As this years pre-election rituals start to get heated up I wish to remind people to not get caught up in all the emotional hype surrounding the candidates. Typically, there is a lot of mudslinging and banter being tossed around in order to make one candidate look worse than another. This is a typical human trait - make the other guy look bad so you can look good. I just don't buy into that. In fact there are more than a few people I know who think this is just crazy and ridiculous. I agree. The welfare of the nation is at stake. Track record counts for something, but I try to steer clear of those candidates who rub me the wrong way - I certainly won't vote for any available candidate if I don't agree with them. In those cases where no one fits the bill, I vote for myself.
I am writing about this today because I think it is important for those of us participating in the voting process to keep a steady head about us - utilize that Social Studies mind! Any reported information about the candidates should be run through our mental filter first before we engage them with more of our time. The media has always been a tool for elections in this country, and since much of the media already has bias (leaning towards one direction or another) we should take that into account when gathering information. Gather from multiple sources and not just the convenient ones. Next, understand that most of these candidates are career politicians. That means they are in it for themselves, promising what they must to the public in order to get elected. Since no better options are available we must exercise our right to vote by choosing with our conscience. If you want to vote for yourself go ahead! It is your right. If you want to vote for a candidate, do your research.
Here are the six stages of the filter - run any information through it:
1. Find out who they are.
2. Where have they held office?
3. What did they do there? (records are public, so look them up!)
4. Who is looking out for the best interest of the country? (this one is tricky because it is a subjective view - use your own to guide you)
5. Which media outlets support/destroy the reputation of the candidate? (this is a good indicator of who is willing to spend time and money devaluing another person - I like to steer away from that type of information since it cannot be reliable)
6. What do you think? (trust your own ideas and opinions)
Once all of the information goes through your filter, then you can gain a better mind for whom you wish to vote for. Someone may stand out, or no one may be left standing. You vote for whom you want, but it is always a good idea to run them through your filter.
Good voting!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Inquire within
Whenever I read an article, statement, blog, or post I tend to look at the content and then analyze the authors idea. If that idea is founded on well known facts, then I can be a passive reader and just read for the sake of reading. However, there do come times when what I am reading strikes me as odd, controversial, absurd, ridiculous, or just plain loony. In these cases I tend to hone in on the subject like a hawk seeking prey.
First, I find if what the author is writing about falls into any category that I am familiar with. Next I look into the material as closely as possible to see if there is an opening in the logic which will allow me to confirm or throw out the information I just read. Typically, there is just enough information to give the writing some credibility, but not enough to manage to convince me. Most common are the politically charged writings and articles which call my attention. These are so common, and everyone has an opinion, that the material is endless. A good example of what I am talking about happened a few days ago. I received an email petition explaining an issue with a bill that is about to pass the Senate and go to the President. In this bill is language which may forever rob the citizens of this country of their right to Habeus Corpus. Well, I just had to put on my Social Studies mind. Immediately my Political Science mind stood up and said "I got this one!"
The petition called for immediate action and demanded that I sign right away.
I was skeptical about the immediacy of the claim, so I began to think on it, hoping that the bill wouldn't pass while I was in thought!
What I did was contact my Representative in Congress. He responded the next day. Two things happened - 1. He confirmed that the issue was real.
2. He also confirmed that there was more time than I thought there was before the bill was signed.
My Social Studies mind was proud of itself. And it should be. I knew where a more reliable source of information might be found and I found it. So instead of falling prey to the fear factor the petition creators wanted me to fall prey to, I just did what I knew to do.
That leads me to my point - a Social Studies mind will help you to inquire within the facts given, process the information, synthesize an alternative plan of action, and help you to find out what might really be going on. There are a lot of people in this world who will use tidbits of information, couple it with words that trigger an emotional response, and get you to do something that you might not have done. I used the knowledge I gained of how the system works, knowing that a petition signed two days before a bill would be signed would not have enough time to make an impact, and used it to gain truth and avoid a knee-jerk response.
A Social Studies mind will help you live a life based on your terms. It will motivate you to help others, Most importantly, it may help you to make the right decision - more on that later.
First, I find if what the author is writing about falls into any category that I am familiar with. Next I look into the material as closely as possible to see if there is an opening in the logic which will allow me to confirm or throw out the information I just read. Typically, there is just enough information to give the writing some credibility, but not enough to manage to convince me. Most common are the politically charged writings and articles which call my attention. These are so common, and everyone has an opinion, that the material is endless. A good example of what I am talking about happened a few days ago. I received an email petition explaining an issue with a bill that is about to pass the Senate and go to the President. In this bill is language which may forever rob the citizens of this country of their right to Habeus Corpus. Well, I just had to put on my Social Studies mind. Immediately my Political Science mind stood up and said "I got this one!"
