Does your cultural background affect your ability to listen to others? Check this out and leave a comment by in order to receive up to 15 points (due by next Tuesday before class).
Listen for the main idea of the story then argue either for or against their ideas. Alternatively, you could provide an example of a time when you've seen this scenario play out in your life. Or come up with your own analysis and argue it thoroughly.
Full credit will be awarded to those who provide an insightful, well-thought out argument free from grammatical and spelling errors.
Listen for the main idea of the story then argue either for or against their ideas. Alternatively, you could provide an example of a time when you've seen this scenario play out in your life. Or come up with your own analysis and argue it thoroughly.
Full credit will be awarded to those who provide an insightful, well-thought out argument free from grammatical and spelling errors.
19 comments:
No one likes to feel threatned. That is why people are so standoffish when it comes to learning new things. It is very common in our world to be talking to someone and in the middle of the conversation say something that they do not agree with and the conversation is over. One time, when I was on a plane, I was talking with this older man about all the places he had been to in the world. I was very interested until he told me he did not think it as safe for me to do the same thing. I love traveling and from that moment on I did not even want to talk to him anymore since he had bashed my personal beliefs. You do not want to have to alter what you have always believed, which is why many people but heads on everyday issues. We need to be more open to what others think, and in return we might learn a little more about ourselves.
I feel that their will always be a difference of opinion between two larger groups as described. It sounded like politics in the sense that two larger groups disagreed with each other no matter the evidence. If one group believed one way the other would think the opposite almost just to spite the other group, no matter it fact or fiction. I do believe that this all has to do with ones cultural back ground. Liberals of the north will most likely never agree with conservatives of the south. The same as christians will never agree with atheists. It mostly all has to do with your cultural.
When it comes to climate change, I personally see neither a hoax nor a catastrophe. We all know that Arkansas weather is constantly changing. For example, on January 7, 2010 in Hot Springs, AR it was 58 degrees and beautiful weather. That Sunday the 10th we got 10 inches of snow! Now how does that happen? I feel that as humans we have no control over the climate change issue. There are a lot of factors that play into weather. The conditions, the wind patterns, the region of the country or world that you live in, and the time of year all play into the climate we experience. I do believe; however, that as humans we need to start trying to cut down on our garbage and plastic use. But I do not believe that humans are causing the climate change.
Leah Wingerter
Although everyone will not have the same belief when it comes to a specific issue such as global warming, I think that more people should be more aware of our world and enviroment that every single person affects. I also believe that younger people will be more willing to listen and be aware of the problem if it is brought up by someone their age, and the same goes for the older generation. This is because the speaker will be able to relate the issue better to the audience. We also need opposing views on issues like global warming to be able to come to a more well-rounded solution. New technology paired with older wisdom can produce a great solution.
Seth Edwards
People wont believe something that they don't want to hear. They come up with their belief on the matter and stick with it no matter what information is being said, being that that information is true or not.Especially on a subject such as global warming. No one wants to hear that the world is in danger because of humans and the toxins we put out. Its not a good thought for anyone. But realists can look at the matter and accept the fact that global warming is a real thing, and think of ways to reverse the effect and stop it.Those that want to automatically reject the proposal are most likely the ones that are hurting our planet because they are acting like nothing is wrong. People need to open their ears and listen to both sides, the one that talks about global warming and the one that says global warming isn't real, and make their decision afterwords.I do believe that cultural background plays a big role because many Americans will make their decision on an issue based on their relatives and their friends point of view.
Cody A. Medeiros
I simply think one could take this idea of the human race is making the earth warmer in either side of the arguement. My individual view may not be the same as someone else's, nor their's being mine. I think this topic, as many others, has to do with the eye of the beholder, if you will. If one is to accept this information as factual then that separates them from what people, like them or dislike them, think about it. This simply comes down to a arguement of facts vs. believers. If one is to believe only in what they believe is right, then it may not matter how much factual evidence you show them because that is their oppinion, same as people that strictly believe things due to proof of evidence. My personal opinion on this matter of humans causing the earth's temperature to rise is simple. I believe that yes, we are causing an impact, but there is many, many other factors that are causing an impact and only focusing in on what we as humans are doing isn't fair. I believe that whatever the amount we are contributing to this major problem can and should be fixed. Humans are the smartest and most advanced things on the face of the Earth and we should know that when we are disturbing something, no matter the amount, we should stop or atleast recognize what we are doing. Because if we don't, it will simply come back and bite us in our illiterate asses and we will all be regretting our past decisions. Although that is the great thing about us humans, we learn from our mistakes and we study history (no matter how boring it may be sometimes).
