Sociology 100 - Social Biases

Michael Clark

Professor Anna Hain

Sociology 100

2nd May 2017

        “Oh, no I don’t want to sit over there next to that black man! How dare you even ask.” We all have biases. We may deny it and claim we don’t but, whether we like it or not, we all have some type of person or something a person does that makes us judge them and think differently about them. Whether it’s walking on the other side of the street from somebody that has a different skin color than you, or refusing to talk to another person because of the God they worship, we all have prejudices that make us treat people unfairly. With that in mind, it is important to recognize our own biases and confront them so we can decide if we need to work on changing ourselves, or if we like it the way we are.

        For me, I have to think a little about my biases. I try to treat everybody fairly at the point of meeting them and keep an open mind. I think everybody has the capacity to be a good person and so I try to be as nice as possible until I find out if they are a good person or not. So, I have to dig a little deeper to find what exactly it is that I don’t like about certain people, because subconsciously, there is something that I am biased against.

        After thinking about it, I realized that there are a few things that can affect the way I think of a person before I even talk to them. The first and foremost being people who are overweight. As I’ve said before, I am an exercise science major and I have turned into a little bit of a fitness nut. Now I realize I can’t do it all and I’m not freakishly big or ripped or even in the best shape I can possibly be, but I work hard to eat right and exercise daily so I don’t get fat and become obese, and I don’t think that’s hard! I know it can be mentally challenging to force yourself to eat healthier, and sometimes it’s difficult to find time to exercise, but get over it. If I can find ways to do both, anybody can. I work 30 hours a week and go to school full time while sporting a 3.5 GPA and I work out every day still. People also claim it’s more expensive to eat healthier, but if I’ve learned one thing from my nutrition classes, it isn’t. It can actually be cheaper to sometimes buy healthier foods rather than junk. So I think this bias simply comes from the fact that this is so easily avoidable and if those of us to stay healthy can do it, so can everybody. The United States is the fattest country in the world and there is no reason we can’t all do our best to help ourselves, and if we do that the rest of the country will follow suit. It isn’t as easy and just saying “don’t be fat,” but it isn’t hard either. Just get off your butt and do something to eat healthier and find the time to exercise.

        However, I still don’t think that this bias effects the way I treat other people. As I said before, I try and keep an open mind whenever meeting new people and wait to decide how I think of them until I know what kind of person they actually are. The only thing I am guilty of because of this bias is judging people before I meet anybody, if they are overweight I do think a little less of them and I do judge them, but I don’t let that effect the way I treat them when I meet them. That is why I don’t think this bias really needs to be addressed by me. Until I begin treating people poorly before I even meet them, I won’t change anything about myself.

        Speaking of obese people, the best way to not get fat and stay in shape is to not be lazy. I will freely admit that I have biases against lazy people and I don’t often try to hide it. Until the end of my junior year of high school, I worked two jobs and in the summers it wasn’t uncommon to work 70 hours in a week. Now, this coming summer, I have 3 jobs lined up and am expecting to work 50-60 a week. If a college kid like myself can find work this easily, then it shouldn’t be too hard for everybody else. I always listen to people complain about having no money and not being able to afford the things they want. Then do something about it. Pick up those extra hours. Find a second job, even if it is just weekend work. Laziness is a disease and the cure is simple, work hard for what you want. Being bias against lazy people comes from my background. I’ve had to work for everything I have. My parents put a roof over my head and food on the table but anything else I wanted, I had to earn myself. That’s why this topic really makes me upset when I talk about it. If you complain about being fat but never go the gym, whose fault is it really? Quit being lazy and do something about it. Chase your dreams, but you’re going to have to run.