How biased are you?

No matter how much we try to deny it, how much we try to cover it up and make ourselves look neutral and impartial, most of us become biased when it comes down to our family members or friends. We try to overlook the faults of the people we genuinely care about, but make a molehill over the faults of the people we dislike.

Is being biased a part of human nature? Shouldn't there be a limit to it lest we do not go on supporting criminals or culprits due to our friendships with them? Now where do we draw the line? Is being biased inherently wrong? Should human beings be expected to be unbiased and impartial all the time? Is it practically possible to have a neutral mindset fixed for 24/7? Is it disastrous if one is a little biased towards his friends and family? Or should human beings look at the world objectively all the time without ever letting their emotions come into its way? Are such people like machines, or are they the epitome of perfection due to their nature of looking at things from an objective and neutral point of view?

Also, what is the connection between being loyal and being biased? Can you remain loyal to someone without being biased towards him (or his actions)?

Being loyal is regarded as a virtue, and so is being truthful. Now if you fall into a situation (e.g. your friend, who once saved you, has done a wrong deed) where you can be either be (i) a truthful person and let the world know the truth, or (ii) be a loyal friend, and look at his deed from a heavily-biased, rose-tinted glasses, which one would you go for? How will you feel over the steps you took afterward? If you act like a loyal friend to him - will you feel guilty later for hiding the truth? If you remain a truthful person and expose him and his actions to the world - will you feel guilty for betraying him? Overall which side would you take and what should be the ideal choice?

Itne bhari bhari topics! Baap... 😆 - Kidding!

I am off now, you're a few minutes late in posting the topic. I'll come back later and give my two cents. For starters though:

Very. I am extremely biased and never neutral. But I hardly change that. That's why I like people, guys especially, that would be witty, smart and intelligent enough to be able to change my views on matters, which I daresay happens seldom. 😆

About my loved ones, I feel I would protect them. We care way too much, and especially as Indians or Hindus are so much expressive and emotional about our thoughts. We cry on little matters and love for little things. There's no way most of us could be unbiased concerning our loved ones.

I like your topic.😊

We all are biased. It is in human nature to be biased. Anyone who claims to be devoid of any bias whatsoever is either delusional or an accomplished liar.

As humans we find comfort in the known and familiar. We are more at ease with people, concepts and ideas we know and are exposed to. Family, friends and even local community/society. We interact and influence each other, sharing perceptions and opinions within a limited sphere. This way we form a comfort zone and tend to be biased against anything that falls outside it. We also have the tendency to protect and cherish what we love and is dear towards us. This protective instinct and love makes us less likely to notice flaws in those we love and be comparatively more critical to others. Through these processes, we all end up being biased towards family and friends, as well as our culture, our nation, our religion, our community etc. No one intends to be biased it happens. It is a natural human social and psychological process.

However, having a bias does not mean that we cease being objective. Despite our biases I think we all have the ability to be reasonable and objective at the same time. We all realize that different does not mean deficient and that different perspectives are not necessarily incorrect perspectives. We learn to treat people on their own merit and that differences have their own value. It's just that some people have the skills and resolve to overcome biases and find a fair middle ground, other people are bogged down by lack of skills or being too emotionally steeped in their biases.

As for myself personally, I can only admit that I am aware I have biases. How well I do in overcoming them is for others to perceive. I've always really wanted to be like Spock and be governed by reason; but in the end I'm only human not Vulcan.

if someone likes any other singer over mohd rafi i brand them as having lower class tastes in music :P

being unbiased... is like being in no mans land.. people wont put smilies at your post... unless you have those "birds of a feather files together" kind of thing... you laugh and cry at their poosts they would do the same...

every one has seen a lot of biased behavior towards our friends and religion on this forums.