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Essay / Review of The Question of Ignorance in Society
In I'm Not Racist But…, Don't You Think It's Time to Start Thinking?, and Hidden Lessons, authors Neil Bissoondath, Northrop Frye and David Suzuki discuss racism, critical thinking, and our impact on children's views of nature, respectively. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Although these topics may seem different, they arise from society's ignorance. A common link and point made by the authors is that humans tend to ignore the power of their words and actions, as well as the meaning they may have for others. In I'm Not Racist But…, Bissoondath discusses society's impulse to be offended by words that were not intentionally used in a harmful way, and how individuals fail to understand others before denouncing them for their actions. He talks about the power given to a word and how quickly people call someone "racist" when they may not be aware of the offensive nature of their statements. He says that “real racism is, more often than not, based on willful ignorance and an acceptance of – and comfort with – stereotypes. » (Bissoondath, par. 7), and “… let us be careful not to abuse the word itself. (Bissoondath, para. 19), stating that people overuse the term "racist" and use it as an excuse to avoid trying to understand them more and remain in ignorance. In Don't You Think It's Time to Start Thinking?, Frye explains how children are failed by the education system because they are not taught to think critically about their surroundings. This ties in with the idea that Bissoondath highlighted in his article. Bissoondath thinks humans don't understand each other and take words literally without trying to understand where the other person is coming from, and Frye thinks the education system is at fault for this because children don't learn not to think critically. Bissoondath tells the reader that individuals give too much power to the words they hear and how they affect them personally, and Frye tells the reader that they have not given enough power to how they use words. words. It is this ignorance that creates a divided society. In Hidden Lessons, Suzuki explains how humans disconnect from animals, teaching children to do the same, and how it is innate to be interested in nature, but children are trained to observe other species. like inferior beings. He says: “Those of us who are parents need to be aware of the unspoken and negative lessons we pass on to our children. Otherwise, they will continue to desecrate this planet as we have done. ” (Suzuki, par. 10), asserting that parents' actions against nature cause children to take poor care of the ecological community around them, even if parents do not notice that their actions are influencing the children. While Frye and Bissoondath discuss the power given to words, Suzuki discusses parents' unawareness of the power their actions have and how they impact younger generations. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Ignorance of the power that individuals can possess by simply saying or doing something that is misunderstood is the source of many problems, including those described by Bissoondath, Frye, and Suzuki. Through their essays, they reveal how people can influence others without having any..