That's why people don't ever think to blame the Socs and are always ready to jump on us. We look hoody and they look decent. It could be just the other way around - half of the hoods I know are pretty decent guys underneath all that grease, and from what I've heard, a lot of Socs are just cold-blooded mean - but people usually go by looks.
Interpretation
Judgment based on appearance often leads to misperceptions about a person's character.
This quote from S.E. Hinton highlights the tendency of society to judge individuals based on their outward appearance rather than their true character. It emphasizes the idea that people often stereotype others without knowing their true selves, showcasing the disparity in how different social groups are perceived. The narrator reflects on the fact that, despite their 'hood' image, many of the 'hoods' have good qualities, while some belonging to the more affluent 'Socs' may not be as kind as they seem.
In practice
In a discussion about social stereotypes, this quote can highlight the flaws in how we judge others.
Your mother is not crazy. Neither, contrary to popular belief, is your brother. He is merely miscast in a play. He would have made the perfect knight in a different century, or a very good pagan prince in a time of heroes. He was born in the wrong era, on the wrong side of the river, with the ability to do anything and finding nothing he wants to do.
Sometimes, I feel like I spent the first part of my life wishing to be a teen-age boy, and the second part condemned to being one.
Anything you read can influence your work, so I try to read good stuff.
Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too.
I had it then. Soda fought for fun, Steve for hatred, Darry for pride, and Two-Bit for conformity. Why do I fight? I thought, and couldn't think of any real good reason. There isn't any real good reason for fighting except self-defense.
...but I've never regretted it. You can't regret experience.
That which is given with pride and ostentation is rather an ambition than a bounty.
The human body is always treated as an image of society.
If we are Christians, we must look like Christ - this is my deep conviction.
The museums of medieval Europe, from Holland to Tuscany, are crammed with instruments and devices upon which the holy men labored devoutly, in order to see how long they could keep someone alive while being roasted. It is not needful to go into further details, but there were also religious books of instruction in this art, and guides for the detection of heresy by pain.
It is only human supremacy, which is as unacceptable as racism and sexism, that makes us afraid of being more inclusive.
Security is when everything is settled, when nothing can happen to you; security is the denial of life.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.