Monday, March 18, 2013

Ideological Ignorance

     Once upon a time Matt's roommate (Seth) was a democrat.  Freshman semester started right before the re-election of President Obama, so BYU students were heavily involved in the race between Romney and Obama.  Seth decided to put up an Obama/Biden poster in our window to let everyone know where he stood.  Within a couple of hours, we got a knock on our door.  It was 3 energetic freshman eager to meet adversity.  Here were the first words out of their mouths:  "Is this your poster?"  (He replied yes)  "What is wrong with you?  No, seriously, what is wrong with you, I've never understood Democrats." 
    My roommate wasn't sure how to respond, and I decided to stay out of it.  They argued about which was the better political party for a good portion of an hour.  It was entertaining.  At the end of the debate, both parties were angry, and no progress towards common ground had been made.  Both groups were too grounded in their beliefs to be willing to give up any ground.
   My issues paper is about ideological ignorance, and I believe that both parties were so ignorant and unwilling to shift because they had been continually supported by those who believe what they believe online, so they developed the false consensus effect.
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4 comments:

  1. UnknownMarch 19, 2013 at 10:46 AM

    Nice story. I love the "Once upon a time" at the beginning.

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  2. UnknownMarch 19, 2013 at 10:01 PM

    This is an interesting idea. I agree because it seems as though a lot of people are just willing to accept what they are told without forming their own thoughts and opinions.

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  3. kamjonesMarch 21, 2013 at 4:38 PM

    Good topic. It's not diversity of opinion that we should push for, but rather education of the issues.

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  4. Todd BaerMarch 21, 2013 at 5:49 PM

    This a very original topic. I definitely am not the most ideologically knowledgeable, but I do feel that many ignorant people can be helped by seeking more opportunities to understand and tolerate others.

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