How to discriminate properly

The ability to discriminate is indispensable. Unfortunately, it has been terribly misused and frowned upon for so long that we have all but forgotten what is it good for and how to properly use it.

Without discrimination, one is not capable of distinguishing between real and fake news, good, bad, and the worst possible presidential candidate, facts and ‘alternative facts’… One gets lost and confused in the sea of information mixed with misinformation that muddy the waters and mislead.

Due to the negative connotation of the word, we now have a different name for the proper kind of discrimination. We call it critical thinking. Being a critical thinker means having the ability to objectively evaluate and fully grasp the meaning of what is presented before forming an argument for or against a certain position.

It seems that a great many people nowadays are unable to do that.

America divided

America divided is nothing new. It’s an ongoing issue that has haunted the country since the very beginning of its existence and it has a lot to do with improper use of discrimination, such as discrimination based on race or gender.

In 1968, America was so severely divided that Jane Elliott, a teacher shocked by the death of Martin Luther King Jr., developed a unique and radical classroom approach to teaching. She not only talked about racial discrimination, but decided to make the students walk in the shoes of those who have been historically mistreated due to it.

Jane Elliott realized that talking and reading wasn’t enough for the students to fully grasp and understand the implications of what she was trying to convey. Desperate at what was going on in the country, she designed her lesson so that the pupils were able to personally experience what people of color have to go through in the hope that this would open their eyes.

It worked. Most of Elliott’s students from numerous classes that followed testified to the fact that the experience drastically changed their perception of the society for the better. They were finally able to understand.

A Class Divided is a documentary about Jane Elliott’s approach. It became one of the most requested programs in Frontline’s history at PBS.

Such approach is also the essence of quality education and deep learning — finding the way to not only know, but also experience and apply the knowledge to one’s life in order to fully comprehend its meaning and consequences. Without this, critical thinking is not possible.

We are not born with this ability. We have to develop it and we need teachers who can teach us how to do it properly.

The decline of education in the States

For over a decade, the American school system has been struggling with heavy cuts in federal funding. This, among other troublesome consequences, lead to regular yearly increases in college tuition that caused the rise of the student debt at a rate incomparable to anything we’ve seen before.

As of 2011, America was the only free-market OECD country where the current generation was less educated than the previous one.

More and more people in the States today cannot afford to get an education on more than a basic level and there is a growing trend of actively discouraging students from pursuing a college degree. ‘It’s not worth it,’ became a trending mantra of those who argue that because the job market is not what it used to be, the degree will never bring the return of investment.

The real wall (Photo: Ruben Bagues, Unsplash)

The result of this is that “as of 2011, America was the only free-market OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) country where the current generation was less educated than the previous one.”[1]

This is the key to understanding why things stand as they stand.

Why is this such a big deal?

A college degree isn’t and shouldn’t be all about how much money one can make with it. Yes, that too is important and yes, one can make a living and do just fine without having one, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into also being able to learn how to discriminate properly.

University degrees were designed to turn students into functionally literate people and they do so a lot more efficiently than high schools or free MOOC courses. They systematically train students to think critically and develop the ability to debate using solid arguments instead of personal beliefs and logical fallacies, such as the recent invention of ‘alternative facts,’ as an example of contradiction in terms.

That is important and has a lot to do with a higher quality of personal life, healthier environment, and functional society.

Getting a university degree is a well-defined process created for a good reason. Many of the MOOC courses, even the Ivy League ones, are not on par with typical courses at universities. Haphazardly taking them can give you some knowledge and skills, but will never deliver what a good, structured university experience can.

Having a degree might not be enough, but it certainly helps

A college education is not a guarantee that a graduate will become highly literate, though. There are people who have a degree, but are unable (or unwilling) to present coherent arguments and draw well supported conclusions based on them. There are also those who never graduated, but are able think critically.

In the process of pursuing a degree, however, one gets ample opportunities to practice and develop reasoning skills if one is only willing to do so. A college education can thus give one the tools necessary to successfully navigate the world of fabricated information and unmask them. Without such training, one is all too easily deceived by bombastic headlines and flawed rhetoric designed to stir emotions and abandon logical reasoning.

It is not a coincidence that the education system, along with the media, represents the first target of any autocracy and dictatorial regime. By taking away the ability of people to reason logically, assuming control over them becomes a lot easier. It also makes it a lot easier for autocrats to get elected in democracies in which the schools system has been neglected for too long.

Photo: Samanta Sophia, Unsplash

Making the best of a bad situation

Challenging times take their toll, but they could also be seen as an opportunity. They offer us a chance, reason, and motivation to develop our reasoning skills and improve our intellectual abilities. Trying to debate with or even just watch someone whose statements and views are full of logical fallacies and volatile emotions can cause a lot of stress and even more so if that someone is in a position of immense power

It’s no wonder Americans just broke the stress record this year.

Such times, however, are also a great chance to practice calmness, focus, and objectivity that are at the core of good reasoning skills. Emotions play an important role in our lives and we should not deny them, but we have to be careful as to not get swept away and provoked by them. Being able to stay focused on the key issues is necessary, for one inevitably faces attempts to distract and divert attention as means of avoiding unpleasant truths. And objectivity is a must if we want to reach fair solutions acceptable for all.

These skills do not come naturally, we have to develop them and keep using them. In that view, people who are hard to reason with become our highly challenging sparring partners that push us to the limit. But that’s how one becomes a world class champion in anything — by being pushed to the limit.

Quote:

[1] Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy. “Reach Higher, America Overcoming Crisis In The U.S. Workforce.” National Commission on Adult Literacy. Accessed April 16, 2014. As cited by DoSomething.org.

Thanks to Justine M Dunn and Mike Van Horn for editing.