“You mustn’t write anything that is inaccrochable.” – Ernest Hemingway
Introduction
The cultural environment in which a person interacts with other people is considered one of the strongest drivers influencing behavior and general worldview. Various sociological theories and concepts are based on the assessment of the social environment as a significant aspect that largely determines the type of personality, individual professional inclinations, and other qualities. However, even with a solid evidence background, one should not lose sight of such an essential factor as personal prejudice. Due to individual beliefs and corresponding preferences, people often have a biased attitude towards different phenomena around them. At the same time, negative attitudes may not depend on the cultural environment, as shown in the story “Miss Stein Instructs” in Hemingway’s book A Moveable Feast. Persistent beliefs are formed under the influence of a number of nuances and can be cultivated due to a distorted perception of reality. Therefore, although many people justify personal prejudice by the environment, I am convinced that individual criteria for bias are much stronger than public ones.
Excessive Self-Confidence Narrows the Boundaries of Vision
People deeply convinced of their rightness demonstrate inflexibility of their views, which is a direct prerequisite for personal prejudice. For instance, in his story, Hemingway quotes the words of Miss Stein, his Parisian acquaintance: “you mustn’t write anything that is inaccrochable” (10). The meaning that the woman puts into these words is simple: she divides art into what people understand and can acquire and what is beyond her comprehension and, therefore, beyond others’ comprehension. However, such a perception only indicates limited cultural development and cannot be true. A person who is firmly convinced that he or she is right and is not ready to change one’s views under any pretext cannot perceive the world objectively. This position reflects not social but individual beliefs that are demonstrated to others. While not meeting the appropriate understanding, a person believes that the people around are wrong. Nevertheless, in this case, an exclusively individual bias makes it difficult to assess the relevant phenomenon adequately. Excessive self-confidence is not a factor contributing to the flexibility of consciousness, and in the face of unambiguous opposition to others’ views, a person forms a persistent bias.
From a cultural perspective, this inflexibility indicates the inability to adapt to the environment. Miss Stein, who lives in Paris and is surrounded by numerous museums, exhibition halls, and other art galleries, states as follows: “you can either buy clothes or buy pictures” (Hemingway 10). This approach suggests that the woman has already formed a personal vision of the world and is not ready to renounce her idea. Even the Parisian cultural environment is not an incentive for her to change her stereotypical thinking. Therefore, when speaking about the causes of prejudice, one should take into account primarily self-confident bias and not the influence of others.
Personal Experience as the Cause of Prejudice
In some cases, this is not the personality type that influences the formation of stable stereotypes in people but their lived experience, which they transform into a behavioral model and apply to all circumstances. Miss Stein gives Hemingway her position on male homosexuals: “they are always changing partners and cannot be really happy” (13). It is possible that along her life path, she did meet gay men who led the lifestyle that she described. However, this does not give her the right to perceive all people of non-traditional sexual orientation as such since, even from a statistical perspective, the calculation error is too obvious. A person who has experienced another’s misdeed or witnessed indecent behavior cannot claim that all members of a particular cultural group behave in the same way. In Miss Stein’s case, her look is unambiguous; she is not ready to abandon the idea of gay depravity and seeks to impose this vision on others. Such narrow-mindedness of views may be the result of personal experience but cannot be considered an objective reason for prejudice.
Miss Stein’s gender bias concerns not only men but also women, which indicates her unshakable position in life. While speaking of females, she notes that “they do nothing that they are disgusted by and nothing that is repulsive” (13). It is possible that in her cultural environment, it is precisely such women that are found most often. However, again, no one can assert the unambiguity of one’s position, basing specific arguments only on personal experience. Gender differences, including among representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation, can be assessed from various positions, but to say that each of the sexes behaves in strict accordance with specific and habitual principles is a clear individual bias. In different cultures, distinctive norms of interaction are welcomed, and what may be unacceptable for representatives of one nation can be natural for another. Thus, personal experience is a strong driver of prejudice, which cannot be tied to the environment or justified by relevant cultural or moral and ethical values promoted in society.
Educational Ignorance as a Driver of Bias
In addition to individual experience and self-confidence as a personality trait, educational ignorance can also be the cause of bias that is unrelated to the environment. Poor family upbringing may be a prerequisite for the formation of a distorted vision of the world, and although the family circle is considered a small environment, it is not about the entire society. When analyzing Miss Stein’s psychotype, one can pay attention to the unambiguity of her views, which may be caused by the perpetuation of the wrong views due to lack of education. Nevertheless, as Hemingway notes, she was the author of at least one book and several stories (11). Thus, in a broader context, educational ignorance may concern not a lack of academic knowledge but a poor understanding of life situations and the accepted norms of interpersonal interaction. Again, in some families, unique traditions and a culture of communication are encouraged. A person forms an individual bias based on these principles, adding a personal vision to that adopted. As a result, even despite the influence of loved ones, prejudice cannot be considered an exclusively external aspect that affects personality traits.
Aggressiveness of Views Is Not Imposed by Society
The extremes shown in relation to the surrounding world are not imposed by society because a person oneself chooses the model of behavior that suits him or her. Aggression and intolerance cannot be considered manifestations of an imposed opinion since no propaganda can instill prejudice in a person if he or she is not inclined to do so. While taking an example from Hemingway’s story, I want to note his position after a series of dialogues with Miss Stein: “I had not started the conversation and thought it had become a little dangerous” (13). Such a position indicates that a sensible person does not intend to defend personal views at all costs, even if they contradict others’ opinions. The author states as follows: “I was always careful of my language with Miss Stein,” which indicates his unwillingness to enter into a discussion and demonstrate the same steadfastness of an individual position (Hemingway 12). Aggression associated with intolerance towards people and events is formed as a result of the ardent disagreement, and this behavior inevitably entails bias that is difficult to eradicate.
Given the inflexibility of consciousness, aggressiveness takes root and creates discomfort for others. The development of society has led to the fact that people condemn interpersonal conflicts, regardless of their prerequisites. As Hemingway argues, “I had lived in a world as it was and there were all kinds of people in it” (12). Therefore, despite the belief of many that the environment stimulates bias, people should, first of all, pay attention to their own views and behavioral motives.
Conclusion
Personal prejudice cannot be justified by the environment because, contrary to the stereotype about the strong influence of the social circle on the worldview, prejudice is formed in those who are ready to accept it. Among the reasons that lead to the manifestation of intolerance and inflexibility in views, I can note excessive self-confidence, negative personal experience, and educational ignorance. These factors cause aggression and rejection of anyone’s position other than one’s own. Society does not encourage such behavior, and progressive people are aware of this. According to Hemingway, who recalls his conversations with Miss Stein, “there were so many things to understand in those days and I was glad when we talked about something else” (13).
Work Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. A Moveable Feast. Simon and Schuster, 2009.