The Art of The Look

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Inspired by the handshake thread. It has been suggested that if I bring up a similar point, that is, I make snap judgements about people based on the look they have in their eyes. I think the handshake, the shoes, even posture are all unimportant really, if you're a dullard I can usually see it the first time I see your eyes, even if you're not looking right back at me.

Is this inaccurate? Am I just imagining things? I don't think I am, I've been right so far. I've been surprised by some people who DIDN'T look like morons who later turned out to be practically clinical, but never the other way round.

(cue 800 posts calling me a dickhead)

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

everybody does this but only a few will admit to it.

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

You are completely OTM, TB.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Why won't people admit to it, though? Does it feel too close to bigotry to judge people in this way?

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Am I just imagining things?

No, I think a lot of people do this. I don't mind admitting to it, but it does seem like a sort of bigotry or close-mindedness though.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I think "the look" encompasses at least facial expression and posture. (Unless Tombot judges people based on pupil radius or something.) People make these judgements based on a million factors, most of which are totally ingrained and automatic.

― bnw (bnw), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Why won't people admit to it, though? Does it feel too close to bigotry to judge people in this way?

It gives them an easier in to complain about Jon Williams calling somebody "fat" if they can appear to not have done the same thing themselves.

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:43 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, i guess it's not the only thing i look at when i first meet people, but it's one of them.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

These guys, Adrock especially, are masters

http://www.mtv.com/bands/archive/b/beasties00/images/main.jpg http://www.artistsnetwork.org/news8/group1.jpg http://beastieboys.tvheaven.com/images/creatures.jpg

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

masters of asshattery? I'd say that based on their looks, and their music.

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

no, expression and posture do have something to do with it. bnw is right about the fact that it is about a million tiny details that all come together when making these judgement calls, and they do seem totally automatic.

Is it that we're taught by society to distrust these kind of automatic judgements because they're the kind of things that people imagine lead to other forms of prejudice?

http://www.digitaldane.com/images/dell.jpg

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I totally judge people on their eyes.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I'v always had a hard time looking people in the eyes because I am super shy. Its bad.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I think everyone does this with the eyes, which brings to mind one of my favorite movies, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, in which the star Warren Oates wears sunglasses for the first part of the movie. I think that was intended to throw people off and not see "into him" right away.

― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

the difference, i think, between the look and the handshake is that a look is fairly instinctive a response to any kind of stimulation around you. it's a very truthful thing.
the handshake, on the other hand, is a learned and more conscious thing. it is a thing carried similarly throughout all aspects of their life - presumable, i shake the same with everyone, or flatter myself so. that being it's a clue into the charachter rather simply their response to yours.
as for the most telling, i reckon the eyes have it.

― matthew james (matthew james), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I'v always had a hard time looking people in the eyes because I am super shy. Its bad.

Not quite that shy but I am definitely often more comfortable looking past someone or in another direction while talking to them.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Well you gotta think where are these judgements coming from? Culture, media, background, etc. I think the more interesting judgements(i.e. those that shun the p.c. fear of prejudices) are the ones they find in newborns as in 'natural' prejudices we are meant to unlearn.

― bnw (bnw), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

People should also be aware that they don't get so hung up judging people on the look in their eyes that they forget they are also judging them on the way that they speak/write.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan otm.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

i do these things too. even tho i never really understood how the eyes manage to indicate intelligence.

one thing i have noticed is that if you hang your mouth open you will instantly look 500x stupider.

― dyson (dyson), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 17:04 (twenty-two years ago)

what was the name of that game where you piece together these parts of photos of a person with different facial expressions?

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 17:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Ed Gein's Concentration?

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

DAN!!!!

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 8 June 2004 17:18 (twenty-two years ago)

everybody does this but only a few will admit to it.

there's a big difference between doing things, and between freely announcing you do them, by ones inadmission they are showing an acknowledgement that this practice is wrong, even if they do do it themselves.

furthermore, "everybody" hardly preconcieves their ideas about those they meet in the same manner, so everybody doesn't do anything.

I think I probably do this, but I don't think it's purely a matter of how they look at me, there are alot of factors involved, I'm not sure how I'd do it when meeting people though, surely when you talk to someone any (equally unfair) judgement is made on what they say rather than how they look?

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 17:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Roxette to thread.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 20:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Roxette to haircut thread. Please.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

no frosting for your tips, Dan?

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 20:04 (twenty-two years ago)

*magnum*

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Blue steel in the hour of chaos

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 21:24 (twenty-two years ago)

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