The Danger of Judging Others

Holy wow! That is crazy.. Exactly why I think Bill Clinton should be back in office…

Wow!! That’s all I have to say after that post. I’m trying to think about what this post says about business, but am too shocked that I just elected Adolf Hitler. I didn’t have the answer to the abortion question, but I 100 percent elected Hitler. OOPS!! I guess the best lesson we can learn from this is that not everybody is perfect. People make mistakes and only from those mistakes can they learn. I think that’s probably what made Roosevelt and Churchill so successful and Hitler so bad. Roosevelt and Churchill were not perfect, but knew what they had to do to be successful. Hitler’s what could be considered perfection led him to control EVERYTHING and made him an awful person. I’m going to take this lesson into the real world and know that I can’t be perfect, but should try to do the best I can. I also must realize that other people are not perfect and should not expect them to be. That’s part of working with others and in the PR world, that’s exactly what I will have to do.

Thanks for sharing the story though! It put some things into perspective!

You really easily could have made your point using different examples.

The world we live in expects results yesterday. If it isn’t a hit out of the box, then it’s canned. In response to your first question, most would recommend the woman have her tubes tied before she even had her 3rd or 4th child. Forget 8.

And when ALL you have to go on are scarce factoids, there really isn’t much choice in the matter - you go with whichever candidate is most appealing based on those characteristics. It wouldn’t make sense to do anything else.

And what’s with the different fonts?

“It’s not our place to judge…” she would say. I can remember my mom telling me this on many occasions throughout junior high and high school. Now I find myself remembering that piece of wisdom whenever I’m tempted to comment on someone else’s choices. I believe there’s only one TRUE judge, and if I’m judging others, He’ll judge me. It’s hard to remember all the time, and I definitely have moments when I forget that nobody asked me to be their moral compass. And I have moments when I definitely don’t want anyone judging me. People mess up; that’s just what we do. It’s important for us to step back and realize that none of us are perfect. I know I need to remind myself more often. We all judge on some level, even though we shouldn’t. And we all do things we wouldn’t want others to judge us for, but they often do. That’s just it…we mess up. All we can do is strive to be better and make a concious effort to stop ourselves when we’re about to judge someone else.

I merely skimmed the comments on this post because i’m short on time, so i hope to not repeat anything here. My answer about the abortion was no because no matter the circumstance i don’t believe murder is right. On the question about presidential candidates, i’m not sure what else i’m supposed to base by opinion on. Sure, judging isn’t right and i don’t agree with harshly judging others based on their past, but when i simply have a one sentence description to base my choice then of course i will choose the candidate who seemingly makes wise decisions. And the reason this example works for making a point about judging is because Hitler is the exception to the rule. Every general rule has its exceptions and that’s why you can point out Hitler’s private life and hold it against other leaders and say, “Look, this is why you shouldn’t judge.” Hitler is merely an exception to the rule, i will always vote for the leader who makes wise decisions in his private life. It’s in the private places of our life where our character is formed.

This goes back to the old saying “never judge a book by its cover.” I need to brush up on my world history because those were very surprising facts. But in fact, we do judge. We judge people by their looks, color, personality, income and countless other characteristics that we shouldn’t. I don’t care if these are good examples or not, it conveys the point you are trying to get across. And by the way, I like the different fonts.

If you had mentioned the Canadian legislature, I think the obvious example would have been our most famous prime minister, Pierre Trudeau. He was an arrogant French womanizer who lived the life of a rock star. What’s not to love?

But I still think that you didn’t any evident danger in judging others…unless we actually voted based on character instead of political agendas…because otherwise I don’t think any good American would vote a president into office with a silver spoon still hanging from his mouth and traces of cocaine still under his nose.

Wow! This post shows how easy it to judge someone based on a view words. Unfortunately, we all make judgments everyday. People judge others based on something as trivial as how they look, or possibly by experience when watching someone act in a certain way. As pr professionals we need to be aware how judgments will play into our field. As professionals, we will be coming in contact with different types of people everyday, whether it is coworkers or clients. This post reinforces how careful we need to be when tempted to make speedy assumptions. In pr, we will be dealing with the public and the judgments they may possess about our client, business, etc. I look at various cases we have studied and see how pr has been used to reinforce or change the public’s attitudes or views. I hope with experience and the tools we are learning I will be equipped to do the same in my future career.

