Bias

The examples we had for class were helpful ones that were obviously biased. I decided to look for biased writing in the real world for this blog to get a better understanding of how it may look.

"Politicizing sexual assault comes at a good time for Democrats, especially for some aspiring females in the party, like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Democrats have fought to convince women they deserve their vote. Protecting abortion rights and vowing to close the bogus “wage gap” are just two of the female-friendly issues that have become litmus tests for Democrat candidates."

This piece written by Liz Peek and published on Fox News contains stereotypes and assumptions about gender. For one, it assumes that only women are the victims of sexual assault. Because of this, the article relegates sexual assault to being a "women's issue" in the same category as the wage gap and abortion. This is not only misinformed but it's also extremely damaging to readers. Additionally, this bias makes it so Peek does not even see her argument lacks the strength it could gain from saying that "politicizing sexual assault" could also benefit democratic male politicians. 

Examining this article for bias not only gave me a real-world example to consider but it also taught me something else about biased writing. It taught me that stereotypes are not only harmful to readers but they get in the way of good writing.