Why do we have to trash another person?

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I recall a conversation one afternoon when I had moved from my desk to ease my back after sitting and typing from the morning to early afternoon. I was passing a coworker when I happened to look down and saw my supervisor searching for something. I said my supe is here! She said to me that if he was the one I worked with and I affirmed it. She then began to describe in not very nice words how he looked and I was not happy about it so all I said to her was " You are not as brilliant as he is though!" She said to me "Does he have a Masters or a Doctorate?" I said to her that being brilliant does not mean that you have all the letters of the alphabet and all the numerals behind your name. She was also saying things about the car he drove ...that he had such a high paying job and drove such a shabby car. The car he had ... very beautiful car.. was written off by a Government truck driver and to date he has not received anything. this man is a hard worker. The hours that he puts in and the amount of work he accomplishes is beyond those who arrive on time at work. I had to tell her to stop it because I love my Supe. He is a very nice person, unassuming, gentle, kind and someone you can talk to about anything. He has assisted me financially so many times that I have to thank God for him and he does this despite having a great challenge of overseeing his son who is a brilliant child too who attends one of the top ranking high schools and the lowest he gets in any class is 86%- it is higher trust me - despite having some visual problems - 20% vision in one eye and loss of sight in the other. Despite these challenges he is always respectful, courteous, jovial and consistent in his work ethics and professionalism., My question is when do we stop trashing people and judge them by what they wear, car they drive, lack of not owning a house? When do we stop this hateful attack! I have heard it so much that I have told coworkers not to speak to me about those things only the work. If it has nothing to do with accomplishing the work I do not want to hear it. So most of the times people will greet me but they do not stop at my desk unless its work related. But seriously when do we stop and how do you treat perpetrators of this crime?