As much as society repeats the mantra, “Don’t judge a book based on its cover”, everyone’s always judging everyone else by how they look no matter what. It’s just how we’re wired. We’re wired to see something and make snap judgements about it. If we see someone who doesn’t quite “fit in” to what we’ve been accustomed to, chances are, we will automatically look at them with curiosity and suspicion. 

Again, literally everyone from everywhere does this automatically. We are just raised (usually) to use critical thinking skills to call our snap judgements into question, particularly when it comes to someone’s race. 

But what happens when a blue-haired person with a nose ring steps into a bar in Red Wing, Minnesota on a Friday night?

I asked myself that question last year when I was visiting family in rural Minnesota, and immediately kicked off the trip by going bar-hopping from Red Wing to Zumbro Falls. However, my question wasn’t answered because- while I share political beliefs with the blue-haired progressives at my university- I dress in camo hoodies and rugged blue jeans, and know the lyrics to Hank William Jr’s song, Young Country by heart. 

Thus, when I slipped my way into the Hay Creek Saloon, literally nobody batted an eye, because I looked just like everyone else there. 

For the record, I didn’t feel uncomfortable there, either. In fact, I was almost lulled to sleep by the shitty live country music and the musty scent of cheese curds and cheap beer. Why? Because that’s just part of the culture I was raised in. Conservative evangelicals love their shitty country, cheap beer, and open-carry firearms. And ya know what? I do, too. 

So, what am I trying to get at?