B.Løvetann

Today, I found myself thinking.
Are prejudices really an expression of our own ego? Our own pride?

We often talk about what is normal. But what is normal, really? And perhaps an even more important question—who gets to decide what «normal» is?

People often talk about the famous «sheep mentality,» comparing ordinary, A4 people to a flock of sheep.
But I tend to say that we’re all A4.
Because what is A4, really?

Isn’t A4 simply what is considered normal within the environment we live in?
If we say that A4 people follow the flock, don’t we all do that? The only real difference is which flock we choose to follow.

And maybe that’s exactly where prejudice begins.
We judge others based on what is considered normal within our own flock.
But what is prejudice, really?
Isn’t it often a mixture of ignorance and fear?

And what about our pride?
Isn’t that shaped by what we’ve been taught is normal as well?
If that’s true, why do some people feel ashamed when others simply choose to be themselves?

Why do we feel embarrassed?
Is it because our own idea of normal has taught us that «people don’t do that»?
That «people will think you look ridiculous»?
If both our idea of normal and our pride are learned, why do we let other people decide how we should relate to those who are different?

And if I feel embarrassed because of someone else…
…is it really about them?
Or is it actually about me?
About my own pride?
About my own fear of what other people might think of me?

Because when we feel embarrassed, one thought often appears:
«What are they thinking about me right now?»
And that thought isn’t really about the other person.
It’s about us.

Maybe that’s why prejudice sometimes says more about the person judging than the person being judged.

Isn’t that something worth thinking about?