“Imagine the gradual formation of a riverbed. The initial flow of water might be completely random — there are no preferred routes in the beginning. But once a creek is formed, water is more likely to follow this newly created path of least resistance. As the water continues, the creek deepens and a river develops.”
This metaphor by the neurologist Robert Burton beautifully explains the series of processes that happen in our brain when new information is received. Due to our cognitive limits, only small percentage of information passes the filters and finds its way into our consciousness. The question is how our brains decide to perceive a piece of information and miss others? What experiences and ideas are decided to be ignored?
Our brains favor the “recognizable” information; the more familiar we become to a subject, the easier we perceive the related particulars. Robert Burton explains this processes to elaborate on our biases and cognitive blind spots, but the message I take is that if we want to become more conscious about a social issue and act upon it, we should be more exposed to the reports and information regarding the matter. This information, therefore, will become more recognizable to our brains and will find its way to the consciousness. Very similar to flows that form a riverbed over time, which make it easier for the flows to pass the next times, the flow of knowledge on the important matters should keep surging to shape the proverbial riverbed of the mind.
Read the following fast facts:
-For equivalent work, women earn about 77 cents to every dollar earned by men. (White House)
-33% of women worldwide have experienced intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. (World Health Organization)
-For women aged 15–44, the risk of being raped or abused is higher than the risk of cancer, car accidents, war, and malaria. (United Nations)
Short but shocking, the statements above and many other similar facts have complemented so many conversations I have had with others about women issues (of course, this is the topic of my choice whenever I get a chance). Not surprisingly, many of those whom I found indifferent towards women issues weren’t aware of these facts. Collecting and analyzing data, good presentation of facts, and spreading the word are essential steps toward awareness and tackling the inequalities. In the next posts, I will analyze the public data sets using python and will share my findings with you. I hope I can shed some light, although spare, on this very important matter. Feel free to share your thoughts.
Thank you.