Have you ever looked at someone on the street and said, he's a creep,pickpocket or something like that, or just moved away from someone just because that person gave you bad vibes? I would like to say I haven't but that would be lying. I am angry at myself whenever I find myself making a snap judgement like that but I sometimes defend it by saying it's instinct. For some reason I find myself at unease around male strangers from my part of the world. My friends also say the same thing is it because others tend to ignore us while this category of people do exactly the opposite? Living alone I guess we prefered to take precautions rather than be sorry after trying to act on a higher moral ground.
I realised that this kind of thinking was directed toward us as well when my friend coming home one night encountered an elderly couple waiting at the lift. When she approached they moved aside and let her go up and then followed in the next lift. She was angry that people wouldn't trust her and for having encountered this kind of treatment. It was then I realized that we also met the "scary looks" criteria; were dark skinned and in our 20s (well the only thing that didn't fit the profile was that we weren't male), and our guy friends would be treated in the same manner.
I used to live in an area that was populated by migrant workers (ha they fit the profile), and many people asked whether I was unnereved by living at close proximity to them and my only answer is, others dislike living next to me too (and probably even you) but its a free country.
I try my best not to make these generalizations and snap judgements, but when I travel alone at night I can't help it.
