I have decided to write about disability for my final research paper. Initally motivated by the discussion that followed Mia Mingus' presentation in class, I have now started to consider how my own standpoint influences so much of my understanding of the readings we have done in this class.
Most recently, while reading The Spirit Catches You and You Fall down, I have found myself time and time again reading passages with my eyebrows raised in disbelief and becoming frustrated with the way the Lees deal with Lia's situation. As I noted on the first day of our discussion of this book, I am finding here, more than ever before, the intense affect of my own personal standpoint and bias affecting how I do these readings. As soon as I catch myself, I try to revert back to an open-minded standpoint, and remove (as best I can) my bias from the reading-- but it is not easy! As a pre-med student for whom so much of the reason that I want to be a doctor is based on my own personal experiences with the medical field, I am regularly siding with the doctors and becoming furious with the Lee's attempts to take Lia's medical problems into their own hands (for example-- giving her only certain medications and altering the dosages of the ones they do give her).
So how do you prevent yourself from placing judgements and allowing your standpoint to control your perceptions and readings? My best answer seems to be research- so how convenient it is that right as I am dealing with this issue, I have the opportunity to broaden my understanding of other people's standpoints. While I'm sure that my own personal feelings about medicine and my desire to become a doctor will remain intact, I am hoping this research will allow me to better accept where other people are coming from and gain a more comprehensive understanding of why other people feel differently than I do.
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2 comments:
I think this is really important to address. We have talked about it in class a lot and the way it does affect our understanding of the topics we have covered. You discussed how you find it really difficult to not have a standpoint/bias. I am the exact same way. And when I do realize that I am reading the material with a standpoint I try really hard to change it. However, I think it is important and significant to realize that you have a standpoint. It is difficult to not have one, but to understand that you do is necessary. Even in this book Fadiman has a standpoint, but it does not diminish the significance of her work and I think she does a good job of balancing her views. It makes the story more personal. I feel she sides with the Lees on some instances, but understands where the doctors were coming from with their treatment plans. It's important to take into account others' opinions. To have a standpoint at one extreme would be difficult to digest some material with an open mind but we all have our own views. I think it's okay to represent them as long as we do so with a clear understanding of what we are saying and with a balanced perspective.
I agree with you in that standpoint does play a major role in how we understand the readings, discussions, and guest speakers in this class, but I think it is for the better. When I was reading "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" I too was frustrated with how the Lee's were treating Lia. I never stopped to think that maybe what they believed could have helped their daughter. I always just thought that they were hurting their daughter out of a sense of arrogance because they wanted to believe that their method was better. After class discussions and further reading I too came to the realization that my own personal standpoint had driven me to such negative thoughts toward the Lee family throughout the entire book. At least you were somewhat able to remove your biases; I was unable to do so.
So how do you prevent yourself from placing judgments and allowing standpoint to control your perceptions and readings? I am probably one of the worst people to answer this question. I think your answer about research is a promising one because a greater knowledge of the topic can only promote a greater understanding. I must say however, that I don't think reading these articles and discussing with a standpoint is necessarily bad. I think our standpoint is part of what makes us who were are and as long as our standpoint is affecting our lives and others in a positive way, I think its ok to look at such topics with our own standpoint.
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