Check It Out: Critical thinking changes the way you see the world

By Joan Janzen

It has been said that once you fully understand why pizzas are made round, packed in a square box and eaten as a triangle, you may begin to understand women. It’s an observation that seemed appropriate for the question I’m about to ask.

What does it reveal about our culture when millions of people are fascinated by videos and books about logic, critical thinking and how to engage in a non-threatening conversation? Those should be basic everyday life skills instead of something we love to watch on a video or read about.

A high school teacher’s discussion with a student became one of those rare recorded experiences, which was viewed 42.8 million times. Piers Morgan interviewed Warren Smith, who is the teacher in the video.

“This came out accidentally,” Warren explained. “We have interaction like this on a daily basis; this one happened to be captured on camera.”

Warren, who teaches students how to work with cameras and media, was demonstrating to his student how to do a newscast. He asked the student what he wanted to talk about, and the student asked, “Do you still like J.K. Rowling’s work despite her bigoted opinions?” J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter author, has been accused of being bigoted because she believes men and women are biologically different.

Piers observed, “It was really fascinating to listen to, and credit to the student who was prepared to listen to you. I think it was because of the non-hostile environment you were creating.”

As it turns out, Warren is a huge Harry Potter fan, so it would have been easy for him to become defensive, but he did not. Warren, in his mid-30s, appears to be a sincere, authentic, and calm individual.

“Sometimes it just takes the right questions, just a little bit of prompting,” he advised, and then stressed, “And leading by example is pivotal.”

“In the end, he (the student) realized there was nothing as offensive as he was used to hearing from the toxic atmosphere around J.K. Rowling,” Piers noted.

Warren responded saying, “I think that’s why the video resonated; you see in real time a transformation. This is about more than J.K. Rowling. It’s the realization that his prior assumption was based on ‘so many people have told me this was true.’ When you experience that for yourself, and it crumbles, then you have to question logically what else am I assuming to be true that perhaps may not be. And that changes the way you see the world.”

Piers said, “It really captured a mood of people desperate to see teachers behaving this way. You didn’t take a position. You simply laid everything out and let the student reach his own conclusion.”

Viva Frei also interviewed Warren. Viva said, “What is amazing is It (the video) does flesh out the thought processes of adults and young people who say ‘I hear’ and ‘they say’ but have never really gone to the source material themselves. But this is the world in which we live.”

The now famous teacher’s response was, “The whole point is to learn how to think, not what to think.” However, he admitted that there are people who are so entrenched on an issue that they won’t change their mind about it.

In both interviews, the conclusion remained the same: if you’re going to accuse someone of something, then you should be able to define whatever it is you’re accusing them of and back it up with evidence.

This is such a breath of fresh air amidst an environment where we see accusations repeatedly thrown out anonymously on social media, and even more unfortunate - seeing other people share those accusations, which could falsely damage a person’s reputation and character.

“All students have the ability to reason their way through these things and to learn new ways to advance through life. Do not be afraid to allow these conversations to occur,” the teacher advised.

However, a recent New York Times bestseller suggests people need help conducting those conversations. The author Karen Ehman covers the subject of “what to say, how to say it, and when to say nothing at all.” 

The advice relayed in the book is simple; here are some of the author’s points. Recognize the impact of your words on others and yourself. Pause and think before responding to criticism. Be OK with silence and allow time for a thoughtful response. Avoid speaking out of anger. Pay close attention to what the other person is saying. Ask clarifying questions so you understand what they’re saying. Speak with respect. Offer suggestions for improvement. Don’t participate in rumours. Challenge gossip and encourage others to consider the impact of their words. Forgive and move on. Be careful what thoughts you are allowing in your mind. You may not always have the answers, so be open to learning and growing.

It’s my sincere hope that people are realizing the value of healthy, respectful, non-threatening conversations. But more importantly, they’re not only fascinated by watching a video about critical thinking but are willing to put it into practice. After all, critical thinking is not only fascinating but, according to Warren Smith, it “changes the way you see the world.”