A second chance for a change in perception

Before you read any further, please watch this video clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

What do you think when u watch this clip? 

Would you feel embarrassed for her or would you put yourself in her shoes and try and justify her stupidity by blaming the fact that she was on National TV and was nervous?

I guess both are valid.

Both ways, this poor girl has to try hard to prove her cleverness to the judgmental public.

As human beings, it is in our nature to make quick judgments about things. We walk by a store and almost immediately after a mere glance we know what has potential for us to make a purchase and what does not. Most of the time we make decisions on our judgement. Seldom do we dig deep for the root of things. If we enter a new classroom full of people we are not acquainted with, we use judgment to lead us to people who we want to talk to, or away from people we do not feel like being associated with. People say that attractiveness is skin deep. By attractiveness i refer to any aspect of mankind. I couldn't agree more with that sentence, however, people who try to lie to themselves and say that first impression doesn't count are in denial. When have you ever approached somebody who did not at all give you a good vibe or attracted you in any way and repeated to yourself in your head that if you gave him or her more time, he or she MIGHT have a wonderful personality. Let's face it. First impression plays a big part in determining our social circle and we know it. 

So what has poor Miss Teen South Carolina have to deal with for (at least) the next few years in her life? Before that question was thrown in her face, a pretty face like hers definitely had the potential for a lucrative modelling career. Maybe even acting and if she could carry a tune, singing could also be an option! But no, after she went on that crazy rant, with her out-of-the blue random throwing in of words, would people be willing to take the risk and invest on this girl that everyone has such a bad impression of? This could cause serious impediment to her career. Yet an element of our brain is persistent in keeping the first-impression of her strong. If someone asked you what you thought of her, would you go ' I believe deep down inside her she is really smart, we just haven't seen it yet'? Things like this are left for her friends and parents to say. For people like us, we know this girl cause of her embarrassing clip that has been circulating around.  There is no time for us to try and 'search ' for her cleverness as we have much more important things to do.

People are being dishonest when they say they are not judgmental. To a certain extent we all are. If we don't want to be that way, we can start by giving people who have humiliated us or annoyed us once before another chance, or start talking to that weird guy or girl who makes us uncomfortable by staring at us in the Bus or train. Maybe if we get to know them well enough we would realize they are not so bad afterall!

Just for a good laugh, I found this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR75L08SBHo

What we are becoming

As i was walking home after a nice dinner one day, I made my usual stop at the convenient store to stock up on chocolates and snack. Uncontrollably my wandering eyes led me to the magazine corner to check out what was new. Nothing. As i was about to turn to walk away, up on the right corner on the shelf my eyes widened as I caught a glimpse of the word 'COSMETIC' in bold letters. Naturally intrigued by the mere thought of this word, I pulled that particular magazine out. To my horror, I noticed in small letters at the bottom of that bright bold word it read 'Surgery and Beauty - BECAUSE NOBODY'S PERFECT'.

I was stunned. So it wasn't about cosmetics. It was an entire full sixty-page magazine about plastic surgery. For a split second there I thought I was seeing things. I couldn't get myself to open it to check out its ludicrous contents - 'BECAUSE NOBODY'S PERFECT'. Yes, I thought to myself, and i suppose... plastic surgery makes one impeccable? I found it absolutely ridiculous. A little disappointed that that convenient store had actually imported that in to sell. I am not saying plastic surgeons should go to hell, or that we shouldn't support that industry at all. Fact is I believe everyone has the right to do what he or she wants to his or her body if need me. Whatever makes them happy I guess. I am just saying - what has the media done to us? Have we all been sucked into the superficial world? I thought we are all beautiful for who we are? We kind of a slogan is 'BECAUSE NOBODY'S PERFECT'? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everybody needs a little bit of imperfection. Its our imperfections that make us who we are. If i was free from flaws and mistakes, I wouldn't be me. Each time you look in the mirror you should be reminding yourself that being yourself is essential in life. And nobody should be allowed to tell you otherwise.

If you happen to see that magazine on the streets, please boycott it. If not for yourself then do it as a favor for me =)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

The Man, The Monster.

I had just arrived home from Taiwan when I first heard about the extremely bizarre incestuous case of 73 year old Austrian man Josef Fritzel. Even typing his name sends a shiver down my spine. I was tired as hell and I had just dropped my bags and was about to head into my room when my boyfriend gasped in horror. I reckon by now a lot of people despite the initial shock and anger have already gotten over it. I don't mean disregarding it, but more like accepting the reality and moving on to focus on other daily happenings. I find it hard to do so. Ever since I read about it I got more and more intrigued and disturbed by it. I believe that by now I have read each and every article that had been published on the internet. I have even subscribed to the 'daily fritzl updates' on google. Yeah, you heard me. Reason being, I have always been interested in the human mind. I am aware that I should have taken a Psychology major and I am not quite sure why I didn't. I am perpetually curious about why we think the way we do, and what affects the way we see things. I want to, from articles, learn what drove this man, or should i say, beast, to committing such an act. Beyond all this insanity is messed up and disturbed man who clearly had a vicious and traumatizing childhood. No man of the sane mind would perform something so inhumane as that. It is honestly the most disturbing story i have read in the last decade or so. I wish someone would buy me a ticket to Austria, guarantee that I'd never get caught and send me on a mission to kill this guy. He is the most despicable being of the century. Sure, he blames his mother, the Nazis as well as Hitler for his behavior. Control and respect of the authority was what he believed in. At this point, honestly, I couldn't care less about what he has to say. His lawyer is defending him, saying that he should seek medical attention and that he belongs in the mental institution and not prison. Being his lawyer must be tough.  Where do you draw the line? How do you force yourself to forget that your client is the current most notorious monster? Plenty of people must hate him for trying to defend him, including myself. I wish he'd get thrown in jail alongside of Fritzl. 

There is one thing we should all ponder about though. That is, where do we draw the line when it comes to committing a crime and insanity? Sure, people like Josef Fritzl most definitely have an unstable mind, but if every case of insanity-led-crimes allow for a softer prosecution, we are allowing more cases in relation to this arise. Should we then be allowed to assault whoever made us sad and depressed and blame it on our unstable heads? How do we tell right from wrong? How do we justify such cases? I have been thinking about this but I haven't quite found an answer.