Nice to Meet You?

In the book I’m currently reading, Big Little Lies, first impressions are everything. It is from the point of view of a group of middle-aged kindergarten moms, who judge each and every person they see, by their first impressions of them. For example, Celeste seems like the most young, beautiful, wealthy, and happy mother, but if you dig a little deeper, there is so much more to her story beneath the surface. Through this novel, I can see the theme of how first impressions are very important and how there are many factors of a first impression. 

The ethos of communication revolves around the person you really are and, more important, the person you are perceived to be. For instance, your first time meeting a celebrity would be a whole different experience from your first time talking to a random person on the street. You would likely idolize a celebrity not because of their personality, but because of their fame and appearance. However, meeting a normal person on the street, having no credibility, so your first impression of them would be less biased and more based on how you specifically perceive them. 

Pathos can also affect our first impressions of people. If we saw a hungry kid asking for food on the street, we would instinctively feel bad for them and have that sad impression of them. As opposed to if we saw a person saying something racist to another person, our emotions would convince us to have a negative first impression of them. 

Many things can affect how we first feel about a person depending on what kind of persuasion they take to convince us who they really are. Are the people around you manipulating you into perceiving only what they want you to see?