Have you noticed this? When someone is feeling defensive, everything you say is like lighting a fuse. This obviously can have an effect on our personal, everyday lives. But it can also change our view of the past. Everyone has an opinion, including historians. Sometimes you can figure out what that opinion is based on what they read into the facts. How much do you think this affects the information we're given? I personally think there's a huge difference between learning information from actual documents, as long as you study a good variety, and reading a textbook. No matter how unbiased the authors try to be, they are always putting their own spin on the facts.
How much do you think what we're learning is affected by bias? Do you think your understanding is more affected by the bias of the people giving you information, or your own bias when you hear it?
I really liked your points on what you observed during the class discussions which i have to agree do turn into arguments most of the time. I think people feel the need to make their thoughts heard and then defend said views because of the academic competition that occurs. I also have seen some Devil's Advocate accruing. One thing I do wonder is if there is pressure that people feel to agree with the majority of the classmates around them because of the subject matter. For example, the touchy subjects, like women's rights or human mistreatment. If a person doesn't think that slavery is bad they probably are not going to say that is a discussion out of fear that people will think of them poorly after the fact. You also hit on the point of bias. I do believe there is some unintended bias in the things taught because of where we live. The story of the American Revolution would be told differently to an extent then it we learn here in the U.S. Great blog entry. Keep up the good work =)
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying completely. I have had a friend that takes things really personal when it comes to religion. I am really weary with people like this, but i cannot say that i am any different because i am just like that. I dont like it when people criticize my religion or make fun of it because it makes me angry because my culture and religion is important to me. When i have had arguments with someone, it ended up being something that causes people to become defensive and then cut ties because of it. I ended up not talking to one person because they became quite physical and tried fighting with me. Perspective is an essential part of understanding because it changes how people look at something. Overall your blog post was fantastic
ReplyDeleteI feel like if you don't have some bias, a history loses some of its value. Zinn was biased in favor of the common man, while diamond was biased towards the idea that overarching factors had more of an effect than individual people. Both are effective documents.
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