“Unbiased” Doesn’t Exist: How Power Dynamics Shape Society
Humans are born into a world that is shaped by others and influence others into different systems of beliefs and power.
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Socials at bottom of the article.
Let’s Get Something Straight
When you are born into this world, you know nothing and understand nothing except what is in your immediate environment and the influences of it. There may be some genetic passdown of thoughts or assumptions, but for the overwhelming 99.99% of things, you are a complete blank canvas.
That said, logically the reality is you are a product of the environment you grow up in or put yourself in. Which is a reality so many people don’t want to accept, but it is true no matter how much we fight it. This is why people who grow up in Republican or Democrat households & neighborhoods are more likely to vote the same and have the same beliefs as their family or neighbors. It is why children in environments that reinforce racial hate and division are as likely to become racist themselves. It is why non-traveling people who live in one part of the world for most of their lives don’t have as much understanding or concern for other parts of the world’s people unlike those who travel, let alone different parts of their own country.
The ability to step out of your comfort zone, challenge your own thoughts, critically think beyond what you was told is truth, and accept that we can be wrong in many cases; is the only way to advance forward. The harsh reality is, everyone is trying to sell you something for one reason or another. You shouldn’t automatically believe them just because of certain circumstances that makes you feel you should.
Is Everything Really Biased?
We understand from the studies of sociology & psychology that human behavior and thought patterns are deeply affected by their primary influences. For children, who are the most likely to adopt any influence presented to them because they don’t know any better and have a blind trust of those around them, their influences are 3 types.
Primary: which is their family or guardians.
Secondary: which is school or private institutions they are enrolled in.
Tertiary: which is friends, neighbors, school peers, etc.
This is why the influence of children is something that needs to be heavily regulated, it is also because of this why so many Nazis target teens and children as a way to indoctrinate hate into them at an early age when they are not old enough to know any better. It has not gotten any better with their increasing organization and centralizing network. Children have to be carefully protected during their young age from specific hate groups, both fringe (e.g. Nationalist organizations) and state approved (e.g. Democrat & Republican).
Now of course as we grow older we begin to think more for ourselves often times and begin to question certain things that we may have been taught. However what also needs to be understood is not only does some not do this, but as we grow older and older we also begin to become set in our beliefs and a certain level of arrogance develops where we cling to our notions even if they’re wrong; and depending on one’s age and willingness to accept they can be wrong is where they may let go of old notions or not. This isn’t scientifically true for most things, but it is more a case of one’s willingness and experience of continuous learning through their life, which for most is not common, especially in Western nations where this is not a common practice. This is where the never-ending fight between the old and young begins because in many cases the youth think they know so much but can be wrong most of the time, while depending on the elder they can have a lot of wisdom and experience but can also be wrong depending on their own inability to accept they are. It really comes down to needing to control one’s self (this applies to both old and young) to understand that there can be either a misunderstanding or one side could just genuinely be wrong, or both could be right and wrong on certain information. Phenomenons in the world isn’t black and white (sometimes it is, but much of it is grey) which is a belief many of us think we don’t hold but actually do because we was raised to be; which is the fault of living in societies where it’s propaganda functions on absolutist thinking.
-What is bias?
Bias:
“Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.” -Wikipedia
“The action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment.” -Cambridge Dictionary
“Bias, prejudice mean a strong inclination of the mind or a preconceived opinion about something or someone. A bias may be favorable or unfavorable” -Dictionary.com
“Bias is a natural inclination for or against an idea, object, group, or individual. It is often learned and is highly dependent on variables.” -University of Chicago
As pure products of our environments, does this not mean everything is biased? As it would mean we learn based on what is taught to us by others before we begin to learn for ourselves and begin to think for ourselves. What we learn is often from another’s perspective or something they learned from another who learned it from another. Much of human history, both true and false, is simply the passing down of one perspective vs another perspective, with or without evidence to back it up.
