Be mindful of biases

The Jan. 21 march was exhilarating and profoundly affirming. I saw kindness, joy and respect everywhere as I wandered through the throngs of diverse people. There were waves to individuals who posted their “Make America Great” signs from their windows. Many thank yous were expressed to the police for keeping us safe, and they reciprocated by appreciating the lovely, peaceful crowds.

We are all prone to see and report from our biases. For instance, when I watched a clip of Fox News, I noticed the insidious way they used words, emphasizing the more “negative” chants and the way they threw in ridicule to belittle the event. I also heard them say that it was peaceful and well run, as well as a few other positive comments I would not have expected given my bias.

My deepest hope is that we each begin to notice our biases and find words that are not inflammatory to those we disagree with so that discourse may be possible. I know how hard it is to reach out to people with whom we have differences. Each of us should be mindful of our biases, so that we can chose words that can unite us.

Catharine Scherer

Spokane