Hell, no, we won’t go! That call from the 60’s still resonates- and to some folks it’s like chalk screeching on the blackboard. To others, it’s a mantra that still sets one’s daily actions.
It’s but one example of ‘Free Speech’. The right granted as part of our Bill of Rights- the First Amendment to our Consitution. Given that it’s free speech, that means the government can’t regulate it. But, there are limits to that limit. We all know that we can’t scream “fire” in a crowded auditorium. We seem to know that removing demonstators from Lafayette Park (DC) is legal because the government claims it was not regulating free speech, but limiting wear and tear on the park. (Where, oh, where are our Talmudic scholars arguing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?)
These are the fine (or not) lines between the concept of speech and conduct. Speech is protected; conduct is not. But, it turns out our reactions to these events are generally a function of our own beliefs on the activity itself. This is called ‘cultural cognition’.
It was reported on in the 1954 by Hastorf and Cantril, who studied Princeton and Dartmouth students. In that study, the students saw games where referees imposed penalty on the respective teams. The game in question was very controversial (1951) and the students from the respective schools “invented their own version of events- and believed them wholeheartedly.
A similar concept was reported by Vollone, Ross, and Lepper in 1985. Two groups at Stanford, Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli, watched the same filmstrips of the Sabra and Shatila massacres by Christian Lebanese militia on Palestinian refugees. Each group felt that the news clips were slanted towards the other side.
But, what about other events- those more relevant to our impending elections? What is YOUR reaction when you see folks demonstrating and accosting individuals walking into an abortion clinic? Do you consider that Free Speech or intimidation? Or, when folks demonstrated against the military recruiters on compass to complain about their “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policies?
Drs. Kahan (Yale), Hoffman (Temple), Braman (GWU), Evans (Yale), and Rachlinski (Cornell) reported on such a study in the Stanford Law Review. When groups were assigned to examine these protests, those that agreed with the demonstrators developed different “facts” in their mind about the events. The problem becomes more problematic when one considers these results when considering the actions of juries and judges, all of whom have inherent biases that will alter the outcomes in their decisions. While there are no “solutions” provided by the authors, they do define various parameters to govern our decisions.
The key facts, as the graphs demonstrate, is that our inherent bias clearly affects our decisions. We need to remember that!
This is a wonderful post and a concept I think I’m only beginning to grasp. Everyone has their point of view and feels completely justified based on the facts they believe in having it. I think when we can truly grasp that we can begin to have a more open dialogue with each other. If we all took some time to truly investigate what we think, we might begin not to believe everything we think. That’s a good thing. It promotes that culture I emailed you about the other week, where things are open to debate and absolutes (not all but unhelpful ones) are less pervasive.
Lisa Brandel recently posted..The Painted Lady by Lisa Brandel
Lisa, you are right. We are always going to be biased (some of us more than others). But, recognizing that bias and acting upon it is what is critical.
Roy
Sure, its been that way forever. And I’m not biased just right.
shawn recently posted..Setting Goals In Your Marriage
Thanks for the laugh, Shawn!
Great post Roy – the truth is that it’s very difficult to control for bias (as a former reporter I can attest to that). The best we can hope for is balance…but even that is flawed. My favorite class in college was “Constitutional Law” especially when precedent-setting cases presented legitimate, yet opposing elements from the Bill of Rights, such as the right to bear arms vs. the right to free speech….
Tor Constantino recently posted..Why Parents Matter – a Guest Post
Tor:
I’m honored you took the time to read and comment at this time- and let me provide my wishes to you and Kim here- Mazal Tov! May Tor Jr Jr Jr Jr Jr Jr Jr bring you much happiness and have as much himself.
Yes, this is a “touchy” subject- because we are all guilty. Some more so than others, but it’s something upon we all must toil to alleviate its repercussions.
Roy
Hi Roy,
Came accross your blog as a part of the #blogboost thing…
Anyway, we have a problem here in Australia, where most people hate our prim minister. But really she is highly regarded world wide for what she is doing. I think as well as bias, people also have small minds and only see things from the inside of what they know.
Peter Mead recently posted..Awesome 7 Steps to big website success
Peter:
I am so glad that you found my blog and left a comment. I’m honored.
I would venture to say- with the exception of Angela Merkel and a few of those wonderful despots from the Middle East and the former Communist bloc, most of the leaders of their countries are held in higher esteem OUTSIDE of their countries than inside.
And, yes, we all have biases- and we all must work hard to obviate those biases when we render our choices and decisions.
Roy
Rock-solid research, Roy – they’ll never accuse you of bias – and beautifully argued.
‘Compass’ or ‘campus’? You’re so careful with your words that I wanted to see a deeper meaning, wordplay. See how you’re getting me to think.
Thank you.
Alan Miles recently posted..Do Managers Need To Be Seniors?
