I learned not so long ago that just because I hear something in the media or from my social network, doesn't necessarily mean it's true. In the past, I made quick judgments without even investigating the issue. I relied solely on feelings, but never facts. The problem with working in this manner is that I was generally unable to support my stance--I had no supporting information to back up what I was saying. Really all I could offer was useless rhetoric to try to make sense of serious issues. As we can all agree (or not)--this tends to lead to bad decisions.
Recently in class, there was a discussion about waterboarding. Many of my classmates honed in--presenting their negative views and feelings behind this deliberate form of torture. Many of my classmates were ready to be both the judge and jury and convict governmental officials for their participation in this practice. My natural inclination was to jump on their bandwagon--Yeah! Convict them all! But based on what? Like everyone else, the only information we had on waterboarding was that which was being blasted in the media. Like Professor Tabor said, no one had seen the governmental reports that showed if the program successfully broke up a "plot" or "attack" that could have affected thousands of American citizens. It seemed that we were all very quick to just pass an opinion without having all the facts. Now this is not to say that I agree with waterboarding--what I am saying is that I don't know enough about it to make an educated stance.
Over the past few months, I've really started to pay attention to how I respond to things I hear. I try to listen more and react less. I try to spend more time investigating the issue before I pick a side. I think being less opinionated and more educated on issues has helped me mature into a better student, a better parent, and a better person.
also, let me be official in saying that I am not "in favor" of terror. what I was pointing out is that people make decisions without knowing facts, so, as blueray points out, we make decisions on emotional bases.
ReplyDeleteSorry Professor Tabor-I definitely did not want to insinuate that you were in favor of terror. I apologize for not being more thorough. I was simply trying to point out that too many decisions are made prematurely and often without facts.
ReplyDeleteI AGREE WITH YOU TOTALLY,THE MEDIA WILL GO WITH A STORY WHETHER IT BE TRUE OR NOT, GIVING ONE SIDE. THEIR SOLE PURPOSE IN LIFE IS TO HAVE GOOD RATING. I HAVE LEARNED AS YOU HAVE TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND.
ReplyDeleteblueray - you didn't. I was just repeating it. no one could be in favor of torture. people have different definitions of it and people also have a different definition of whether we should be looking back or ahead.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I learned that there is always more than one side of a story, and it is important to listen to the different sides of the story in order to gather the facts to make a decision or to take sides. I use this method even in my personal life; when I face myself with a conflict, I try to not rush in making a conclusion. At least not until I gather facts from different sources to make a decision.
ReplyDeleteI agree. First you must always look at the source of the information. Who has the most to gain by the information given. The media keeps us in fear so we can not unite and to keep our eyes off of what is in front of us. Is all about Capitalism
ReplyDeleteI agree, in class I've noticed that a lot of people have let their emotions determine their stance on issues and only to hear that they don't have all the facts. On the other hand, I am always intimidated to speak my mind because I don't think that I know enough information to argue my point. People should be able to state their opinion but if you do be able to back it up with the proper information. So before you base your stance on an issue, know the facts and don't let the media influence how you respond.
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