Necessary Prejudices

When it comes to being prejudiced, I don't care a whit about skin color, religious affiliation or political leanings. They say so little: Skin color is not a choice, and the other two are just silly affectations of insecure people who want to be included. What really counts are the choices one makes that define him or her. Therefore, I base my prejudices on noxious behaviors within someone's control but they choose to do them anyway. I try to not invite any of the following offenders into my home:

Women with puffy lips from injections of chemicals.

Folks with "sleeve" tattoos covering both arms from the neck to the wrist.

Piercings that make jewelry look like snot dripping out of both nostrils.

People who swear that their pit bulls are the sweetest dogs ever.

Holocaust deniers.

Men or women who overuse cologne or perfume that I can smell.

Women who wear hosiery under pants with open-toed shoes or sandals.

People with unwashed hair, unless the person is homeless.

Obese people in shorts eating ice cream or funnel cake in public.

Old men with ponytails or, worse, braids, except American Indians.

Someone who avoids eye contact during conversation.

People who never ask one thing about you in conversation.

People who think "Redskins" is a slur but didn't care for the last 77 years.

Meter maids.