Glad you liked the post, Alan!
And, yes, I believe in writing it once and checking it thrice. Even then, I can manage a doozy of a screwup!
Roy
We all have inherent biases that will alter the outcome of our decisions, choices and actions. Where do these biases come from? I believe we learn these biases at a very young age and they are very difficult to change. Yes, it is possible but it is not as easy as some may think. Many people go to their graves with the same values and beliefs that their parents taught them as children.
I agree with Lisa that it takes real effort “not to believe everything we think”.
Janette Fuller recently posted..Book Review: 100 Shareable Blog Post Ideas
Janette:
I love that final sentence. And, even if we can’t eliminate our biases, if we are aware of them, we can account for them in our decision-making.
Roy
Like you mentioned on my blog post, the bias does lead to a lot of decision making that might not be inherently “right”. Like in college, during the student elections, one student came campaigning and claimed that we need to support him because he belonged to the same state we came from. And then, many of us kept thinking, should we make him win because he belonged to my state…. and that lead to a lot of votes being manipulated that way.
The labels do make it difficult to think clearly.
Hajra recently posted..Rising Above Hate
Thanks for adding those great thoughts to bring the points home, Hajra…
I’m with you.
Roy
First of all, let me tell you: great title!
Great post also, although it hit me a bit; I always thought that bias was caused by concepts, ideas and ideals. Now you say that facts also may produce bias since we perceive facts differently. The problem is harder than I thought.
Gustavo recently posted..Mood dreams
Yes. This was a great post.
Gustavo recently posted..Why do we need to set a goal (for this exploration)?
Roy, I think the truth lies in the difference between concept and conduct. It is always what we do with our bias that can cause the problem. And as you said, similar views in our blogs about bias and other peoples opinions. And like it or not we all have opinions
Roberta recently posted..5 Keys to Solving Your Problems
Opinions, without factual backing, lack the credibility for action, Roberta. As you so notedly put it in your blog.
Roy
What a funny title. There is a lot of bias in the world. People have biases, research has biases, many media outlets also have biases. It is smart to evaluate each person, finding, message by considering the context, environment, or company from which each comes. Sometimes a bias can be so subtle though.
Kristen recently posted..How to Overcome the Fear of Flying in A Small Plane
The idea was to get folks to consider the topic- and read the post, Kristen. Glad you liked the title.
Subtle biases usually don’t get us into too much trouble. But, it’s a fine line between subtle and blatant- and, then, all heck breaks loose.
A friend of mine and fellow coach made up great t-shirts for us that encouraged people to “Change Your BeLIEfs” – noting that the word LIE is contained in the word belief. Checking the lens through which we are viewing things, understanding we have perceptions which may not include the whole picture and being responsible and open-minded re: getting educated and considering other viewpoints is part of the journey to conscious living. Great post and great reminder to question ourselves…and also to respect others including their right to choose and/or protest (while being respectful and not via intimidation).
Tambre Leighn/coaching by tambre recently posted..Walking Works of Art
Loved that, Tambre!
Thanks for sharing…
I’ve been writing about cohort marketing and have discovered that groups of people are forever influenced by certain events that happen while they are coming of age in their late teens and early twenties. This influence plus the biases taught by their parents make up their later thoughts, speech and actions. These is no way to be objective. Like Tor said, the best we can hope for is balance. I have been trying to look for facts in evidence as opposed to hearsay, gossip or conjecture before making my mind up. The problem is that in marketing and politics there are only soft science type facts. These kinds of facts break down into nothing like water on a sugar cube. All I have left are hearsay, gossip and conjecture; guess and by gosh. I go back to my childhood teachings and my cohort attitudes because that’s all that is left. All is bias.
Ann Mullen recently posted..Senior Care: Be Drug Smart
That’s probably why I stuck with the hard sciences, Ann. The concepts fit my psyche….
Great points to bring up to help the discussion. Thanks so much for that!
This is a great post Roy and I know that my biases slant my views often. I do usually try to play devil’s advocate because it is also important for me to be fair and most of the time I do keep my mouth shut on most things. However there are days were even I cannot hold my tongue. =D
Gen recently posted..Claim Your Independence Be Free
Great advice there (2nd sentence), Gen. Glad you dropped by and added to the discussion…
This is a great post. It would be impossible to not have an sort of bias around things I think. It can sometimes be as simple as we often know what we don’t know right? We had this sort of discussion in phylosophy study group I was part of once. The Prof of course played it off the cuff to get us going but at one point he pointed out all learning promotes bias…the key is too keep learning. Profound words the impacted me greatly.
Bonnie recently posted..Miracles and Then Some
Bonnie-
It’s our jobs to recognize that we do shade (or completely color) facts. And, to watch for the bias, as we make decisions and act accordingly.
Your comments are spot on.
Roy