and make our culture what it is today. This would be true, if only everyone felt that way. The problem is though, that everyone feels the way they want, and there’s not much that we can do to change it. I’m not saying that I have never judged anyone without getting to know them first, or that everything would be fine if everyone had the same opinion as everyone else, and that this is the way things should be. I just think that we would be so much better off if we stopped all the racism, discrimination, and prejudice in the world. In my mind, everyone deserves a second chance, but to do that, they need a first one.

So next time you see someone in the hallway acting like an idiot, or someone that appears different to you, remember all the stupid things you have done, and that you look just as diverse to them. Differences can be baffling, but yet they are the very little things that make our cultures what they are.

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