Monday, August 30, 2010

Subjective VS. Objective Claims (#1)

A subjective claim pertains to the beliefs, opinions, values, and emotions of the individual stating the claim. This previous weekend, my friend needed help with a question he had on his calculus homework. I was not able to help him with his question because I did not know how to solve it myself. A subjective claim that my friend said to me, when I was not able to help him with his question, was how it was impossible for me not to be able to solve this question because since I am Asian, all Asians are born to excel in math. This claim is subjective because it is merely my friend's opinion of Asian people's abilities in mathematics.

In contrast, an objective claim consists of facts and is not subjective to the person's feelings and/or thoughts. I work for a non-profit called HOPE Services, whose mission is dedicated to assisting individuals with developmental disabilities to live and participate in their communities. My manager, during our work training session this previous Monday, was explaining to us that people with developmental disabilities are the most disenfranchised people in the world. This is an objective claim because it is not biased, opinionated, or related to my manager's or anyone's point of view.

1 comment:

  1. The example you used for a subjective claim was very good. It was based on stereotypes and opinions of people rather than facts or truths. Most, if not all, stereotypes about Asian people are subjective. When people see an Asian person, many of them will think of good math skills, and bad driving skills, among other things. These stereotypes are in no way truth because they are merely based on what people have seen before or what other people have told them. Your example was a good example of a subjective claim that can be offensive to some. I could relate to it because of my former roommate who makes several subjective claims about Asian people that were nowhere near true.

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