By Claire DeFrancisci

Whether anyone knows it or not, every day when they walk into school they are being stereotyped. In other student’s minds they may just be “that goth girl” or “the kid who thinks that he is funny but he really isn’t.”

Characteristics such as how people dress, the people they are friends with, and the way that they act in public reflect on how other people see them. In reality, one should look past the stereotypes.

The fact is when we see another person whom we are not familiar with, our brains automatically file them away under a category.

Just one glance can provide enough information for people to make quick and often incorrect assumptions.

Seeing a student surrounded by friends all the time, does not mean that they do not feel alone or depressed.

According to the World English Dictionary, a stereotype is defined as: a set of inaccurate, simplistic generalizations about a group that allows others to categorize them and treat them accordingly.

This means that when someone is calling a group of students “preps” for wearing Hollister brand clothing, or “emo” because they wear mostly dark colors and listen to a certain style of music, they are treating them by what they see at just a simple glimpse of their life.

Even if stereotyping people is bad, every so often these premature assumptions could very much be true. Not everyone is a nice person; occasionally people will come across someone who is exactly how they predicted. Don’t let an experience like this change your point of view though, confirming your prediction always will be beneficial.

From personal experience I am aware that someone that appears to be really weird or too cool to talk to, can truly be nice and someone that could be a great friend.

Having a different variety of people as friends are what make life interesting. Judging people before you get a chance to know them is a missed opportunity.