How Biases Can Blind You From Having Your Best Life
Do you know if you’re biased? Spoiler: you are.
My Uncle John has taken his car to the same garage for over ten years but told me he must find a new place.
“Why?” I asked.
“The owner and chief mechanic has brought his daughter into the business.” His cheeks were reddening. “As a mechanic,” he exploded.
“How do you know she isn’t good? Her dad must think she is to trust his customer’s cars with her.”
“She’s a woman. She can’t be a mechanic.”
You might think gender bias has had its day, but it has not. Uncle John doesn’t think he’s biased. To him, this is logical, common sense.
Whenever I take my car to the garage, my partner normally drives behind me so I can leave my car, and he can take me home in his.
And every time the mechanic talks about what my car needs, he talks to my partner, even if I point out that it’s my car.
Maybe car-related issues are just for men? As if.
Many biases, like Uncle John’s, are hidden. You may not think you’re biased, but you’re bound to be without realising it. Maybe your children are just that bit cuter, or your lasagna is the best. But they’re not biases, you say…
