Growing up at home the most bias that I notice, after looking back in time, came from subtle sayings or opinions. Nobody straight up told me how to view the world. It was suggestions from teachers, media, and my friends around me, who brought in their own biases from different perspectives of the same viewed media. All the biases that I recognize now tell me, a middle-class, white male, that I have nothing to worry about. The people around me did not tell me that to my face, but I learned it through growing up. I did not have to face any forms of racism, poverty, or social injustice towards me. I viewed it happening to other races, but I never experienced it. In a sense social injustice was always at the back of my mind. How I read the world was as a place of rich and poor with the rich having to help the poor. I assumed everything was the way it was because that is how it was meant to be. I didn’t have a part in it. This was before any form of real teaching on geography and the history of the world.
Going through Catholic school I learned that their was a certain attitude we had to developing countries. I followed this idea because it was coming from people of power. It had to be real. It is much more complicated than they made it out. Unfortunately my hindsight is too late to change those experiences. We saw developing countries as needing our help, and we were such great people for organizing fundraisers and other means for “helping” the poor. If anything it was really to stroke our owns egos and try to reaffirm ourselves in the eyes of others regarding our faith. This charity became more than just a way for helping, charity is what we began to view the different cultures and people around the world. A perception developed that affected how I viewed and interacted with people of different backgrounds. I am happy to say since the 12th grade, when I began questioning things, my opinions are changing, and I’ve become more educated on certain matters. However biases always creep into my mind.
When I see a person in the street or have an interaction with someone there is always prejudgment that comes with it. An idea pops into my head that is the result of growing up with so much underlying prejudice in my society. To continue to unlearn these biases I need to have a better sense of the world. More research needs to be done and a better understanding is required. I need more experience in this respect. As a future teacher I will have the opportunity to help squash these biases early. Proper acknowledgment of where we stand in the world and what that means is huge. As well a lack of generalization of others is highly important.
Greg Hetterley
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