Critical and Creative Thinking in Society Essay

Describe a situation of public interest in which critical and /or creative thought not used for a better outcome. Describe why it is important to think critically and creatively is similar situations. In the United States, sadly, situations of public interest occur almost on a daily basis. These conditions can happen on any level, anywhere at the work place, schools, businesses, and government. Depending on the severity of the situation with the help of the media, can quickly turn political that creates public outcry and chaos at the local, national, or an international level. One example of public interest comes to mind of how critical and creative thought not used and for that reason created public outcry and chaos that made matters worse. In 2003, the Iraqi prison ran by the United States Army, the pictures of tortured and abused prisoners from the Abu Ghraib prison. These photographs of the abused prisoners created an international outcry that affected the leadership levels from the U.S. Army up to President Bush’s administration.

It created such an outcry that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld turned in his letter of resignation to President Bush. President Bush denied Donald Rumsfeld’s letter of resignation. The Abu Ghraib incident hurt the relations that the U.S. was trying to build with the people of Iraq, and the Muslim world community. The prison incident also added fuel to the fire from U.S. political figures that oppose the war in Iraq and the terrorist that the U.S. is fighting. Anytime the media get any information about the story, not matter what outcome it produces, they will publish it. Sadly, this includes selling out own country, their souls, and their children. The excuse for greed of the media is the freedom of speech. The Abu Ghraib incident was wrong, but it created more troubles for the United States afterword. More Iraqi people turned against the U.S. by joining the Iraqi terrorist organizations, which cause more lost American lives in Iraq. In addition, more Muslims worldwide join various terrorist groups to fight Americans and Allies in other locations around the globe.

The U.S. relations in that region of the world are always a touchy subject from past events and in future events. The media should have taken the information about Abu Ghraib prison to the U.S. Government. Then let them fix the problem or they will go public with the story. The media already knew that the story would create a whirlwind to the public that is the reason for publishing the story. Greed is the driving force behind the media factor for selling out its country and making the U.S. look bad. Define free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. Explain how we use them to form thoughts. What role does each play in critically assessing situations? There are multiple definitions of free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. As identified differently to each person. Each of these defined in today’s society. Free will is an unrestricted deed or liberty a person partakes in creating choices with outside interferences or influences (Merriam-Webster, 2015). Truth is a fact, circumstance, element, or a belief established and accepted by a society as true.

What is truth in Africa may not be the truth in the United States. What is truth today may not be the truth 50 years ago (Merriam-Webster, 2015). Knowledge is an insight or wisdom that is an acquisition of feeling, understanding, awareness or expertise of skills or information. A person gains knowledge through experiences, observation, or education (Merriam-Webster, 2015). Opinion is strictly a person’s point of view, ideas, belief, feeling, judgments, or position about a particular subject matter or thing. Not all individuals share the same opinions, nor are these opinions based on truths or facts (Merriam-Webster, 2015). Each person pertains a different perceptive of free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. As individuals, not one person contains the same characteristics as others. These personal traits come from different backgrounds, upbringing, race, region (place), and religion or beliefs.

Most features come from parents until that person is old enough to form their personal characteristic, but that still hold some childhood truths taught by parents. The characteristics makeup an individual’s thinking process. These traits play an important role in critically assessing situations. However, free will, truth, knowledge, and opinions sometimes form bias thoughts that clog the minds of individuals that interfere with the critical thinking process. Indentify three hindrances to the critical thinking process. Determine methods for overcoming these hindrances. Indentify a time in which you experienced a hindrance in critical thinking. Describe a method you could use to overcome the hindrances. Six habits that hinder thinking are the mine-is-better habit, face saving, resistance to change, conformity, stereotyping, and self-deception. These bad thinking habits restrict a person’s thinking process. The three hindrances indentified for this essay are mine-is-better habit, resistance to change, and conformity.

In addition will describe a seventh hindrance not discussed in the textbook (Ruggiero, 2012). Mine-is-better habit is a more common hindrance seen in children, adults, neighbors, co-workers, friends, family members, and in societies. Everyone sees this pattern on a daily basis from those who have the bigger-better house, the fanciest car, better paying job and even the nicest and better-looking spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend. Mine-is-better is anything that make an individual stand above others (Ruggiero, 2012). Resistance to change refers to any person, community, or society resisting changes in policy, practices, or technology. People prefer routine to anything new, fearing in learning new things or anything that places a person out of his or hers comfort zone (Ruggiero, 2012). Conformity is a bad hinder thinking habit practiced by persons that wants to fit in with peers, groups, or even workplace. People who avoid confrontation will hold back feelings and thoughts fearing of being different or want to go with the flow of the crowd (Ruggiero, 2012).

Grumpy-old-man syndrome is what this author developed in his later years. The grumpy-old-man pertains to older people who have grown more to their train of though and will not change. The grumpy-old-man syndrome contains two or more hindrances but shows more feelings, no fear, and more anger in their thinking process. Sadly, I have experience all of these hindrances while serving in the U.S. Navy. I observed each one almost on a daily basis, and these practices are what leadership contain and used. Giving the author a bitter feeling towards certain ranks in the Navy, and I have developed an automatic stereotype towards Navy chiefs, which sadly formulated in a hate tread towards chiefs. How does a person overcome a hate for a group of egotistic, I’m-better-than-you, and my-poo-does-not-stink type of Naval personal….stay away from them, that is all a person can do. In overcoming the bad habits that hinder the thinking process, a person must first identify their weakness.

Then that person must develop a thought process the helps controls the first initial feeling or impression of a problem or issue. The individual can look closely by stepping back and examine the issues or problem from different prospective before coming up with a conclusion. The process allows that person to find hidden facts or information that initially blocked from hindrances (Ruggiero, 2012). Identify a message in advertising. Describe how you perceive the message of the advertisement. Try to determine the reality of the advertisement. Distinguish between your perception and the reality of the message. I remember watching an Extra Chewing Gum commercial a few years back. The message of the ad shows a Father and daughter eating a piece of gum. The father makes a bird out of the chewing gum wrapper and gives it to the little girl that makes her smile.

The commercial shows the father and daughter aging and going through each step of growing up. Each time the father shares a piece of gum and gives the girl a bird made from the chewing gum wrapper. At one point, the commercial shows the daughter going out on a date then later crying in her father’s arms, showing her first heartbreak. The father gives the daughter a piece of gum and hands her a bird he made from the chewing gum wrapper; then the girl wipes her tears and smiles at the father. Then finally, at the end of the commercial, the father is loading the daughter’s car with boxes and personal items. That point of the ad is indicating that the daughter is going to college. As the father is loading the daughter’s car, he drops a shoebox on the ground that opens up, what comes out of a shoebox is hundreds of birds made from the chewing gum wrappers. The daughter saved every bird that her father made for her.

I perceived the commercial as a father’s love for his daughter. The father spent every step of her life going through the growing points. The gum is an instrument or a ritual used in spending time and bonding with one another. The reality of the advertisement is marketing the chewing gum, and the target audience is family. The message of the ad is providing those who watch it a warm and happy feeling of the father’s love. While there was no hidden messages about the commercial, it showed the product during the enter process. The message of the product is showing that Extra chewing gum is also all about families.

References

Merriam-Webster. (2015). Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opinion Ruggiero, V. (2012). The Art of Thinking: A Guide to Critical and Creative Thought (10th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.