An Open Letter to Bias

Dear Bias,

You are everywhere. In President Trump's claims of "fake news", in white-washed history textbooks, in tweets, in television, and in college campuses. There is no way to get rid of you; you are intrinsic to each of us, and you refuse to leave even when we beg.

Recently, you have been under fire. The liberal spin of the media (with the exception of the What-About specialists at Fox News) has become a platform for President Trump, even leading him to host the Fake News Awards on Wednesday. But what's so bad about bias? And why have you become the center of attention?

Bias has been criticized for centuries. It's absolutely impossible to avoid, and yet, people become outraged when the bias isn't in their favor. Certainly, bias has a right to be condemned. It can misconstrue the facts, falsely sway public opinion, and blind people to the truth. And by historical standards, bias has committed more crimes than most. Not only have you led to misinformed voting or prejudice-induced violence, but you are also responsible for the rise of heinous authoritarian leaders as a result of their incorporation of propaganda.

Bias can spread lies and hate and prejudice. When you are used accusingly, you can isolate groups of people for the color of their skin, their religion, their gender, their sexuality, or their culture. And when we develop a stereotype or an assumption, it is very difficult to overturn, especially when we are not exposed to other thoughts. You seem to cause nothing but trouble and leave American politics completely polarized. You allow crazy people to do crazy things.

However, you are essential.

Yes, you can be destructive, and yes, when you are overlooked, you can wreck havoc and chaos upon society. But, in small, varied doses, we need you. If you weren't in our lives, we would be bored. There would be no reason for this letter or even this blog to exist, because there would be nothing to write about! The world would be black and white. There would be no human thought or opinions, because everything would always remain the same.

And, without bias, how are we supposed to grow? I can't count the amount of times that I have engaged in a debate with someone who has opinions that are totally different than mine. I won some debates and lost others, but I learned something about my beliefs every time. When my opponent was stronger than me, I walked away, licked my wounds, and rethought my side. How was he/she able to poke holes in my formerly rock solid argument? How did he/she know the perfect response? What makes him/her believe what he/she believes? What's the most effective way to sway him/her? Why, after two hours, am I still thinking about this seemingly insignificant debate on Twitter?

Because it's exhilarating to be challenged.

There are people out there who fear confrontation, and shake in their boots when the very word is brought up. I believe if you really care about your opinions, you have to live and breathe the art of argument. Everyone knows that when someone challenges you, you will get better. You become stronger. You think faster. You know exactly what your opponent will say in the future.

And this beautiful process would not exist without bias. Our entire world has been and continues to be shaped by people who argue about how to make it better. Progress begins with an idea. And that first idea may not always be the very best one, but over time, with cooperation and trial, it can grow into something amazing.

Everyone brings something new to the table; we all have different experiences, backgrounds, and relationships. Each of these builds our bias, so every person can contribute something unique to the conversation. Our bias makes us individuals and grows our society into one that can be more tolerant and diversified. If bias is going to serve such a noble purpose, then we need to make a concerted effort to incorporate all biases into our society. Bias only becomes dangerous when one side has all the control. But, if we instead use bias to our advantage, by letting it strengthen our argument and reveal more perspective, then it will foster tenacity and balance.

The sooner that we allow small doses of bias into our news, the sooner we will be able to engage in more thoughtful discussion. Now, I am not saying that our current media embodies bias in the best possible way, because it is definitely not as diversified as it could be. I do agree that the media is mostly liberal, but if we can bring more opinions to the news, the truth can be represented more thoroughly.

Of course, the media is still responsible for reporting the facts, but I believe it's also responsible for providing analysis, criticism, and praise. Sometimes we, as the public, are not knowledgeable enough to understand what we need to know nor can we fully consider the implications of a politician's decision. With well-informed, poised, and opinionated (YES, I want some loudly-spoken people in the newsroom!), we will be able to challenge our own beliefs to make them stronger. Imagine if we were exposed to intellectual debate all the time! We would always be thinking about how to improve our argument, or even how to change it.

I know that we have strongly biased minds out there already, such as John Oliver and Tomi Lahren, but it is rare that we see such polarized thoughts interact. I’m sure many of us agree that a debate between Tomi Lahren and John Oliver would not end well, but that assumption is exactly the problem. Our different biases should be able to conflict in a respectful and open-minded manner.

Take Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Antonin Scalia, two strong, political personalities from opposite sides of the spectrum, for example. Despite their completely different views, the two were quite good friends, and even travelled on vacations together. When they did disagree about politics, their debates did not lead to insults, but rather a thoughtful discussion that pushed both parties to grow. Their friendship embodied professionalism, maturity, and grace. It is possible for all of us to get along and learn from each other. With our liberal media and conservative politicians, the space for respectful debate has virtually vanished. Now, arguments end bitterly, with both sides believing that the other is beyond reason because of their different outlook. But, if anything, we should be striving not to erase our differences, but instead to fight for them civilly, just like Ginsberg and Scalia.

So, Bias, maybe take a small step back.

But, please, for our sake, don't go anywhere.

Yours Truly,

P.S. Donald, if someone has a recording of you or an unedited screenshot of one of your tweets that explicitly says something you later regretted saying, and then uses that evidence against you, it is NOT “Fake News.”