I recently got stuck on a sentence while watching YouTube: ‘It is not racist to point at those issues.’
This can be generalized to: ‘It’s not problematic to point out issues.’
For me, this sentence encapsulates much of the crux of our current social discourse.
My ongoing research suggests that the majority of people often hold strong opinions on matters they categorize as problematic, yet their knowledge on these subjects is frequently superficial. In some cases, individuals have absorbed a vast amount of information (or SNUs – for people familiar with Korsakow), but they view these problems through the singular lens of their own opinion.
If you examine a multidimensional issue (and every problem is multidimensional) from only one angle, you’re unlikely to achieve a deeper understanding of the object in question.
Time and again, in conversations with even the most intelligent people, I’ve observed that they struggle to engage with information that challenges their existing views. Instead, they seek out SNUs that reinforce their opinions, using this information as ammunition to defend their initial stance.
Many do not allow perspectives they deem problematic to affect them. This is the real issue because what happens if you refuse to entertain a perspective? Engaging with a thought or perspective is essential for understanding it, much like you can’t truly know a dog without interacting with it. You can have an opinion on things without truly understanding them, but such an opinion might only accidentally be correct. This approach has little to do with analysis, understanding, exploring, or empathizing with all facets of an issue. In other words, it’s likely disconnected from reality. If you don’t let new ideas affect you, you’ll eventually live in a fantasy world.