A prejudice is a judgment without justification. A judgment made without reason or lacking facts to back it up. I often think of prejudices similar to stereotypes, although that is not always the case. Everyone makes prejudices even if they don’t realize it – I have very strong opinions on people I have never met.

Everyone makes prejudices, but one in particular drives me insane every time I hear/see it. My brother has a disability – but you can’t tell from his appearance. He is about to turn 17 but has the maturity of about a 10 or 11 year old. It can be embarrassing being out with him, because he acts like a kid in an adult’s body (he’s over 6 feet tall). If you saw a normal-looking older teenager laughing hysterically to himself about nothing, you would probably think something like, “He must be high,” or, “He’s crazy,” – right?

Every time I see someone give my brother a strange look it makes me wish I had the confidence to stand up and say something. I wish all people (even adults) had the maturity to see someone unlike us and ignore it. Is it really worth it to look at people like that? If you don’t know him and what he deals with on a daily basis, you should keep to yourself and let Jake continue with his day.

Prejudice is so common; sometimes judgments go unnoticed. We say we hate someone before we meet him or her. Is there something we find difficult about waiting to judge until we’ve met the person? Personally, I think everyone would respect each other more without prejudice.