I’ve actually received this in an e-mail before and was shocked the first time around, and even though I had an inkling of an idea of what the answers would be this time around, I am still amazed by these facts. This little test goes a long way in teaching us the time-old tale to look beneath the surface. It’s important to search for all the facts before making a judgment or taking an action that may not be justifiable. This can really relate to most any aspect of life, but I think it’s especially important to remember in a public relations career. We can’t base an entire campaign on a limited amount of facts or knowledge. In order to be successful we must look at every aspect of a situation and be the most knowledgeable source on the subject. I want to be able to shape the public’s opinion based on the total package, rather than a small part of it that may not even be relevant to the issue. The men in this test must have had some great publicity themselves!

This reminds me of a music quote from a group called Outkast, “So don’t get caught up in appearance.” This is something that we all do everyday. Sometimes you can tell a little about a person or their interests but we do judge people when we shouldnt. You never can really know someone unitll you know them. I learned this best when I was a freshman in collage getting involved with a fraternity. From first impression the people that you least thought would be your friends are your best friends. When getting in the real world you will run into all different types of people and dont need to not get caught up in appearance.

I’m not going to lie, I chose Hitler as my leader over Roosevelt and Churchill. The 8-10 martini fix sounds better and better. I also killed off Beethoven, and I love his Ninth Symphony. The Congress profile didn’t really surprise me though, I would have pegged most of them for abusive alcholics anyway.

You make a really good point, Dee. It is important to step outside of convention and do something different. We’ve got to recognize our inherent humanity and proneness to make mistakes. It’s how we deal with our mistakes that determine our character. It’s hard to break preconceptions and not make snap judgments. Your post reminded me that snap judgments are often proved wrong; it’s important to give others the benefit of the doubt, think outside the box, and try something new every once in a while- I’m going to start with the eight martinis. . .

I think these facts are astonishing. Even though unlike most of my other counterparts I chose Roosevelt for my leader. I think it is very commonplace, especially in the “box” most students live in at Auburn University, to get caught up on outward appearances. If someone is different in any way they often get shunned.
I think it is important is that people experience life and learn from their mistakes. It’s a complete waste of time to go through life having friends that are exactly like you with the exact same ideas, status and hairstyles
I am graduating from college in a very different place than most people and I think it has given me an advantage because I don’t care if people like what I wear or what is going on in the “social scene” around town. It’s a lot easier when you have your life in order and are in school for one reason, to get out.
Oh and to the first question, if abortion was not considered the other times, why now? If the children are well taken care of, a disability or disease shouldn’t determine if the child lives or not. What matters is that the children are loved and givent the same opportunities as everyone else.
Thanks Dee, always a pleasure!!

Wow!..that is about all I can say right now. This test and information is absolutely astounding. I will admit that I actually said no to the abortion question- which is quite a good decision I must say. I didn’t kill off Beethoven! However, I did choose Hitler as our leader- what a huge mistake that would have been. This validities the importance of accepting others and taking the time to understand all individuals, no matter what is blinding us.

This information proves that judging others is not only wrong, but not for us to do. As I have seen many others judged wrongly and been judged wrongly myself, I have always striven to “sweep around my own back door” and not intervene into others’ lives and judge them for their past actions. If every individual committed themselves to first correct their own actions within their lives, they would never have time to judge others for their decisions and lives. However, it is easy to be lured into the trap of judging others’ lives because of the news that is fed out to society today. The media does not miss out on an opportunity to share the latest news of an political figure, official, or movie star’s mistakes or failures. With this type of news constantly available for the public to review, it encourages the lifestyle of judging others.

Thanks for sharing this information with us Dee. I definitely can say that I’ve learned something new today and I will be slow to judge others.

This was a good one! I enjoyed reading this information although I feel terrible about myself right now. I didn’t think I judged people, but after reading about the candidates and not knowing who they were, I was opposed to candidates A and B. I would have chosen C. Wow! I’m so glad my vote is not the only one!

I still cannot believe what I just read. That is all our society does is judge. As kids in elementary school until we are behind a desk in an office, we judge. I thought I wasn’t bad about it, but after reading that, I’m the worst.