The petition called for immediate action and demanded that I sign right away.
I was skeptical about the immediacy of the claim, so I began to think on it, hoping that the bill wouldn't pass while I was in thought!
What I did was contact my Representative in Congress. He responded the next day. Two things happened - 1. He confirmed that the issue was real.
2. He also confirmed that there was more time than I thought there was before the bill was signed.
My Social Studies mind was proud of itself. And it should be. I knew where a more reliable source of information might be found and I found it. So instead of falling prey to the fear factor the petition creators wanted me to fall prey to, I just did what I knew to do.
That leads me to my point - a Social Studies mind will help you to inquire within the facts given, process the information, synthesize an alternative plan of action, and help you to find out what might really be going on. There are a lot of people in this world who will use tidbits of information, couple it with words that trigger an emotional response, and get you to do something that you might not have done. I used the knowledge I gained of how the system works, knowing that a petition signed two days before a bill would be signed would not have enough time to make an impact, and used it to gain truth and avoid a knee-jerk response.
A Social Studies mind will help you live a life based on your terms. It will motivate you to help others, Most importantly, it may help you to make the right decision - more on that later.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Perspectives
Social studies is a broad category, so it might be helpful to identify some of its components in order to get a better idea of what composes a social studies mind.
Psychology
History
Economics
Sociology
Geography (cultural)
Political Science
These are some main disciplines within Social Studies, but it might be said that the Humanities and Social Studies could be a combined discipline - that would allow Religious Studies, Anthropology, etc...to be included. However, that is another discussion altogether.
The idea here is that there are multiple ways of viewing the world, even multiple ways of viewing the same thing.
To develop a social studies mind one must begin to understand the components better. Suffice to say each of these perspectives will be addressed as needed. The point I am making here is merely trying to make you aware that a social studies mind is a discipline composed of many pieces, but when they are put together they form a hoilistic insight into the world that is rivaled by none.
Psychology
History
Economics
Sociology
Geography (cultural)
Political Science
These are some main disciplines within Social Studies, but it might be said that the Humanities and Social Studies could be a combined discipline - that would allow Religious Studies, Anthropology, etc...to be included. However, that is another discussion altogether.
The idea here is that there are multiple ways of viewing the world, even multiple ways of viewing the same thing.
To develop a social studies mind one must begin to understand the components better. Suffice to say each of these perspectives will be addressed as needed. The point I am making here is merely trying to make you aware that a social studies mind is a discipline composed of many pieces, but when they are put together they form a hoilistic insight into the world that is rivaled by none.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
A Step Forward
How does one actually go about developing a Social Studies mind? What exactly does that mean?
To begin with, a Social Studies mind is not some sort of super power gained through atypical means, but it can be acquired through practice. Most of us already have the capabilities to form this method of inquiry, but few of us use it knowingly.
Critical thinking is at the heart of the Social Studies mind. I do not mean being critical about what you are reading. Critical Thinking is a skill set which derives from the power of inquiry. It produces a "safety net" in the mind which allows you to filter through the ridiculous and arrive a a more "sane" destination. The end result, after years of practice, should be a mind which is in tune with the sum of all knowledge gained by the individual. For example: When I read a news article, I automatically put on my filter and begin the analysis of information. I cannot allow myself to believe everything that I read, just because it was written by a reporter. I know, because of my Social Studies mind, that humans are fallible. I also know that profits drive sales of news. These two together are enough for me to want verification from different sources before I believe what I read. This is Critical Thinking.
The Social Studies mind also draws information from research and knowing "how" to reserch. Wikipedia is not a good source of reliable information because it can be constructed by anyone and is not peer reviewed, this makes for a messy interpretation. Scholarly journals, .org or .gov websites are reputable sources, but any critical thinker will always verify information through multiple sources.
Basically, the road to a Social Studies mind starts with critical thinking skills. Those are developed over time. Ther are a few things to recognize as you engage in developing these skills:
1. Assume that truth is not handed out. Do not believe everything you read or hear.
2. Be willing to seek truth out. Verify the information through multiple sources.
3. Be willing to alter your perception. Humans are never right all the time.
To begin with, a Social Studies mind is not some sort of super power gained through atypical means, but it can be acquired through practice. Most of us already have the capabilities to form this method of inquiry, but few of us use it knowingly.
