Monday; July 16

          Last week I heard a speaker by the name of Bryant Marks discuss the topic of “Implicit Bias”.  This is something relatively new to me, but it did get my attention.   From what I can tell, implicit bias is the unconscious beliefs we hold about other groups due to our own limited life experience.  The things that intrigued me about this concept were two-fold:  First, everyone has them.  In essence if you have the ability to experience life and process it’s impact, you are going to have biases.  Yet, it is the second aspect that appeals the most to me – just because I have a bias doesn’t make me a bad person.  These types of biases aren’t born from a lack of goodness or a weak moral nature – they come from our personal exposure and reinforcement.  Being implicitly biased doesn’t mean that I am bad person or have malice towards a certain group, rather I am just ignorant (and not in in demeaning way).  Several years ago I was in an educational training that asserted that “we are all ignorant in something”.  We can’t be perfect, we can’t be all-knowing, we all have gaps in our learning or experiences, so we are going to be biased.  Implicit bias is more a matter of exposure than morality.
          I am encouraged by this type of thought because it allows for differences and development.  You see, once I become aware of what I don’t know I can begin to learn and to make informed decisions.  In theory, that knowledge, will help us make the right choice on how to treat people from here on out.  When we take some of the “morality” out of bias we are more likely to have meaningful discussions with different types of people. 
          Let’s do our best to open our eyes to the rest of the world.  When we share our lives with one another we are all bound to be better.
          Think About It!

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