[scotty79]

> Yeah, but you won't always be right - do you like being wrong some of the time because you jump to conclusions?

Yeah. But it takes literally 5 seconds to readjust as new information comes in. If a guy in a suit turns out to be plumber I won't hesitate to ask his card if I am in need of some plumbing service at the moment. On the other hand if I'm right I'm better prepared to spot and fend off attempt to sell me something.

> How about deferring judgement until you interact verbally with the person?

It's impossible to do that without closing your eyes. You use all your senses to figure out environment around you. People are large part of it. How somebody looks, smells or sounds is an information that can allow you to predict things. If I smell alcohol from someone I don't have to wait till he speaks something coherent to decide what actions should I take.

> I am a straight(ish, ahem) guy who from time to time paints his nails. Q: What would you infer from that?

If I saw you in public with nails painted I'd just think you are daring individual. It might be positive, it might be negative. I'd be more curious but also more cautioned if I ever were to enter verbal contact with you.

[sdfsdf44]

This sounds about right. People are generally aware of how they look and act and what that communicates to others; it is always possible to adjust people's perceptions through words and actions, but the initial impression is, for most people, at least partly a calculated thing.

By all means, people should look however they prefer to, and ideally many knee-jerk reactions to things would be less so, but the world isn't ideal. I strongly prefer people who do reserve their judgement of someone until a more complete perception of them has been made, but I acknowledge that it isn't something I always do, by any means. If I see someone in a suit, my snap judgement thought is very unlikely to be 'hacker' unless they are discussing or engaged in something relevant (just as it's unlikely to be 'investment banker' for someone in a band tshirt and scruffy jeans). However, I don't discount the possibility by any means.

>If I saw you in public with nails painted I'd just think you are daring individual. It might be positive, it might be negative. I'd be more curious but also more cautioned if I ever were to enter verbal contact with you.

I'd be perfectly fine with this reaction.

I realise I've probably been stereotyped about it, but as far as I can see, it's never actually affected me directly.