a deeper level, however, speaking before listening means to be prejudiced, to literally “prejudge” someone before you know the full truth about them. Prejudice assumes somebody is the way “all those kinds of people are” instead of caring enough about the truth to find out what this particular person is like, what this particular person is really saying. We habitually assume that all people of different gender, races, classes, vocations, and cultures are basically the same. But when someone treats us that way, we feel dehumanized. Prejudice is a form of answering before listening.