I see judging taking place every day. The media, classmates, parents, roommates, friends all judge one another. It’s so sad. Hayley is right when she says that the media encourages that lifestyle. We are constantly fed to look thinner, be tanner, wear this brand of clothing not that, just so we might can slip through the cracks and not be judged. When I stop to think about it, I wonder where is the world headed? What are the next generations going to be like?

We all need to take time and build one another up and stop this vicious cycle of judging. Thank you Dee, it’s always great to hear from you!

Wow, that really puts things in perspective. I guess it’s true what they say about jumping to conclusions about people. In the long run though, everyone judges people everyday without even thinking about it. First impressions really do make a difference and it’s really important to remember that when you initially meet someone. They are going to make their own judgements about you no matter what, but at least you can try to be yourself and hopefully that will be enough.

Great lesson. So I guess we are supposed to regard Winton Churchill, FDR and Hitler in the same class of leaders. Because Hitler is portrayed as being a ‘better person’ through these few shallow facts, we don’t need to say that he is a bad person, right? The fact is that Hitler was a terrible person and Churchill and FDR were outstanding leaders.

Dee, we could make you look like an amateur and me look like the professional by highlighting one or two good things I have done and several things you have messed up. The bottom line is that you are the professional and I am the student. It’s not judging, it’s the truth.

I think the Congress facts are slightly misrepresented as well. Over how many years were these figures compiled? Because I highly doubt that these have come from just one term. I would be willing to bet that this information was compiled over many years and therefore many terms, meaning that the numbers you passed on to us were representative of way more than 500 hundred people.

Great post! I’m always excited to read your thoughts because you think outside of the box. I like reading something that leaves me thinking the rest of the day, and that’s exactly what you’ve managed to accomplish here. I LOVE your reference to Roosevelt, Churchill, and Hitler. While Hitler appears on paper to be the perfect presidential candidate, in reality he was a mass murder. This is a perfect warning to look beyond the surface.

I also like your discussion about Congress. While they have made many mistakes over the years, they have accomplished some wonderful things for this country. Isn’t the bottom line that we’ve all made mistakes. NO ONE is perfect and because of this we shouldn’t be intimated or afraid to go after whatever it is we want from life. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, so we shouldn’t let these overwhelm us or distract us from accomplishing great things. Obviously, Roosevelt and Churchill overcame their weaknesses to become some of the most influential men in history.

Next time before I judge, I’ll remember your post! Thanks again for you thoughts!

This shocked me! This will be a post that I will always remember because it proves a valid point. We are going to be faced with the real world in a matter of months and we have to realize that we are going to make TONS of mistakes. However, this will not keep us from doing well in the future. Many people are quick to judge when things go wrong. Instead, we should take a step back and realize that we can always learn from mistakes. Just because someone made a mistake years ago, doesn’t always mean they are not capable of handling things now.

I’ve read this somewhere before, so I guess my shock wasn’t as large as my classmates. But it does remind us of one important lesson - think before you judge. There is always a story behind someone’s weaknesses. Maybe they have overcome a lot to have even the weaknesses they posses.

One man’s trash is another man’s jewel. We all look at the world with different views, but I think we all want the learn and grow. Everyone makes mistakes… some larger than others, but judgment isn’t our responsibility.

I have read this before too so was not quite as shocked, but I’m happy to be reminded of this lesson. The high school I graduated from is named after Winston Churchill, and it’s funny to know that information about him after idolizing him for 4 years of my life. Interesting how they never taught us that in school… haha!

The thing I find most interesting is, if our world leaders that made the history we’re learning today were such “bad” people… makes you wonder what our leaders in office are doing right now (minus the congress leaders you listed)!

Guess we can’t judge in business or life!

Actually, the vegetarian bit about Hitler is an urban legend. His doctors ordered him to eat a lot of vegetables for some condition he had (unsure what it was from the top of my head), but he was not a vegetarian.

It is hardly a surprise if you give people irrelevant facts and then they jump to the incorrect conclusions. Especially with the second question, the striking conclusion to me is that people don’t ask enough questions – or maybe that they don’t ask the right questions. I’m supposed to pick a leader based on the given facts? If that were my responsibility, I would demand more facts. Marketers may exploit this tendency, but as consumers, we have the power to dig deeper, ask the hard questions and demand real answers. I think the real lesson from this test is that we need to be more discriminating, not less judgmental.

