Redrawing_Lines_of_Understanding

Redrawing Lines of Understanding in America Daryl L. White PHI103: Informal Logic Dr. Pamela Klem March 26, 2012 Redrawing Lines of Understanding in America If you are in the age group of fifty and below, it is probably safe to assume that we all belong to generations that were taught tolerance and acceptance. While these lessons may be different in each generation, each has had to overcome prejudiced views of any particular group of people. During the 1960’s America came into a moment of trials, in which we began to deal with racial segregation and its wrongs; during this time of troubles both whites and blacks were faced with stereotypes of each other that still linger today. While latter generations as a whole dealt with different hasty generalizations on its own, the lingering misunderstandings of each different ethnic group and its own cultures still brood among us. Realizing this I self-reflected on my own quick judgment of people who are different from me. Pointing out such things as guys with long hair, people wearing baggy clothes, jobless people, and extreme liberals; why did I have detest them or have these preconceived notions about them' Are these ideas I have factual or are they based on my own fallacious thoughts' We can all think of some drawn conclusion we have arrived at based on someone’s appearance, demeanor or attainment in life. It is human nature, our way of categorizing things to make sense of our world; we receive information, compare it to known knowledge we have and come to a conclusion for what we see. More often than not these conclusions are based on little and inaccurate information that lead us to stereotyping individuals. My own fallacious thought of people with long hair stems from being told that men with long hair were lazy, “pot” smoking hippies, and wouldn’t amount to anything. I held this belief for a long time, choosing to not associate with guys with long hair; that is until my mom remarried and my new step-brother had not only long hair but wore all black. What was I going to do' My room was no longer mine, but is being invaded by a hippie on the top bunk! Soon, I came to realize that my unwarranted dislike for these types of people were not only false but ignorant on my part. Holding my ground out of pride, I began to see that I was wrong and the very thing that I hated I was doing myself. Stereotyping a person based on their appearance was something I did not want done to me, and for me to do it to someone else would be hypocritical. “Drawing broad and very general conclusions based on insufficient evidence can therefore lead to harmful results, not only for the victim of the stereotype but also for the person doing the stereotyping” (Mosser, 2010.) Allowing myself to continue to categorize someone as unworthy because of appearance would not only hurt another’s feelings, but could allow me to miss important relationships. Soon realizing my erroneous ways; I began to see my step-brother as the intelligent and hard working person he is. This shattered the previous view I held, and began to melt away other misconceptions I held as face value. These views are instilled in all of us in different ways and manifest themselves in even more diverse manners. Whether our views on those who wear baggy clothes are thugs or those who listen to heavy metal are “stoners”, we cannot allow ourselves to have flawed perceptions based on weak arguments. Usually our personal views of differences are based on inconclusive information that is drawn from a hasty generalization. Categorizing people based on this is a form of prejudice that we cannot afford. A guy having long hair has no bearing on whether he chooses to partake in illegal drug use, be lazy, or determines his status in life. From the moment I realized that I had committed the same prejudice that had often been placed on me; I redrew my line of understanding, finding myself readjusting to differences in people. The beauty of human culture is that we all have differences and yet are very similar. Stereotypes destroy self-esteems, “Past studies have shown that people perform poorly in situations where they feel they are being stereotyped” (National Science Foundation, 2010.) Having experienced prejudiced and stereotypical comments myself, I can attest to the negative impact it has on emotional health, work ethics, interpersonal relationships and a host of other effects it can contribute to. Our views are never truly our own, and the feelings we harbor are often manifested through how we interact with one another. While we have grown to adopt to tolerant views ranging from religious views, racial and cultural differences, sexual preferences, and even choice in attire; we continue to redraw lines of understanding in America when it comes to these differences. Our logical thinking is beginning to show how our reasoning and argument may have fallacies as it relates to prejudiced thinking. References Mosser, K. (2010). Logic- An Introduction. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUPHI103.11.2 Kemick, A. (2010). Stereotyping Has Lasting Negative Impact. National Science Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2010/08/12/