TFY Chapter 8

Summary

A viewpoint is the perspective that one has. Viewpoints are biases based on experience, often mistaken for reality. The experience may be individual or group based. Examples of group experience are ethnicity, religion or political. Literature requires a viewpoint, whether it is first person, third person or multiple viewpoints. Our biases can unconscious as easily as our assumptions and opinions, and it is just as necessary to be aware of them. For example, take the heated issue of “driving while black”. To a police officer, profiling may be a valuable tool for catching criminals, given the over represented demographic of young black males and crime. But to a young black male driving to work at the rate of speed of the traffic flow, somewhat over the speed limit, who is picked out by a police officer will likely feel a target. I have experienced a similar kind of bias while riding a motorcycle. There is nothing like being followed by a police car four feet behind you at freeway speeds to make you feel like a target, especially when the officer pulls you over. It is a chilling experience that makes you appreciate the viewpoint of the young black male. Today, in politics, the old paradigm of left, right and center is outdated. Viewpoints have become much more nuanced. Historically the two-party system has incorporated diverse viewpoints, but currently the ideological left and right wings of our major parties dominate opinion, much to the frustration of the public, whose viewpoint is closer to a more pragmatic center. When gathering information from the various media, beware of the viewpoints of the outlets. Even the most “objective” reporters have their own viewpoints and are often under pressure to present news that is sensational rather than relevant. The death of Ana Nicole Smith is an example of sensationalism. Is that story more relevant than our wars and economy?

Exercises

True or false:

1. Viewpoints can be either conscious or unconsciously assumed.

True

2. To be exterior to one’s own viewpoint is to see it objectively as one viewpoint among many.

True

3. Egocentrism means being absorbed in one’s personal viewpoint without being able to put oneself in other people’s shoes.

True

4. Religiocentrism means believing one’s own country is morally superior to any other.

False

5. Nations tend to become more ethnocentric during wartime.

True

6. Authors only tell their stories from one viewpoint.

False

7. Conservatives are prominent in the Republican Party.

True

8. Liberals are best known for their opposition to programs such as social welfare.

False

9. A newspaper editor implies the relative importance of a new story by the framing given to the story.

True
10. We communicate best when we ignore the viewpoints of others.

False