blah

This is probably not the most insightful of things to say or work out, but people judge others based on the people they already know.

So what does this unsupported statement imply?! Well, if you've had the oppurtunity to go out and meet lots of people, then chances are that you'll be more tolerant of others. Since you've seen the different perks and personality traits others may have, it wouldn't suprise you when others have the same. I think if you've just ever worked in retail, you'll know what I'm talking about.

On the other hand, if you've lived a rather sheltered life, then its really going to hit you when/if you go out into the real world. The majority of people are 'weird' and they don't really fit into your schema of things. Theres two ways to deal with this: avoid the 'weird' people altogether and don't change your "people schema"; or incorporate the weird people into your new and improved one. I think the avoiding the people can be counterproductive when it comes to having a decent understanding of the world and helps you be a little more content. When you think the world is weird, it doesn't make you feel happy about lots of things. I think it would suck.

Thats not to say that they'll never get over it, we all have to start somewhere. I just think its better if you start early, because the earlier you start, the less of a shock people will make later in life.