Whether or not people are aware of it, we are all biased. I am just as biased as anyone else in the world, even though I may not want to be. I happen to have a bias towards younger children, as opposed to teenagers and adults. Sometimes if I’m at a dinner party with little kids and adults, I unconsciously find myself gravitating towards the games and conversations of the kids. Not only are kids usually more energetic and optimistic, but they have such a sincere curiosity about life. My theory is that my mind works the same way as the minds of kids: I would rather talk about simple, fun things like food or games rather than worry about college, politics, and “teen drama.” Life was so simple back when we were little, and I guess I subconsciously miss that part of life.
Kids are also relatively non-judgmental. I think I possess a bias towards them because I can full on engage with them without having the slightest care what they think of me. While adults might comment, “Look at that girl’s shirt. I bet she gets her clothes from the trash,” a kid might only think to themselves, “Hm...cool shirt,” and leave it at that. This bias impacts the way I interact with people because it makes me want to have lighter, simpler conversations. I could talk for hours with someone about rollercoasters or the beach (random, I know), but would probably walk away when the conversation becomes really deep and complicated.
What I do understand about my bias is that it does not stem from hatred towards any one group, but rather from a particular liking of a group’s behaviors and beliefs. I know that although I possess this bias, I do spend the majority of my time engaged in conversations with people of my own age or older, and that I don’t dislike any of these people. In fact, they are my closest friends.
