Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Bye Bye, Bias.

What's the opposite of being controversial? It's called, being objective. Being objective turns out to be a key quality in order to actually provide a sound argument. What I mean is that it's the difference between being one of those people who say, "OH MY GOD THERE SHOULD BE PRAYER AND BIBLES IN SCHOOL BECAUSE GOD IS GOOD AND STUFF!!!" and those who say, "What actually are the benefits and the downsides to placing a religious aspect in an educational setting in today's multicultural society?" Before I go a little into it, here's something you might want to take a look at: PUAheldesk: Staying Objective

One of the main reasons why people stop being objective is because of emotional involvement. No, I'm not saying that you have to detach yourself from how you feel about the subject matter. I mean this in the sense that people sometimes get so caught up in how strongly they feel about an issue that they fail to see the subject as a whole. There's actually a psychological term for this sort of phenomenon: cognitive inflexibility. Have you ever met someone that refused to listen to your side of the argument? (Even if they're clearly wrong?!) 

That's what I'm getting at. You don't want to be that person. Remaining objective is how you become a reasonable and open-minded individual. More importantly, if you have a point that you wish to defend, this is how you can present that argument without having people write you off as a stubborn ass after speaking for 22 seconds. 

4 comments:

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  2. Josh, I’m glad you brought writing objectively up. As a journalist I have had to make myself become much nonbiased in just about everything. As you know, it is a journalists job to inform his/her audience of the matter in a way that does not reflect his/her own personal beliefs and opinions. Learning this skill early on in life has really shaped me into a better understanding and open minded individual. In no means am I saying that I do not feel strongly on subjects, but I am able to bite my tongue and listen/look at others points of view. Doing this I am able to assess their thoughts and sometimes what others have to say can change or open me up to other ideas. I think that if more people could learn how to be a little less biased and could try to understand things from another prospect that we could prosper as a society.

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  3. Yes! Objective writing really is a must for journalism and I really wish that more people would view it this way. People don't like listening to other people complain and complain without actually making a point!

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  4. Josh, I agree with you. Once before in high school we were asked to give our take on prayer in school. I have family members that are Christian, Catholic, and Muslim so I have an open mind about it. I gave my idea on how we have to think about how it affects others opinions/religions. The slang term of this is simple minded people, they don't broaden they're horizon and place themselves in others shoes. You can find an objective state of mind from school, religion, politics, and many other things.

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