Judgment
Judgment
It's EVERYWHERE
No, but really. On Zelda Universe, you're judged by how many forum posts you've made, what clan you're in, and whether or not you're a member of the staff. On PokeFarm, you're judged by your ranking, what's in your party, what nicknames you give your pokemon, and whether or not you use any templates. On StoryWrite, you're judged by how many stories you've written, and how many contests you've won. On here, certainly one must be judged by how well they play chess. (Personally, I'm terrible.)
Avatars, signatures, and literacy is a major factor in all of the above, I'm sure.
In real life, you're judged by your looks, who your friends are, what your reputation is, grades, beliefs, interests, talents... It doesn't matter if you actually care, or anything. If someone hears something bad about someone they hardly know, they'll probably believe it; after all, they don't have a reason not to, right? Why shouldn't I believe this? Why shouldn't I believe that she slept with that guy, who slept with that girl, who's secretly a lesbian with some deadly STD? It came from a very reliable source, after all... The student body. Ever heard of the telephone game? Things can get distorted, messed up, after they've been told over and over, through different people. And hey, maybe someone just got bored, and made up the whole thing!
In any case, judgment is silly. Not everyone can be born gifted, or beautiful, or smart, or rich. Unfortunately for mankind, those that are born lucky tend to look down on those that were lucky enough to be born.