Yeah, Ashley, much of Churchill’s life isn’t taught at the school’s he’s named after.

By the time he was your age, or close to it, he had been in combat, was a highly paid war correspondent, a decorated hero, a defeated politician, a best-selling author, a Cabinet minister…. at MY age he was out of work, desperately writing to make ends meet, a depressive, convinced his life was a failure… and at 61 became the saviour .. and I use that term deliberately … of democratic civilization.

Give me a Churchill any day of the week.

Everyone’s talking about not judging a book by its cover, but in those statements we’re judging by the text. If it was really all about appearances, Roosevelt would have it in the bag. Churchill- bald and chubby man who resembled Batman’s nemesis “Penguin” when he wore that hat. Hitler- not big on smiling and had an odd, slick comb over. Roosevelt- handsome and wise like your favorite grandfather.

Getting caught up in the appearances and hype about someone is a foolish thing, I agree. However, a person’s intuition should never be ignored. Rarely have my first gut feelings on someone proven wrong and I plan to carry that into the business world. Is that wrong?

Snopes has comments to make about this, dated March, 2007 at http://www.snopes.com/glurge/twoquestions.asp

For further edification, regarding the 2nd part about members of Congress, please view recent (February 2007) comments at

http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/congress.asp

Now that I have time, I am going to actually share my thoughts…
Today in lab, a few of us were looking over Camp ASCCA and one of the applicants had a bit of bad language on their facebook page. Instead of writing them off instantly, Robert chose not to judge them and to give them a chance. This person may be the hardest worker Camp ASCCA will ever bring on, but if they had been judged and written off the camp might have missed out. So, moral of the story is… do not judge others.

What an interesting post. First, to answer the questions, I would have said no to the abortion question (to later learn that was a good answer..haha) and then im guilty, I would have chosen Hitler as well.

It’s weird that I just read this because I had a very interesing conversation with my friend the other day along the lines of this topic. We were talking about working in an unethical environment and saying that if the company was doing something unethical then you should get out of it as soon as you can. However, we were also saying that you need to be smart about it as well. Because you may be in a situation where you may leave a company just because you felt that some fellow employees weren’t making the best personal choices. And this is where there can be a blurry line between strictly judging others because their past and you just choose to not be associated with them or if they are truly doing something that will hurt the company’s reputation. So, this all really got me thinking about the difference between judging and knowing when something is definitely unethical.

I really enjoyed this post. I’m proud to say that I chose for Beethoven to live. However, the second question got me to thinking before I even answered it. Something about the third option made me raise an eyebrow…it just sounded too perfect. I have learned to find faults intriguing, and those without faults uninteresting. Of course, I realize this is still a judgment and the moral of the story is not to judge. I must say that while I understand the moral, I must say that it is nearly impossible not to make judgments because judgments are basically your first gut instinct about someone.

My roommates and I just discussed that post around the dinner table. Thanks for bringing a topic of conversation to our little house in Auburn!

The facts are certainly plain and simple. It just goes to show that who someone is goes much deeper than what is visible at first. What a reminder to think twice before making an assumption about someone–or better yet, just to not make an assumption. Although it’s good to get a “read” on people, it’s not good to write someone off or decide things from a first impression. In being careful not to judge, where’s the line in not being too vulnerable with people?

I just now found this post and I think it is amazing. It makes you think outside of the box, which is exactly what we need to do in public relations. We are taught that ethics and credibility are foundations of PR, but part of being able to successfully practice each of these is the ability to use practical and objective judgment. As soon as we can ignore stereotypes and stop compartmentalizing groups of people, businesses and lifestyles in general will improve. I agree 100% with this post. Everyone is guilty of it at least a little bit. LET’S STOP JUDGING!

This post really got me thinking! You look, and the answer seems obvious, but of course, it isn’t! I have to admit, I have been presented with one of these make you re-evaluate your judgments exercises so I had a feeling there was a catch. I would like to say that I don’t judge, but that would make me a liar. Honestly, I know that this sounds bad, but sometimes you have to judge a little, especially in PR. I say this because you have to know how to approach people and that involves making judgments. I am not advocating judging others to make yourself feel better, but I think it is ok to judge on how to approach others.