Entry 3_ Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền

Entry 3: Identifying Bias

Item 1: Bias in Media

Type of bias: Discrimination

Analysis:

The advertisement consists of a muscular male standing in his underwear with a nude female positioned on a bed wearing no clothes. The specific use of the phrase "for the benefit of mankind" connotes a number of ideological meanings. At one level, men are typically the ones who "benefit". As well, the use of "mankind" suggests the superiority of males in society. The visual words and poses of the two figures also speak to the dominance of males over females. Another meaning is that of male sexuality and the notion that women are presented to serve men, sexually and in other respects.

Item 2: Bias in Daily Life

Tôi làm việc trong phòng giao dịch của công ty Viettel. Phòng tôi có 6 người Thanh Hóa, trong đó có cả tôi. Chúng tôi là những con người chăm chỉ và luôn hỗ trợ nhau hết mình vì công việc vì tình đồng hương, luôn đi đầu trong mọi công tác vì vậy được mọi người trong phòng yêu quý. Thế nhưng, hôm nay, khi vừa bước vào công ty tôi nghe mấy chục người người bàn tán xôn xao . Người ta còn nói câu mà tôi phải suy nghĩ mãi: " Dân Thanh Hóa gian lắm làm gì cũng nên đề phòng toàn bọn đầu trộm đuôi cướp".Thoáng nhìn thấy 3 công an tôi nghĩ đã có chuyện gì xảy ra vì thông thường thì người lạ chỉ ở ngoài phòng giao dịch. Tôi ghé sát vào anh người Hà Trung chơi rất thân như anh em ruột hỏi thì anh buồn bã trả lời :"Đúng là dân Thanh Hóa”. Tôi hỏi : "Sao anh nói vậy? mình cũng dân Thanh Hóa mà. ", anh bảo: "Toàn gây tai tiếng". Tôi bắt đầu thẫn thờ và tìm hiểu chuyện. Hóa ra là cậu bảo vệ mới của công ty đã cuỗm đi 15triệu thẻ cào và 100 triệu tiền mặt. Nhưng ngay sau đó cậu ta đã bị công an bắt giữ.
Type of bias: Stereotype, Scapegoating

Analysis:

Some staff in the office keep in their mind that people from Thanh Hoa are cunning. Some of them maybe like that, however, it is not true for all of them à stereotype.

From this stereotype, they blame that “all of thanhhoa’s people are thefts” and “They are always making disreputes”à scapegoating

Item 3: Bias in Research and Statistics

The 1936 Literary Digest Poll

The Literary Digest was one of the most respected magazines of the time and had a history of accurately predicting the winners of presidential elections that dated back to 1916. For the presidential election of 1936 between Alfred Landon, the Republican governor of Kansas and the incumbent President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Literary Digest prediction was that Landon would get 57% of the vote against Roosevelt's 43%. The Literary Digest's method for choosing its sample was as follows: Based on every telephone directory in the United States, lists of magazine subscribers, rosters of clubs and associations, and other sources. A mailing list of about 10 million names was created. Every name on this list was mailed a mock ballot and asked to return the marked ballot to the magazine. However, the actual results of the election were 62% for Roosevelt against 38% for Landon.

Type of bias: Assumption

Analysis:

The major problem with the poll was in the selection process for the names on the mailing list, which were taken from telephone directories, club membership lists, lists of magazine subscribers, etc. Such a list often consisted of middle- and upper-class voters, and excluded lower-income voters. In 1936, telephones were much more of a luxury than they are today. Furthermore, at a time when there were still 9 million people unemployed, the names of a significant segment of the population would not show up on lists of club memberships and magazine subscribers. At least with regard to economic status, the Literary Digest mailing list was far from being a representative cross-section of the population.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Literary_Digest

http://svth.net/forum/con-nguoi-xu-thanh/29762-noi-buon-mang-ten-thanh-hoa.html

http://www.math.upenn.edu/~deturck/m170/wk4/lecture/case1.html

http://www.ltcconline.net/lukas/gender/background/howto.htm