We all do it. Everywhere we go, every individual we pass by and every single post made on social media, we are making a biased assumption. We may be completely aware of doing so, or we are doing it subconsciously. The fact of the matter is, we are human beings and we are hardwired like this.
Our family, gender, political stance, religion, class status and most importantly how we are raised and who we surround ourselves with all impact how we view others and our surroundings. The type of bias we make without knowing, implicit bias, stems from confirmation and cognitive biases where we try to make sense of the world around us.
We take what we have learned from family and peers and group everything into our own filing cabinet of beliefs. We then hold those beliefs with confidence, assuming what we know is right, and automatically assume everyone and everything fits within those files.
The world is a large, complex and confusing place with many individuals roaming about. Different cultures, walks of life, beliefs and so much more are all intertwined and can be a lot to take in if you come from a small town like myself.
I have multiple tattoos, my ears pierced up like nobody’s business and I have a septum piercing as well. I listen to ‘70s and ‘80s rock, my parents are divorced, I have a major RBF and sometimes curse more than I ought to. Just by this short description, you may or may not have already made some biased opinion in the back of your head, and that’s OK. I’ve had friends in the past tell me at first impression they never thought I would be so goofy, caring and loving as I am because of my outward appearance.
Deep down, I really want people to just ask. Ask me about my tattoos instead of staring. Ask me why I love rock music. Ask me if I have an RBF or if I am instead having a bad day. You don’t truly understand a person and where they come from if you don’t ask, or at least try to get to know them. There’s a story behind every detail to a person, and it all matters.
Instead of assuming what we know is the concrete truth — which it is not — we should become more aware of the implicit biases we all have as we walk through campus and the outside world.
Once you become aware this is all happening subconsciously, you’ll start noticing the assumptions. We should force ourselves to look at both sides of the story because ultimately there is more than one truth to all situations, environments and people.
It’s also best to educate ourselves. Just because someone said something, or we heard it over social media, doesn’t mean it is the truth. We shouldn’t run with what we have been taught our whole life or what we hear from family and friends. Doing a little research on what we are unfamiliar with, or talking with a person we wouldn’t normally befriend, could open our eyes to the different walks of life happening simultaneously.
The more we are aware, the more we learn about one another and ourselves. This can impact us but can also impact the chance of another to be heard and understood — a chance to not feel isolated.
