Perception

1.) Is it possible to perceive others without, in some way, judging or categorizing them? If so, how? If not, how can we make the judgments we do make, more fair?
I feel as though it is not possible to perceive others without, in some way, judging or categorizing them. Now, just because I do not think it is possible does not mean that I particularly like the idea of it, I just feel as though it is not possible. In our society we have stereotypes and generalizations, as unfair as it may seem it is something our society builds upon. I am not saying that everyone necessarily does, but our society as a whole does. One example of our society building upon our stereotypes and generalizations is with comedy through comedians, and TV shows such as Family Guy or the Simpsons. It has become acceptable to play with the stereotypes and poke at them for our enjoyment but us poking fun at it and continuing to show it helps us keep the stereotypes around.
I liked at the beginning of chapter 3 it where it stated, “when we listen, we are not passive receivers but active creators of meaning (p. 45).” This was very compelling to me and it rings true. When we are listening, even if it is just through our eyes when we first meet someone we are creating a meaning. For example when we first see someone we may create a meaning for their appearance and this in turn can start our judgment and categorizing.
In order to make judgments and categorizing more fair I think we need to be able to keep our minds open. We may perceive someone one way but if we are open minded our perceptions are able to change and our judgments or categorizing may fade. It is hard not to judge someone when you first meet but it is easy to change those judgments once you get to truly know a person. I cannot tell you how many of my closest friends are people I once judged as being bithcy and completely opposite of who they really are.