Why you should know your bias and claim it

In 2002, after disillusionment with the Islamic faith and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a feminist activist and politician living in Holland by way of Somalia, renounced her Muslim faith and became an atheist. She is also the screenplay writer of the film Submission, for which Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered for directing in 2004 and left with a note stabbed into his chest promising the same fate for Hirsi Ali. Clearly, Hirsi Ali has led an interesting life, to say the very least. However, the one thing I learned about her which surprised me above all else, is to find out where she currently works.

Hirsi Ali is currently employed at the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy, conservative think tank.

Um, what? Feminist…atheist…intellectual…and conservative? In my mind, one of these things is not like the other. And the fact that I find these ideas so completely opposite is the very reason why it is so important for everyone to find there biases and claim them when appropriate, because there is always going to be someone who defies them. I think of feminism, atheism, and intellectualism as traits which go hand in hand with liberalism. However, Hirsi Ali is obviously not a stupid woman, and has no problem working with a conservative public policy organization. She single-handedly broke my bias.

Of particular note in the news right now for claiming biases is the issue of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan’s sexuality. While I personally am not caught up in this particular topic – because her sexuality is of no importance to me – many others are, because they believe it would mean a vote for same-sex marriage at a federal level. Kagan has already made it clear that she is against same-sex marriage at a federal level while her sexuality remains completely unknown, but what is important to note is that, despite her stance, people assume that if she is gay, that she must automatically support same-sex marriage. However, this isn’t the case for many members of the GBLTQ community, many of whom I’ve spoken to on the topic who have very valid reasons for their stance. So these people – these unnamed, anonymous few who believe all gay people support same-sex marriage – need to know their bias, and claim it.

Only through recognizing where our biases lie and being able to claim them can we become more informed by letting go of our preconceived notions. It is hard for me to reconcile a feminist, atheist conservative – in my mind it doesn’t make a while lot of sense – but it may be hard for Hirsi Ali to accept me as an atheist, feminist liberal. It’s hard for me to understand religious people, but if I let go of my biases against them, I can least create a more open space for dialogue.

But really…an atheist, feminist conservative? My mind is still a little blown.

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