In Response to Courtney O'Donnell

  Although as a modern society we make claims that we are open to differences and accepting of people's differences, it is now just as ever that we form a social hierarchy within our heads.  This hierarchy does not apply to everyone the same way.  I will judge someone different than the next person will.  Even though we understand that conjoined twins are just people we still have a fascination with them because medically we do not understand how they function.  While we treat them like normal people, in our heads we are all thinking they are freaks on some level.  It doesn't even have to be as extreme as conjoined twins, it could just be someone that dresses differently.  When people are different we rank them, make judgements, and based on these judgments we decide on how to treat them.  The people that are different than us are not born freaks, they are made freaks by people, 'normal' people judging them.  I have never seen conjoined twins in person but when I see them on television, I can't look away just because I don't understand how they work.  I know that they just wanted to be treated like normal people, and I feel bad staring at them.  I think naturally when we see something different we want to figure it out no matter what it is.  While we do this some may make harsh judgments and treat these people like freaks while others simply just want to learn about them.  Either way it is difficult to discuss because we don't always know the true motivations underneath the reason why humans do things.