The Bias Problem

[Liander]

Bias. For being only four letters and a single syllable long, it is one of the hardest hitting words in our community. When used, it carries with it a weight that often implies nefariousness or hypocrisy. When we use it, we are saying that to be biased is inherently wrong. Yet at the end of the day, each of us is as guilty as the last. Bias is not a bad word. Subjectivity creates differences that we have thrived on for generations and has given us a myriad of various groups, from the lowest lineage to colossal clans. More to the point of this soapbox, it has also provided us - the city, the public, those not privy to the conflicts and politics hiding behind closed doors - with an assortment of narratives and viewpoints of the city's history. Here in Ravenblack City, the winners do not necessarily get to write history, and we should be grateful for that. Not only because it provides those without victory the opportunity to rise again, but because we are able to see the story in its entirety and learn from the mistakes of our ancestors.

Ab Antiquo has a bias problem. I, Liander D'dary, have a bias problem. Every person reading this piece has a bias problem. Try as I and my colleagues might to be objective in our work, there will always be a shred of intrinsic bias in all we do. There is no perfection to be had, though we can try to compromise and find the middle ground, and - as I do - pass our work to others for edits and genuinely ask for (and more importantly accept) criticism. In my job, I regularly seek out a number of opinions, especially those I do not agree with, in order to better present my work to the public. Do I succeed at this? It depends on who you ask. Some people take a look at my work and say it is flawless, while still others decry me as trying to "spin a narrative" or some other underhanded motive. But I try. And no, this piece is not looking for sympathy or superficial compliments. Truth be told, I am proud of what I do and that is all I need.

But then the question presents itself: is the work we do biased or are you biased against the presenting author? There is truth in both, especially when it comes to someone as polarizing as I tend to be. To move forward as a community, to grow and foster this city as a haven for those others who do not belong elsewhere, the most important step we can take right now is to admit these simple truths. Bias is not evil and being biased does not mean someone is wrong. Truth, as they say, is subjective. And each of us prefers our own brand of subjectivity.

More importantly, just because you see bias in a piece or a place does not mean it should be dismissed outright. Carving up the city into various watering holes wherein only concurrent opinions are discussed without opposition is not how we come together. Disagreement and differing opinions are the backbone of our society. Just because a news article, editorial, or comment disagrees with your version of the truth does not prevent you from making your version known. Your truth is just as important.

We are a dwindling population of increasingly insular cliques. Too many of us do not like hearing things that do not fit our truth, so we shut ourselves out to the outside world and swear "to never go there and to never talk to those people and to never care about the opinion of anyone but us." And each time that happens, we grow just a little more fractured and slam the nail just a little deeper into our proverbial coffin.

If we want any hope of survival, we have to begin to come together. That means working with and besides people you may not like. You can war with them, you can scream at them in the bar, you can befoul their name behind their backs all you want, but at the end of the day, each of us needs to be capable of stowing our shit long enough to get the work done. How do we accomplish that?

We begin by talking because drowning out the opinions of anyone you do not agree with is what got us here. We begin by accepting that criticism is not necessarily an attack. We begin by acknowledging that a grain of truth can be found in the most unpleasant words spoken by someone we abhor. We begin by listening when a cherished friend says something we disagree with, rather than cutting them out.

Ab Antiquo has a bias problem, but we're hiring. This isn't a recruitment ad, it's an honest offer to come have your voice, your particular bias, heard. So long as you put in the work, you'll be as equal as anyone else on the staff. Don't want to do articles, editorials, columns, or events? Then have a discussion with us. You have the forum, you have our inboxes, and you have our phone numbers. Use them. Let's figure this thing out. Let's talk, people.

[Chris Vahn]

Well said, and something that needed saying.

We can all burn each other to our hearts content, twist knives into backs and spit venom... but remember that turning the whole city to ash in the process solves nothing. Burning all bridges simply makes traveling more difficult.

[Airey]

I want a job.

[Liander]

I want a job.

Great. You can submit your resume to the admin inbox and we'll schedule you for an interview.

[Alex Ayres]

The timing of this article is interesting in timeline, as I just finished reading this thing on the internet:

https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/ ... ding-bias/


Bias is inherent in most things we do, something I can agree with, but it's a matter of how we wield that bias, with what intention.


What really hit home for me in this piece is your proclamation about how people bunkering down with their closest friends and only having discussions with people who think like they do is not the way forward.

I initially left Ab for a time because of the hard slanting bias and the constant ridicule, but realized that without at least being able to read the things being said by people who I don't know, or don't agree with, I am narrowing my world perspective, so I initially came here just to read the different pieces and comments, and when I learned some things, decided I would start commenting again.


But it really reminded me of this, I'm wondering if you saw the same interview?

"...We are operating in completely different information universes. If you watch Fox News, you are living on a different planet than you are if you listen to NPR." -Barack Obama


The point of views of a lot of the people in this city has been so severely skewed because their information universes and sources of "truth" are only their own close friends and family. Anything heard from anyone else may as well be a lie. Or alternative facts.


Connecting bias to this idea is interesting. Because to me, in this light, bias leans heavily on ego. Ego is why we refuse to see ideas presented by people who aren't those we love as worthy of our time or brain power. Ego is what makes us quick to fling insults, warranted or unwarranted.


If we can strip away some of the ego and look at an idea presented by someone and not ask "how does this affect me?" or "how does this affect my family?" and instead ask "how does this affect my city?" , the rest of what you're proposing falls into place.


Anyway, I enjoyed reading this.

[Josephine]

Language of itself presents biased. While describing an event no two writers will ever phrase it the same. Journalism, when taught as a concept, focuses on using objective language instead of subjective. A difficult thing to accomplish and even trained and seasoned journalists fall into the trap of using objective language with a bias.

An easy one is to view the reports of dog attacks. While an article about the family dog biting a toddler is horrific enough you find breed subjective narration. Pitbull Mauls toddler becomes the dialog yet two counties over the family dog that attacked the other toddler was a Giant Schnauzer.

Finding a true nuetral in a city of extremes is difficult if not near impossible. Even with a clear understanding of how language and structure flows together to create a dialogue. Truths are impossible to find when, as childer, we are nursed upon distrust and deception. This adds another improbability in finding a counter to innate bias.

Your article on the clans is well written but includes several instances where you openly inserted subjective language and thus left open the perception of bias; intended or not. I think, as you, and the staff continue to expend effort in bettering the AB the attention to language will grow and the perception of expressed biased will diminish.

I suppose that is a bit more than 50 cents worth of thought..

[Amaya_Shannis]

The fact that this needed saying is one thing.

Of course we are all biased. We are free-thinking people with working minds- for the most part-, independent personalities and wildly different life (and death) experiences that shape our opinions and pattern of thought, how we draw conclusions.

What I am hearing, though, is that the City is dying. We need an injection of fresh, open-minded people, new blood, new opinions....

We need a revolution.

Only, with the biases that exist within the City, unless the spark comes from without, all we will be doing is trading one form of stagnant destruction for a bomb.

[spookie]

Good job Lily!
Finally, after over a decade of stabs jabs and rumours, could there be an expose of this "psycho bitch"?

Naah, I doubt it.

It's a good effort Li, and i applaud you, but i doubt this town is able to open their eyes and minds and see beyond hearsay. Stamps don't really rub off ever.

<3