-Yes, everything is biased, and that’s okay
Every bit of information is biased in either a favorable or unfavorable way; this is the same with messaging and why I have stated before that “everything is propaganda.” What matters is not if it is biased, but is the bias true? In the age of advanced technology, it has became both easier and harder to confirm information on various topics and phenomenons; by both having a lot of information to dig for to confirm a topic and having substantial false propaganda and censorship to keep truth from finding the light of day. Ultimately, to find truth means to never accept one side as a primary authority and to understand that there can be power dynamics at play to make you believe a certain belief. Truth is found in the tireless digging for information and evidence to create a confirmable conclusion once all the evidence connects together, not in the authority behind the reporting of said “truth.” What you will find, however, is more often than not, one side usually reports more confirmable truth than the other side does, and that is where power dynamics come into play, which you’ll read later in this piece about.
-Bias, why is it a dirty word?
Bias has become a dirty word in much of society because it is a method of divide and conquer of information. This is a new phenomenon as originally bias just meant “leaning of the mind” or inclination; however it’s only been the last 20th and 21st centuries when bias began to be seen negatively. With discussions around media bias, the harmful effects of unfavorable bias in psychological studies, and social movements highlighting hateful bias as a roadblock to progress and civil rights, it is no surprise why bias has been treated as a dirty word. Especially since, psychologically, humans have a natural tendency to focus on negative information significantly more than positive information. Does this mean bias is bad? No, as stated earlier, everything is biased, what matters is what is the bias, is it true, and is it harmful or not.
-Base & Superstructure
In Marxist analysis of society, the base and superstructure can best be understood as:
“"base and superstructure" refers to the idea that a society's economic structure, known as the "base," forms the foundation upon which all other aspects of society, like culture, politics, and ideology (the "superstructure"), are built and largely determined; essentially, the economic base shapes the social and cultural aspects of a society, although there can be some degree of interaction between the two levels.” -Source
It is this understanding that applies to how power dynamics and institutions mold and form society and its functions.
It is this Marxist understanding of society that further backs my arguments of bias within society through the establishments of powerful systems that, through their power dynamics, shape and create beliefs and perspectives of society as a whole. Now does this mean the masses can’t in turn shape and force positions upward to the structure above them? Of course it does, but the bias still arises as the formation of views are influenced by those of the past. New beliefs and positions in this time of the 21st century is almost impossible, but it will often feel as if it isn’t because of a lack of study, commonly someone most likely has came up with the same beliefs in the past. Even newer ideologies like anarcho-capitalism, national Bolshevism, and other odd ideologies, while new, still are influenced by thinkers and leaders of the past. Which is excepted; society builds and evolves great thinking off the work of great thinkers of before.
Regardless, this understanding of power dynamics is how the world functions. The way we understand political, economic, social and cultural relations is from either the beliefs of the structural system & it’s influences (superstructure) or economic relations & the masses (base). Or, in more rare occasions, the understanding of those thinkers & societies of the past or civilizations of another part of the world; which is the case for many who belong to opposing ideologies of the current system they live under. The biggest relation of society with this understanding is the economic, aka class relation. As it is a universal relation in all communities and societies. The entirety of the superstructure and base hinges on this element of society, and plays the biggest part in the success or failure of influences and power dynamics.
So, for most occasions, influencing bias often plays a financial benefit for a specific community, along with a power or societal gain.
Bias, Politics & Geopolitics
Bias plays a significant role in political and geopolitical relations. Every organization, institution, agency, and government is trying to influence a bias, be it good or bad. The issue is much of the bias/propaganda coming from specific global entities is bad because of their track records.
-Critical Thinking, Media & Understanding Power Dynamics Globally
Since everything is biased, and everyone is trying to influence a bias (often ones against our unaware interests), how do we find truth? This is why independent study and independent journalism is necessary. Those who take the painful road of studying multiple sources, including opposing sides of their own civilizations, find the truth much more often then civilizations who form their opinions based on the influence of their established government or institutions. It is because of this why critical thinking is treated on par with criminal activity and slandered by a system who does not want those opposing beliefs to expose their criminal behavior.