Critical thinking is at the heart of the Social Studies mind. I do not mean being critical about what you are reading. Critical Thinking is a skill set which derives from the power of inquiry. It produces a "safety net" in the mind which allows you to filter through the ridiculous and arrive a a more "sane" destination. The end result, after years of practice, should be a mind which is in tune with the sum of all knowledge gained by the individual. For example: When I read a news article, I automatically put on my filter and begin the analysis of information. I cannot allow myself to believe everything that I read, just because it was written by a reporter. I know, because of my Social Studies mind, that humans are fallible. I also know that profits drive sales of news. These two together are enough for me to want verification from different sources before I believe what I read. This is Critical Thinking.
The Social Studies mind also draws information from research and knowing "how" to reserch. Wikipedia is not a good source of reliable information because it can be constructed by anyone and is not peer reviewed, this makes for a messy interpretation. Scholarly journals, .org or .gov websites are reputable sources, but any critical thinker will always verify information through multiple sources.
Basically, the road to a Social Studies mind starts with critical thinking skills. Those are developed over time. Ther are a few things to recognize as you engage in developing these skills:
1. Assume that truth is not handed out. Do not believe everything you read or hear.
2. Be willing to seek truth out. Verify the information through multiple sources.
3. Be willing to alter your perception. Humans are never right all the time.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Why Social Studies is Important to all of Us.
Why we do what we do?
I think this is the one question which explains the existence of social studies: the desire to know why. There are so many fields within the space of social studies: psychology, cultural geography, history, economics, political science, sociology and there are sub-fields of each of these. Social studies are a ubiquitous part of our lives whether we know it or not.
Did you ever wonder why polls are important?
Did you ever consider why location is important for businesses?
Have you ever wondered why people live where they live?
Have you ever thought about why history is important to our lives today?
These are some questions which the social studies can answer. When we gather statistics about a populations voting habits, we can better understand trends and tailor political messages to suit them. Businesses need to optimize their earnings potential, so location becomes a key element to an establishment. People tend to live where resources are easiest to access. History can help guide us away from redundancies and steer us into a future of promise. How's that for some answers?
Developing a mind which is in tune with social studies happens over time. We can practice those skills when we read. There are simple questions we can begin to ask ourselves anytime we read something. Who wrote it? What is it about? What do they want to tell me? What do I hope to gain out of this? But it goes beyond this. I have read many articles where reporters get their facts wrong. How do I know? Because I have trained my mind to recognize truth from falsehood. It is easy to sound like someone who knows about what they are writing, but it is another to report fact. In today's world where an edge is desired over reality, we often see news slanted or inflated to the point of ridiculousness, celebrities given more and more face time, and athletes get more notice about their "tweets" than the fact that the world still contains over 25 million slaves.
Developing a social studies mind when reading will help filter out useless information from useful information. It will create within the reader a greater sense of self and responsibility to society in general. Developing a social studies mind when reading will also give the reader a much better grasp over the subject matter they are reading: this is applicable to all genres of writing.
I think this is the one question which explains the existence of social studies: the desire to know why. There are so many fields within the space of social studies: psychology, cultural geography, history, economics, political science, sociology and there are sub-fields of each of these. Social studies are a ubiquitous part of our lives whether we know it or not.
Did you ever wonder why polls are important?
Did you ever consider why location is important for businesses?
Have you ever wondered why people live where they live?
Have you ever thought about why history is important to our lives today?
These are some questions which the social studies can answer. When we gather statistics about a populations voting habits, we can better understand trends and tailor political messages to suit them. Businesses need to optimize their earnings potential, so location becomes a key element to an establishment. People tend to live where resources are easiest to access. History can help guide us away from redundancies and steer us into a future of promise. How's that for some answers?
Developing a mind which is in tune with social studies happens over time. We can practice those skills when we read. There are simple questions we can begin to ask ourselves anytime we read something. Who wrote it? What is it about? What do they want to tell me? What do I hope to gain out of this? But it goes beyond this. I have read many articles where reporters get their facts wrong. How do I know? Because I have trained my mind to recognize truth from falsehood. It is easy to sound like someone who knows about what they are writing, but it is another to report fact. In today's world where an edge is desired over reality, we often see news slanted or inflated to the point of ridiculousness, celebrities given more and more face time, and athletes get more notice about their "tweets" than the fact that the world still contains over 25 million slaves.
Developing a social studies mind when reading will help filter out useless information from useful information. It will create within the reader a greater sense of self and responsibility to society in general. Developing a social studies mind when reading will also give the reader a much better grasp over the subject matter they are reading: this is applicable to all genres of writing.
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