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An expansion of useful bias through a classmates cat eyes. The post I will be exploring is "The Time to Embrace my Bias".
Basically a compilation of questions and ethical concerns.
I should probably start with a formal definition of the word:
Bias is an inclination of temperament or outlook to present or hold a partial perspective, often accompanied by a refusal to even consider the possible merits of alternative points of view. People may be biased toward or against an individual, a race, a religion, a social class, or a political party. Biased means one-sided, lacking a neutral viewpoint, not having an open mind. Bias can come in many forms and is often considered to be synonymous with prejudice or bigotry.[1]
So, when is bias acceptable?
The Case
My classmate shared this:
"I remember in the seventh grade my English class was assigned a huge research project defending one side of an issue we felt passionately about. When I found out a very good friend of mine was writing a 20-page paper about how it was wrong to be gay, my jaw dropped. I just could not believe people so passionately felt that there was something so intrinsically wrong with someone, that the devil was inside of them, and that they were going straight to hell. And he just went off on me when I provided facts and basic humanity against his Catholic brainwashed argument.
My bias led my to defend a basic human right in the seventh grade, and it continues to do so now."
My answer I suppose is my own bias, but for starters, bias is most definitely not acceptable in the forms of prejudice and bigotry. So where do we draw the line between you being bias and you being cruel?
We will call my classmate Anne, and her passionate classmate Gabrielle.
Gabrielle, though we are given little information, is Catholic, and presumably a teenager, the sum of which led me to believe the opinions that he holds are not his own. Could the words that he speaks, and so passionately writes be not his own bias but that of another? Is Gabe a vessel of his priest or his parents interpretation for which he regurgitates and imparts? Quite possibly, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
Now let's take Anne, a conservative catholic, I assume from the same part of Ohio as Gabe. Anne does not explicitly state this, but it seems fair to assume that she does not interpret the catholic teachings to be reflective of Gabes argument. Who is correct?
Can we accept Gabe's bias because it has foundation in his religion or does it's prejudice trump? Is prejudice ever justified?
I'm going to go on a limb and say no....
Is Anne's bias okay? Let's take our initial definition. Are there any merits in Gabe's ideals? Does Anne refuse alternative points of view? Is Anne lacking an open mind? The first is debatable, but Anne most definitely has maintained an open mind (especially with her religious background).
In my classmates post she states:
"People often say [that] how you feel about an “issue” changes when you know someone impacted or involved personally. The issue is humanized, and you can finally see past whatever was shaping your bias before."
Previously in her post she stated that:
"both of my mother’s sisters are gay. This was something that I learned at a very young age. It wasn’t something I had to accept. It just was."
Do you think Gabe would change his mind if he had a "humanizing" experience? I don't know, usually I feel it is hit or miss. Check out this article by PBS.
My classmate continues to states that:
"But I was also raised to know that not everyone can get past their own biases, and all I can do is be willing to be open, to try to understand where other people are coming from, and to fight for what I believe in.
I hope this was just a phase for Gabe.
The teachings of the Bible:
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Matthew 7:1-5
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
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