Please take a moment to get to know me before you decide who I am

We live in a world of instant gratification. Everything is available at our fingertips. So we form opinions on everything from conflict zones, the presidential campaigns of a foreign country, the political economy and what the housewife next door should have for breakfast. Everything is right there before us, isn’t it and we are free to judge as we please.

Stop right there.

That’s where you’re wrong.

Before you decide that you know what’s best for me. Please ask me. Before you decide to label me and call me names. Please, take a minute to ask me about my opinion on things. Try to understand WHO I am and WHAT I stand for. I may just surprise you.

[bctt tweet=”Are you the kind of person who judges people? Here’s why that has to stop NOW!”]

All my life, I’ve been put in little boxes. Boxes that other people create. Boxes that they determine for me. Without even knowing me. I FUCKING HATE IT!

Please don’t think you know me, just because we’re friends on Facebook. Please don’t decide you know who I am, just because you knew my parents. Please don’t underestimate me, just because I am a woman.

I am powerful in my own right, I am educated, and informed but I don’t pretend to know everything. I want to learn from you, so try to learn from me too. Let’s stop assuming we know it all because the truth is, we don’t know half as much as we think we do.

Please don’t assume that because I’m a woman, I have to live a certain way.

Please don’t assume that because you can’t put a finger on my racial classification, I’m going to think it’s okay that you judge me based on your notions of what I am.

Please don’t assume that I’m going to find your sexual harassment of me amusing.

Please don’t assume I’m going to accept your advice on raising my child.

Please don’t assume I want to hear your opinion on how I should see the world.

Please don’t assume it’s okay to be racist or sexist or homophobic around me.

Please don’t assume you know me.

Ask me for my opinion. Let’s talk about the world and everything in it.

But please don’t assume I want to be told how to live my life and what choices I should make.

I’ll believe what I choose to believe, I don’t need to be like you, we can still be friends. And if you’re not okay with our differences, then we would make lousy friends anyway.

Think before you judge.