Hypocrisy or Life Lesson's Learned?

"I'm not one to judge"..."She shouldn't judge other people"..."You have no right to judge me".

I hear these phrases all the time and I have to admit to being guilty of uttering variations of them myself. Yet as I've unwillingly entered my 40's , I find myself doing exactly that ...judging the choices people make.

Now before I am inundated with nasty comments about 'intolerance' and 'hypocrisy' let me make myself abundantly clear, I do not for one minute believe that it is OK to judge another person based on race, religion, sexual preference, level of education, or physical attributes (I'm sure I've missed some other important things but you get my drift), on the flip side however, I don't believe that we should be so non-judgmental that we blindly accept anyone or anything.

The ability and duty to judge the actions of others is what defines us as a civilized society. It is the very act of imposing our judgment on others that prevents all out anarchy on our streets. We're SUPPOSED to judge right from wrong; judgment from others ensures that the vast majority of us conform to societal norms.

Let me be as up front and honest as I can; if you decide to whale the tar out of your child in the parking lot of Walmart, steal a car, or leave your wife and two babies for some young thang you met at work, hell yes...I'm going to judge you.



Some would call me a hypocrite but I believe that many people don't truly know the definition of a hypocrite.

a hypocrite is someone who says something and does something else because they never believed what they said in the first place.

Though I myself have made choices in the past that others would judge as wrong, this should not exclude me from the right to pass judgement when YOU make a choice that is ethically and morally bankrupt. I believe that we should honor our commitments and live up to our responsibilities, and I try everyday to live that belief.

So don't hide behind the old "you can't judge me" defense. I can, I should, and I will judge the choices you make.



*Originally posted by the deMented Mom in November 2009

Comments

onegirliegirl said…
Oh Yeah!! I'm totally with you. I saw a girl standing at the bus stop holding onto her stroller {toddler girl inside} with a cigarette in the hand that was on the stroller. I almost yelled out "For God's sake, Why don't you just put it in her mouth and let have a drag?!" So I'm judging as well...even though I used to smoke...quit after I got married...and more importantly long before I had kids :)

xoxo ~Lisa
MiMi said…
I'm with you too! I saw a pregnant chick with a case of beer and smoking a cigarette at the store, well outside the store. Uh, didn't MEAN to judge, not consciously anyway, but I did.
jan said…
Alls I have to say, is only smart women can be really good beeotches, or maybe I should tone it down, and say think Zen no right no wrong there just is, if it is not your journey it is not your biz???? There is always that trek in Nepal if you need sometime to think about it??????
The Bumbles said…
OK - I'm judging your delayed word verification thingy 'cause I just left a great comment, hit Post Comment and then as I was closing the window I saw a word verif. box appear as the screen closed. So dammit all now I have to come back and type it over. Except it won't be as clever this time because I won't get it just right. Kind of like when you have to explain a Far Side cartoon to someone. It just doesn't have the same effect that way. Oh well. Now I've forgotten my point. I did enjoy your cartoon tremendously. I know that was part of it ;0)
otin said…
Everything has to be judged to some extent. We even have to judge which situations need to be judged. I don't really care what anyone does, as long as it does not negatively affect someone elses life, including mine.
Mrsblogalot said…
LOFL!!!!!!!!!! sorry, I can't get past the elephant and the camel
Knucklehead said…
I guess the bottom line here is that if someone has a problem with being judged, he/she shouldn't do things so obviously judgable (is that a word)?
blueviolet said…
My brother is the first one to cast judgment on people and he does the very things he seems to cast judgment on. He's so aggravating!

The cartoon was HILARIOUS!
Michele said…
I totally agree with you on this point too. Well said, and well written.

Morally bankrupt... Love it.

Oh, and btw... my last comment never made it because of the verification thingy.
I found you today in my travels and so glad I did. What a great blog!!
Look forward to following along ;)
salomon shoes said…
I agree with your sentiments...

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