I believe that people have predetermined views based upon their social upbringing, and it is those views that have been ingrained in an individual that affect how they feel about worldly topics. Depending on the social environment a person matures in can greatly affect how they feel about an issue and cause prejudice no matter what type of evidence is presented. A personal example of this came through the issue of my military service. I had been raised in a family environment where the military was seen as an honorable job to have. I was raised only hearing about positive benefits the military provided to those who served, and when I got into high school I let my social group know that I planned to join the military. When I made this announcement I had one friend who strongly disapproved of the choice I was making. When I asked my friend why she disapproved she provided me evidence about how many service members are sent to fight around the world and do not return. I told her that I did not care about this evidence because overall I believed I was doing an honorable thing. She then proceeded to give me statistics about how many service members end up not getting a college degree because of the amount of time they spend overseas working for the government. Once again I shot down my friend’s evidence and proceeded to tell her about the family member’s I had been raised around the served in the military and never had any issues with their service.
Ultimately while my friend gave me factual evidence about the downside to the military I did not receive the message because I did not care to hear any views that were different then how I had been raised to feel about the situation. While this is but one example I believe that individuals prejudice towards situations will always predetermine how they feel towards situations no matter what evidence is given. The only way individual views will change will be through life experiences and how situations affect them personally.
This entire debate is flawed from the beginning. As it was clearly stated in the first 15 seconds of the broadcast, the issue that was being looked at was why do fewer people believe that Global Warming is happening then there had previously been despite evidence to the contrary.
The broadcast then went on to determine how people's initial reactions are formed. It did nothing to address why peoples perspective has changed on global warming.
The simple reason is people tend to think in human time. Environmentalists have been trained to think in Geologic time. When someone has been told that Global Warming is real and present danger but over the span of 10 years they see no real change in their life. They come to the conclusion that it must be a hoax. There is your reason less people believe in global warming then there had previously been.
Erica Taft
In some ways people are almost predetermined to conflict. Humans, along with many other creatures, are very territorial. The idea of territory does not only apply to physical land, but it also can apply to a particular stance of a belief. If someone is truly passionate about a belief they are not going to change said belief just because you tell them it is wrong. Defensive actions and thinking are very strong barriers to get around in an argument. It does not matter wether the issue is global warming or religion. It has been going on for thousands of years. War is just one of the many examples of the interference of two or more beliefs. I personally take a very strong stance on violence in video games. I have played violent video games for years, but i do not think that this will turn me, or any other gamer, into a vicious killer. Even though I have many friends who believe this is bad for me, I know I will never stop playing them.
It is important for people to keep an open mind, but it can be very difficult to accept another persons perspective on an issue. Sometimes this is because we are stubborn and will not hear their side of a story, or sometimes because we can simply not understand their belief. Defense is used as a scapegoat in many cases just to cover up our ignorance. Either way, we should try to understand one another, or at least try to agree to disagree and move on.
Katherine Henderson
This NPR broadcast focuses on the simple fact that people can tune out anything, no matter the evidence, cultural pressure or peer pressure for or against it. Everyone has a comfort zone, a perspective on the world that they are familiar with and is comforting to them. When this comfort zone is assailed with new information that conflicts with previously held beliefs that helped to shape a person's comfort zone, they are usually dismissed and belittled. This is how people cope with new information that could cause a person's life to change. Most people have a hard time admitting they are wrong, or that their perspective on life may be flawed. Segregation is an example of how people shut their eyes to a change that was necessary, supported by facts of discrepancies in schools and quality of life, because it threatened a set of beliefs. While I think there is much more that contributes to people tuning out facts than just culture, this broadcast clip is something everyone who has an open mind should be aware of when trying to persuade someone who does not; no matter what you say, it won't matter, so pick your battles wisely.
Shelby Redcorn
People won't believe in something that they don't want to hear, even if the evidence is staring them right in the face. The topic of global warming can be debated from many different points of view, and I believe your point of view is predetermined by how you were brought up in this world. Humans are taught to believe in the present, not what their future plans are going to be. If you asked a high school student what they would be doing in ten years, they may not be able to give you a straight answer. If you were to ask a graduate student where they would be in ten years, many may be able to tell you where they will be working and if they will have a family then. It all depends on your culture and sometimes what your parents believed. No matter how much evidence is presented, people will believe what they want to believe because it is in our DNA. My personal belief on the topic of global warming is that humans are part of the reason why global warming is getting worse, but only focusing on what humans are doing is not right. Many other factors in the universe cause global warming to change, but humans contribution can diminish if we change our day to day habits. By reducing the amount of pollution we create and finding new and innovative ways to recycle our trash things could get better step by step. Humans are getting smarter every day, but no matter how smarter we get, the situation still comes down to beliefs and how you were raised. Someone from our generation is more likely to believe someone younger than someone older about global warming just because society trains us to do that, and vise versa. Most people have a hard time admitting that they are wrong, and that has and never will change.
