Feb 7, 2011 - What is good?

What Is Good?
- this is an important thing to know in order to succeed in life (and in this course)
- objective and subjective are good to know
Objective – what we should aim for
- to see something from a neutral perspective – you see things for what they are without having too much effect from your own BIAS
- what is BIAS? – an opinion that affects how one sees something
- eg – some people are biased to believe that teenagers are all stupid and that they are doing things bad for the town
- some who has bias, can be said to be PREJUDICED – that person is PRE-JUDGING
- to be objective is to consider the elements and facts about something and making that be the point, not your feelings or prejudices
- we need to learn HOW to see things in an objective way
- seeing from the outside. Not the inside

Subjective – the opposite
- uses their opinions, their feelings, their pre-existing beliefs, gets personal, etc
- all about YOU
- this is how MOST people are – esp. young people
- insecurity feeds this- I AM what I like
- careful thought can’t work in this kind of mindset as well
We need to avoid (for this class) being personal about our thoughts and opinions regarding the media
How does this improve me?
- better consumer – spend smarter – example – dealing with advertising
- you become better equipped to deal with problems – you have perspective
- you get a better life – you know some key things – you can accept things that others cannot – ie sickness, tragedy, hard fact that is unavoidable –

We Need to Learn How, Why, and What about the things that we consume
- we question some things, but others that we consume, we question not at all
- this is concerning
- there is a lot of bad stuff getting into our bodies (and our brains) and we can literally get hurt from it
One of the things that makes something good, ironically is EMOTION
- when we invest our feelings into something, or when something can pull our feelings out, then maybe that it one sign that it is good
- it’s the kind of thing you may not even realize you’re responding to –
- could be funny, could be sad, could be scary
The second thing we can point out as a “good maker” is REALITY or HONESTY (not the kind that you see in reality TV)