Get The Facts

While there were many interesting presentations in the rotunda this past week, Laura Kesnig's poll of ESM honor students stuck out to me because it reflected how people, especially young people, can start regurgitating other people's opinions and believe them to be facts. She asked news-related questions, and the responses were tinged by bias. For example: of the students asked "Is global warming really happening," 50% responded that global warming does not exist.
The uncomfortable truth that Laura's survey brings close to home is that people do not look for differing perspectives before synthesizing their own. They simply accept what opinions their parents, or the major news outlets offer, and regurgitate these.

In AP English Language and Composition, one of the types of essays students are required to write is called a synthesis essay. The test offers a concise statement about some news issue, such as global warming, and provides the arguments of people who either agree or disagree with the statement. The student must absorb all of this information, and use the provided arguments to form their own opinion, which they must then argue for. This skill is essential, especially in this age of hyperpartisan news, and AP students can thank Mrs. Wilcken.

Students polled by Laura might not have had Mrs. Wilcken, or the sentiments they expressed may have been the result of their careful synthesis. However, issues such as global warming simply cannot be contested, as it has been scientifically proven to exist and to be a product of human activity. The fact that people still consider this information to be a matter of personal opinion is disconcerting. Their is so much information in the world in 2015 that to ignore that which conflicts with your opinion is a disservice to the society in which we all live.