This is the most common with Western states like the US, France, Germany, etc. For example not only is critical thinking and doing your own independent journalism not fostered in these societies, especially with an education system that was changed by Rockefeller in order to want a nation of “workers, not thinkers”; but come to the wrong conclusions and you’ll be censored and attacked for “Russian Propaganda” or you’re a “Foreign Agent” or you being anti-Zionist means “you’re an anti-semitic.” Which for nations like the West with the bloodiest track record, it shows a clear gain that their bias is aimed at obtaining from the majority believing in it. The purpose to treat anyone promoting opposing views which has evidence behind it, just not evidence supported by the west, as an enemy is a means to keep the masses programmed and submissive to Westernization.
My recent article “How The World Tried to Destroy Syria” caused some commotion on some social media’s, especially among Western politically left communities. It’s shocking to say the least how people who understand that power dynamics shape their way of viewing issues somehow argue from the same Western position on Syria; and this is because Westernization is not only a combination of ideologies, way of life and ways of processing information, but it is also a poison that effects everyone who does not oppose it as a whole.
Westernization, in relation to the world, is the vehicle of pulling communities, countries, and people into bias of Western perspectives and imperial interests. It is the means to make Western people submissive to Western hegemony, and for oppressed and colonized people, a way to divide and sow chaos for third world nations.
There is no stronger sign of this except through Western propaganda and imperialism. The US has allocated billions of dollars into their propaganda machine and its many outlets, media agencies, and institutions. This propaganda machine is not restrained to just the US, as we have seen from the National Endowment for Democracy, which carries out many functions similar to the CIA including propaganda, and from Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia. Not to mention the many foreign versions of major news outlets like CNN. These propaganda outlets serve only 4 functions: 1) Westernize all who consume them. 2) Promote Western perspectives against target countries. 3) Divide and undermine target countries’ way of rule. 4) Manufacture consent for intervention or war against target countries.
While I do occasionally link popular (Western) mainstream media outlets in my pieces, I don’t do so as a means to promote Western media, even if on rare occasions it is more geopolitically neutral, nor should anyone adopt the whole at surface value, which you shouldn’t do for most media/propaganda. I do it to give a level of context or educate on a certain phrase that may not be common. Mainstream media in the West is, in majority of relations, especially geopolitical, unreliable and biased towards Western interests. It serves the goal of Westernization. Not all of it, but most of it; and if not careful, one can accidentally be programmed by it.
The world today, in 2024, is divided largely into 3 main regions:
Western Hegemony & It’s Allies; USA, Israel, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Japan, South Korea.
Axis of Resistance & It’s Allies; Russia, China, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Palestine, DPRK, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Venezuela, Iraq, Burkina Faso, Niger, South Africa, Brazil.
And the rest of the world, who are stuck picking between these two large coalitions as they face off against one another.
With global power dynamics being mostly divided between these two large, well organized coalitions predominantly, with most superpowers being part of one or the other, it means most bias, influence, and propaganda is going to mostly come from one of these two coalitions. While we should always maintain some level of nuance in consumption of narratives from either side, what we can’t ignore is context of power dynamics. One of these coalitions has, without a single doubt, the most bloodiest history, imperializing past (and present), globalization objectives, and a “rules for thee, but not for me” mentality; and rather you are studied enough to know which or not, it is the Western coalition. That knowledge, while it will make you biased yes, is unfortunately the reality.
So does that mean one should be biased in favor of the Axis of Resistance? Yes, because power dynamics shape the world. The reality is the world and all its countries are forced to pick in favor of super powers, which to side by, trade with, unite with against others. Not necessarily because they want to or not, but more they have to in case one superpower decides to target them. This is why the US doesn’t go to war with Cuba or DPRK anymore, because it will start a war with Russia and China. While many nations still try to remain neutral, the risk this poses is something we seen from Africa and South America, where many nations, when they refused to accept US corporations or bases, got couped or invaded. Power dynamics play a primary role in geopolitical relations and influence, and it is part of why consuming information on a given topic not only requires nuance and understanding various contextual elements, but requires understanding where a specific influence is coming from, what they have to gain from it, and if it’s from those whose goals is manufacturing consent for imperialism and Western hegemony.
Overall:
Be nuanced in study of topics, study deeply and consider all evidence from all sides, but never forget that you will always be biased because it’s impossible to be unbiased. Not all bias is good, not all bias is bad, but there is bias that is clearly enemy bias, and most of the bias from the West serves no one except the imperialists & colonizers of the world.
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