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5.2: Reading Skills- Whose Ideas Are These?

  • Page ID
    104417
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    Is the Text Objective?

    As you saw in Unit 1, when you read, it is not enough to simply read and understand the information in the text. You need to read thoughtfully and question what you are reading. One of the best places to start when you are reading thoughtfully is with the author of the text, or with the people whose ideas are presented in the text.

    In some cases, a text may not be objective or balanced in the information and opinions it presents. The author may support one point of view over another, or the people quoted in the article may present one-sided arguments. This is known as bias.

    Bias is found in all kinds of writing: books, magazine articles, newspaper columns, letters to the editor of a newspaper, blog posts, social media posts, and academic journals.

     

    How to Identify Bias

    To figure out if someone’s ideas are biased, ask yourself these questions:

    • Does the writer present only one side of an argument? Sometimes, you will find arguments in support of one side of an issue, and any other points of view are ignored.
    • Does the writer make generalizations without giving any evidence? Maybe there is not enough evidence to support someone’s opinion, so it is omitted.
    • Does the writer use extreme statements that are designed to appeal to the reader’s emotions?

    Bias is particularly common in cases where someone wants you to act in a certain way—buy a product, vote for a candidate, or sign a petition, for example.

    Where Does Bias Come From?

    If a writer has a strong opinion about an issue, you need to consider where that opinion comes from. People are influenced by aspects of their own lives. Let’s look at a controversial question in Canada: Is the legalization of marijuana a good idea? Some people will say yes, and others will say no.

    Those in the “yes” camp might include younger people, those with more liberal attitudes towards society, and those who rely on marijuana for medical purposes. In the “no” camp you might find nervous parents of teenagers, people with more conservative attitudes, and people whose religion does not permit the use of drugs.

    In general, bias might come from the following:

    • age
    • gender
    • educational background
    • job
    • cultural background
    • religion
    • political beliefs

    You should, however, avoid thinking that all people of a certain age, culture, or religion will have the same opinion on something. You may find an older person with very modern attitudes, or you may find a young person who is very conservative.
     

    You Try It!

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    Look at the painting above. Imagine the art gallery in your community is planning to spend a large amount of money to purchase this painting. There have been many comments on social media, either in support of this purchase or strongly against it. Comments have ranged from “It’s a work of pure genius” to “My toddler did something like that at daycare.”

    Who do you think might support the purchase of this painting? Who might be opposed to it? Why? What is your own opinion?

     

     

     

    In support of the purchase

    Against the purchase

    What do you think?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The next reading in this unit, Is Studying Art a Waste of Time?, asks you to identify reasons why people might have different opinions on an issue.


    5.2: Reading Skills- Whose Ideas Are These? is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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