Laura Lake
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and everyone has a choice to believe in whatever they want to believe in. Culture plays a significant role in regards to what we believe. Like this video stated, People can receive the same factual scientific data and still not believe it to be true, based on their personal beliefs and opinions. Either you believe that Global Warming is occurring or you do not. You can feed people fact after fact that it is taking place and they will still have the same mind set they had before hand. I personally do not believe that Global Warming is taking effect. Growing up, my parents were strongly against it and my belief was some what formed based on what they had to say about it. I am not opposed to listening to what people have to say about it because it is interesting, but I do already have my opinion about it and I do not see myself changing what I believe about the issue anytime soon. The free will allows us to believe and speak out about anything we want too. It is important that we give those who want to speak out about an issue the time and chance to, but it does not mean we must start believing in what they say just because they may have a good argument. People do not ever want to admit they are wrong, I myself struggle with doing that, therefore, people are going to be set in their ways, wether they are wrong or right. It is important to remember to stand up for what you believe in and have something to back you up and always be respectful of what the other person maybe arguing about.
Sara Cathey
It is very common for someone to not agree with someone that is from a different cultural background. Why is that? I believe that in today's society, many individuals are not completely open to the thoughts and ideas of someone who is different than they are. With the disagreement of Global Warming, yes your culture could have some affect on your decision if you believe in Global Warming, but not completely. You can hear the facts about it from people across the country or even the world and not believe that Global Warming is a real thing, but if your parents told you that Global Warming is a real thing, then you obviously might be more acceptable to Global Warming than if some random person off the street told you. In conclusion, cultural background will have an affect on if you believe in what others say.
I agree with the “All Things Considered” premise that ones culture background does affect their ability to listen to others. It is obvious in the dialogue of the story that the coal company owner would not want to believe that humans would be having an increased affect on global warming due to his historical belief of coal as an energy source and its benefits to man through the local economy and culture. In contrast, the scientist argues that man is increasing global warming, and he argues that he is not going to contradict was ninety eight percent of the other scientist say.
Alyssa Hamilton
This makes complete sense because he is surrounded by a culture of scientific research and in his scientific community he will tend to side with the majority opinion. This story points out one of the most challenging topics in communications, whether or not individuals can overcome their culture biases and objectively listen to factual information, which may or may not challenge their preconceived beliefs.
Allie Honey
I completely agree with Yale law professor, Dan Kahan. I believe that people will react in a closed-minded manner if new information conflicts with their values or beliefs. For centuries, people have rejected new information when it contradicts their culture background. I think more people should try to be open-minded about new information because it leads to a better understanding and they could also become more educated about the situation. Personally, I believe that humans who pollute are part of the reason for global warming, but there are also many other contributing factors to the demise.
I believe that a persons cultural background does affect their ability to listen. If they agree with the what the person is saying then they are obviously more likely to care and agree with the speaker. But if they do not agree with the speaker then the listener is more likely to "tune out" what the speaker is speaking about. Although I am not proud to say it, I myself am guilty of this. If someone is speaking about something that I do not quite agree with, I tend to ignore them thinking to myself that I have the correct stance on the issue and that the speaker is wrong. I believe that most people do this because they do not want to think of themselves as wrong and another person right. I firmly believe that if someone agrees with a speaker that they are more likely to listen and truly absorb what they are talking about.
Regarding the NPR clip, I do not firmly believe in global warming. The earth has been around for millions of years and is constantly evolving. But with that said, I do agree that there are certain things that humans should do to decrease pollution.
-Rob Bentley
I would have to agree with the Yale Lab professor, Dan Kahan. If there is two big groups then they will most likely have different views. I don't know why this is but for some reason there is always certain people who see things completely different than everyone else.
Brandon Early
I do believe that someones cultural background does affect there ability to listen to others. If someone has been taught to learn one way there whole life, of course they are not going to agree with another persons view. Some people beleive that being open minded will "threaten values." They believe it will threaten values because people are simply afraid of change. I do believe people should be more open minded to everyones views, but overall individuals are going to have their own opinions.
Allen Ford
I believe that there will always be a difference of opinion in any matter that can be debated. Based on how you were raised and your beliefs will be a big part of whether you believe in global warming or not. In American culture we have tendencies to believe what we hear on the news. Although I do have to agree with the Yale Professor that we will have closed minds if someone tries to change our beliefs or has conflicted evidence in a matter that we already have an opinion in. People are scared of change, and dont like dealing with the fact that we might have a huge problem in the future of our temperature and polar ice caps.
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