Thinking of an event that requires critical and creative thought, gun control laws comes to mind first. The United States as a country has a controversial history of gun control legislations that stretch back to the year 1791 to modern date. The laws have been undergoing continuous amendments depending on the situation at hand, and varied public reactions over the issue have been recorded. The legislative system has been making sure over years that gun prevalence in the United States is more reasonable and does not outweigh the need for national security and cohesion. Over the last 100 years amendments have been done on various stands congress after congress but unfortunately, people still feel the laws are unsatisfactory and call for critical thinking in decision making.
The issue of gun control in the United States in its recent past requires critical thinking because of the approximated 13,000 murders annually that may increase with an increase in population. Americans have sharply differed on the importance of gun control laws with a recent poll by Gallup stating that 44% of participants being in favor of changing of gun laws, 43% in favor of keeping the current laws, and 11% in favor of easing of the laws. Therefore, this issue requires critical thinking to reduce the number of casualties of gun violence across the United States (Arlin, 2011).
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Free will has been defined from different perspectives over time depending on the context or the situation at hand. The most outstanding definition of free will is the ability or the capacity to be in control of one's own personal actions, and it is unique from one person to another. On the other hand, many theories have been set up to define truth ranging from semantic to pragmatic theories that tend to define it while avoiding contradiction and paradoxical explanations. The truth is the relationship that holds between what is perceived as truth and its corresponding scientific or historical fact. Knowledge is defined as a collection of theses and theories over time about facts, questions, skills, concepts, distinctions, science, among others. Last, Opinion is a personal judgment exhibited by individuals about various issues in the society not necessarily based on truth or knowledge.
Free will, truth, knowledge, and opinions are the main elements that people use in making day to day decisions and are influenced by issues such as political or religious beliefs. People make decisions based on what they believe will bring the outcome they want using the knowledge they have accumulated over time. Personal decisions are judged as opinions or free will by other parties. The most common hindrances to critical thinking process are sociocentrism or group bias, wishful thinking, and stereotyping. Sociocentrism can be reduced by encouraging individuality and personal thinking while wishful thinking can be reduced by encouraging realistic and critical thinking (Horvath & Forte, 2011). Stereotyping can be overcome by promoting a wide perspective of thinking and reducing judgmental decisions.
A time I experienced a hindrance in critical thinking was when I thought America had the best healthcare system in the world. This was because of my little knowledge about other countries and sociocentrism. I overcame it by researching and listening to other people’s perspective on healthcare around the world.
Advertising is one of the common ways used in marketing that captures the thoughts of the audience and spurs critical thinking (Rodgers and Thorson, 2011). Recently, the most captivating string of advertisements from Coca-Cola focuses on the message using the refreshment being advertised. Most outstanding one being the ‘brotherly love’ that has two brothers; the elder bullying the younger one but saves him from bullying in the park bench by other boys. According to me, the main message is obvious that brothers care for each other and despite sibling rivalry at home, they care for each other outside home. It’s a mix of love and conflict and amidst any bullying; the elder brother will still help the younger brother get his Coca-Cola back.
The reality of the advertisement is based on a unique relationship between two brothers, and when the younger brother is bullied by other boys in the park, the elder brother comes over to offer help. The advert tries to evoke brotherly feelings and bring out a connection that is brought about by sharing a bottle of Coca-Cola. My perception of the advert was on the emphasis it put on bullying. It starts with the elder brother bullying the younger brother in various scenes and later helping him get his Coca-Cola back. The advert tried to distinguish my perception of bullying and the adverts main message of brotherly love. The bully of the elder brother towards the younger is seen as ‘brotherly love’ and is manifested when he helps him get his Coca-Cola back.
References
Arlin, P. (2011). Dialectical Thinking: Further Implications for Creative Thinking. Encyclopedia of Creativity, 383-386. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-375038-9.00072-8
Horvath, C. P., & Forte, J. M. (2011). Critical thinking . Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
Rodgers, S., & Thorson, E. (2012). Advertising theory . New York: Routledge.
