Donovan Montgomery

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1102
10 February 2015
My second draft came a lot easier to me. The peer edit really helped sparked ideas; I
really grasped the concept of what we were supposed to do after hearing everyone elses
paper. I still feel like this needs to be longer, but I still feel like my topic is very
researchable and will bring a lot of information to the table. I hope you enjoy this
proposal.
What is your Label?
We all do it subconsciously, look at someone and give him or her a label based off
of how they are dressed, how old they are; or what they look like. Once we label a person
we begin thinking of stereotypes that may or may not apply to that particular individual.
This is the beginning of a sociological term known as the Looking Glass Self. The
Looking Glass Self was created by sociologist Charles Horton Cooley and it means,
How we see ourselves does not come from who we really are, but rather from how we
believe others see us. Looking further into the Looking Glass Self we can find that when
we encounter some people we began feeling discomfort or tension. This leads to people
making assumptions and judgments before really getting to know the person, a prelude to
stereotyping. This led me to the question, Why does our image, name, etc. change
people's perception of us, rather than our character?
You can apply this question in many different situations, but one particular
situation I want to focus on is the workplace. Each day thousands of people interview and

apply for jobs. For instance, Person A and Person B could have similar credentials, both
have a college degree, and work experience, but Person B has tattoos while Person A
does not. Although Person B may be a harder worker and more fit for the job he is
already at a disadvantage because, the company frowns upon tattoos. It is not against
company policy to have tattoos; they are just outside of the norm in workplace. This is an
example of a prejudgment before actually getting to know the person. Even though
Person B may be a better fit for the company he is already prejudged because he doesnt
look like everyone else in the office.
In retrospect this question of Why does our image and name change people's
perception of us, rather than our character? can be researched through theories and
surveys. This question is important to myself as well as my classmates because each and
every day we will be judged by our appearance and not our character. Historical context
behind this include racial profiling. For example getting stopped by the police just
because you are a certain ethnicity. Although you are supposed to be aware of your
surroundings, many times people are wrongly accused. As I continue to search for more
information I could look online for research articles and surveys. Im hoping to find out
why people judge before they get to know one another, as a result of my research.