Community needs fresh thinking By JOHN WILLIAMS JR. Community Columnist In todays world of Internet news and Facebook re-posts, we have all faced a moment of playing the role of investigative reporter - the one who seeks out whether something is really true or not. A report is put forth as confirming an opinion, and it turns out to be one-sided or out of context â ¦ or worse. Its a logic problem called confirmation bias. Thats our tendency to favor information that confirms an opinion that we already have and ignore information that suggests differently. We all do it. But we may have achieved a new level of confirmation bias with the extremes of current political conversation and with the absence of a filter in social media. Im not going to change that, but I do want to call for simply acknowledging that it is a bias. Just because we find someone else with an opinion like our own, or something that makes us feel better about our opinion, does not make it true. If I ignored information with which I did not agree or that did not confirm my opinions, I wouldnt read some parts of The Paducah Sun daily (sorry, Pad Sun). I would also need to block or hide many of my friends on Facebook. Think of the topics to which this might apply: the president, global warming, the handling of this war or that, etc. A greater self-awareness is absolutely critical and sorely missed. We cannot entirely get rid of our biases, but we can be more mindful about making a mistake and maturely consider what that means. Civically and personally, we cant work on our weaknesses unless we acknowledge and understand them. For example, there are those who have the idea that city government in Paducah is riddled by poor decisions and spending/debt problems. A review of the citys books or a scan of the bond rating will show otherwise. However, for those who feel this way, a review of the City Commission meetings on Tuesday nights always holds fodder for spirited conversations in the break room the next morning. Likewise, many would say that county government is only concerned with matters of importance to the 60 percent of the population that lives outside the city, and that the city cares little about the needs of those in the balance of the county. Government actions and decisions are just not as black and white as they get made out to be. In fact, Id suggest there is much more gray area than we realize. Ultimately, we elect people to understand the issues and make decisions on our behalf based on what they know. That might mean more rocks into the Ohio River or opening an animal shelter where there was no history of operating one, as much as I hate to say it. Confirmation bias has a close cousin called group think. That happens when a group is so self-assured that it is heading in the right direction that it pays scant attention to information that suggests more work or a different direction. Thats exactly what a presidential commission suggested was the cause of the Challenger Disaster in 1986. Group think and the failure to recognize and squelch confirmation bias have impeded progress in our region too long. In January, we will have a very different Fiscal Court and a refreshed effort at strategic planning. Success requires trust, listening, creativity and cooperation. Its interesting and ironic today that our incoming county judge-executive is a former elected city official. It is a moment for applause that our new economic development executive is listening and talking publicly about new approaches, including a new effort on existing industry and businesses. This is exciting and very encouraging. I pray it implies refreshed conversation on what the problems are and where opportunities lie that weve missed. In short, it is an open door and invitation to thinking without confirmation bias and the weight of past conclusions. If our community were taking a logic course final exam, leadership has a new shot at getting an A. John Williams Jr. is a Paducah native who has long been active in civic affairs and the arts.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 13:36:46 +0000
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