Recognizing Default Responses

How one reacts to a certain situation and or event is based from many factors, and learned experiences one embraces in life. Attitudinal responses are embedded within us without us really paying much attention to what that consists of, due to it being such a regular part of our thought process. We as human beings see and react to stimuli differently depending on what is being presented to the individual. Everyone’s first response to something is likely much different than the next person’s response. Though similar thinking may be present between two people the initial way one reacts and responds is unique to the individual’s attitudinal response. These attitudinal responses usually consist of a primary certitude, a hidden assumption, or an ethnocentric position mainly based from learned experiences or long term exposure to a certain kind of culture, or thinking that the person carries with them.

When I think about my initial default response, I like to think that I have a pretty unbiased and non-judgmental thinking when it comes to certain topics and individuals. I myself like to do my best to think critically about the situation and potential outcomes without offering to much of a bias. It’s in our human nature however to have a slight bias even when we think we don’t. As I looked through my posts within the on the media assignments I went into it thinking that I argued both sides fairly equally but as I read through I found that that wasn’t necisarilly the case. Many times throughout my writing I tend to choose a side that relates with my initial feelings regarding the matter. I did come to find in my latest post that my mindset initially going in changed after listening to the podcast. I saw the topic and immediately formed in opinion about the matter that I found consistent with my knowledge on the subject. It wasn’t until the podcast had finished did I sit there and realize that my initial thoughts regarding the topic had been changed for the most part. I still related with my initial thought process but the way that I viewed the topic and the situations within that topic had changed and I then formed a different opinion in which I wrote about in my post. I was able to adapt my thinking immediately after listening to what was being said. This thinking formulated some new thoughts that I portrayed that I originally wouldn’t have. Had I not opened my mind a little bit and allow for different opinions to cross the barriers of my initial attitudinal response on the matter I would have been stuck with this thought process which was one sided and lacked critical thinking to begin with.

I had come to find that in my first two on the media assignments I was very one-sided though at the time I was writing on the matter I felt I wasn’t. After reading the dangers of critical thinking I was able to find the primary certitudes that I demonstrated in my writing based on strong cultural context that have been influenced by in my life and I use this in my writing though I don’t necessarily mean to at the time. As for hidden presumptions in my writing I came to find that I wasn’t prejudice or intolerant to other ideas I just didn’t formulate that type of thinking in my writing I mainly wrote on what I knew but didn’t portray intolerant thoughts on the matter just spoke about how I felt. At times though I was slightly ethnocentric in giving the other side of the matter a real fighting chance to have the voice it deserved. Like I said the first two posts lacked a two-sided argument but in the third my thinking was changed and both sides were argued fairly and demonstrated more appropriately. It is safe to say that I need to be more open minded in my writings and portray better critical thinking on subject matters that deserves both sides having an equal voice for a better understanding.