Prompt #1: I have come to learn that to be an intellectual means not subscribing to the dominant worldview. I have to take the perspective of others and look at things from a different point of view. This implies that I can have multiple standpoints about issues and ideas. My experiences and perspective about life have generally been influenced by the way I was socialized. I live in a society where inequality is persistent. I believe that individuals who see things from one perspective perpetrate discrimination. Racial and gender discrimination is rampant because specific individuals believe that they are more privileged thus does not see the negative effects of their oppression and inequality.
Having multiple standpoints about issues and ideas is essential having a comprehensive view of issues without others feeling marginalized. For example, when people from certain backgrounds share similar perspectives about ethnicity or sexuality, this does not define this as their viewpoints despite having similar features (Harding & Wood, 2005). Having personal experience is significant in providing a comprehensive picture of what ethnicity is.
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Prompt #2: Many people have different standpoints based on their levels of socialization, which are majorly influenced by their environment (Dowsett, 2014). During my interaction with others, I consider other people divergent views to understand their perspective of issues related to race or gender. This is important to get the facts of what they are saying as compared to what others say about them. For example when interacting with those who have experienced racial discrimination, it important to have a more complete perspective of their experience than consider views of the privileged groups who might only have a specific interest (Harding & Wood, 2005). They might not present the true picture of why racial discrimination is a persistent problem.
References
Dowsett, J. (29, August 2014). What riding my bike has taught me about white privilege. Quartz. https://qz.com/257474/what-riding-my-bike-has-taught-me-about-white-privilege/
Harding, S & Wood, J. (2005). Standpoint Theory .
