Bias In Art: An Inclined Disposition
When going over sources in class, like the account of Garcilaso De la Vega, one fact has remained true and constant, that texts and sources always exhibit bias or prejudice towards a particular idea.
The first introduction I had to this concept of bias thinking was in high school, where we were assigned to read Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. The book outlines the true story of the murder of a small family in Kansas in 1959 and intricately describes the lives and pasts of those who committed the crime, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. While on the onset it seems that Capote is plainly giving factual details about Hickock and Smith, Capote’s subjective narration is revealed upon deeper examination. Upon developing a deep personal relationship with Smith, Capote crafts Smith's perspective of the crime more complexly; his is seen as more empathetic, sensitive, and remorseful for what he has done than his cold and brutish counterpart. Through the use of a compassionate tone, Capote goes beyond the intent to simply outline the crime and succeeds instead in invoking sympathy and pity towards the murderer from the audience. This has taught me to believe that nothing exists without a bias; nothing exists without an agenda and we must be willing to look for it if we are to accurately perceive a period of time, a way of thinking, or something produced.
Do humans have the capability of remaining strictly objective? That is, can humans have the capability to remain neutral? Aside from the history textbook that, arguably, is said to remain impartial, time and time again we see forms of art in our modern society ridden in a subjective narrative. From literature to film and TV to billboards and advertisements, humans display an inherent inclination towards a particular perspective or angle. Psychology textbooks that I have read advocate for a liberal agenda. Films and TV shows perpetrate the trope of the "white savior," in which a white person saves people of color from their oppression as they can't do it themselves.
Game of Thrones (2015) The Help (2011)
Films support unfair Japanese imperialism and fail to capture the perspective of those who were oppressed. Billboards present a single depiction of feminine beauty, establishing the boundaries of normality.
Everywhere we look, we are given an agenda that showcases favoritism for a particular perspective or completely lacks representation from another outlook. George Orwell, a prolific author of the 20th century, has even gone so far as to say that "all art is propaganda," or that art, in all of its forms, cannot be discerned from a goal or a sociopolitical context. He argues that art is not guided by aestheticism but is instead ridden with prejudice that has stark implications on the public. Therefore art cannot be treated as distinct from the world at large and must be dissected to find its limited viewpoint.
This showcases our prejudiced disposition as humans. We as humans are naturally inclined to favoritism and subjectivity. We have our own beliefs and vales and consequently live our lives according to our own perceptions of the world around us. Even if it is not blatant or is done unconsciously, everything we produce has an underlying perspective that perpetrates a form of thinking. We even exhibit "blind spots," in which we are unaware of our own subjective thinking. One thing is for sure, bias is everywhere and exists in many different forms and it is with its presence that facts get distorted and obstructed. We need to be able to detect such thinking
as it is important to not limit our understanding about a subject. We must be able to look at many different outlooks and contexts to form a truthful account that doesn't belittle or disregard an important aspect of the issue at hand.