Mass Similarity

     I know that I have judged people numerous times in my head, thinking that I knew who they were, when all of a sudden, something changed and they turned out not to be who I had made them out ot be, but totally different. Have you ever seen someone being victimized by bullying, but said nothing, or worse, laughed and taunted, or even worse, joined in?
     Nineteen Minutes  is an amazing book that will grab your attention from the very beginning and will never let go. After reading this book, you become so much more aware of the things that take place around you on a daily bases that you had either not seen, or ignored. This is one of those books that makes you want to stand up for the little guy and make a difference.
     Throughout her life Josie Cormier has  always been expected to live up to other people's standards. She puts on a plastic face every morning for all of the other people in the student body who are in on the masquerade. Strutting her glamorous mask down the hallway, people make their own judgments about her, along with the kids who are considered dorks for not joining in on the party. So, because Peter Houghton flaunts his inner self, rather than some manufactured mask made up by society, he is ridiculed and taunted. Because Peter was smaller and more dainty than the ones who bullied him, he would always fall back into the shadows after his daily dose of humiliation and ridicule. But, after things go too far, everything will change as the bulldogs are now suddenly scrounging away from the underdog in fear that would send a chill right through them...literally.
     After reading this book, I have unfortunately had to come to terms with the fact that I have been guilty of judging someone for reasons that should not even be taken into account when settling on what kind of person they are. You don't have to be a member of the 'masquerade' to be judged or judge. Whether you are someone that flaunts a plastic image, or someone who flaunts your inner self, you are judged, but you also judge. Sometimes I wonder if everyone realizes that they are constantly being watched to see if they will mess up and flaw their reputation, popular or not. There is a common saying that the 'masquerade' members commonly use, which basically says that someone under them aren't like them. Well, that is an unfortunate lie. Although I understand that it might seem like I am trying to coax you into believing that everyone is one in the same. This is not the case  because I believe that everyone is their own person. But,  if you were to combine all of the groups, you would find one mass similarity. Everyone judges other people, as well as everyone has other people who judge them.