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Phoebe Shively

Expository Writing

Professor Emily Banta

December 7, 2016

The Perceptions of Reality

Explanations shape our sense of reality by allowing people to choose how they perceive

the world. In Daniel Gilberts Immune to Reality, he discusses the way in which people use

explanations to warp their sense of reality to make themselves feel happy. Karen Hos

Biographies of Hegemony exemplifies the power of explanations in the promotion of conformity

and as a tool to justify discriminatory behaviors and beliefs. In Andrew Solomons piece, Son,

the author describes his own experience as a homosexual man whose reality is changed when he

chooses to accept an alternative explanation of his homosexuality that differs from that of his

parents and society. Society pressures people to conform to the beliefs of the majority. When

someone doesnt conform, these explanations can be used by society as tools to justify

discrimination. This discrimination tries to prevent people from choosing alternative

explanations; however, these alternative explanations are often chosen anyways because it makes

those people happier. By choosing which explanations to believe, we shape our identities as well

as the lenses through which we view the world. Reality is formed by the explanations that one

perceives to be true.

Explanations are used as a tool to justify discriminatory beliefs and behaviors. In

Biographies of Hegemony, Karen Ho explains how Wall Street justifies hiring from only a select

group of people, smartness must be represented and reinforced by a specific appearance and
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bodily technique that dominantly signals that impressiveness; not surprisingly, such

characteristics as upper-classness, maleness, whiteness, and heteronormativity of ideal

investment bankers (Ho, 167). Wall Street justifies only hiring white males who are graduates

of ivy league institutions through the explanation that those physical traits equate to smartness.

This explanation is used by Wall Street to discriminate against anyone who isnt a white male

Ivy League graduate. In his book, Son, Andrew Solomon recalls a similar example of

discrimination that he faced as a child because of his homosexuality. Young Solomon was

called faggot on the bus and at school, often within hearing distance of teachers who raised no

objections (Solomon 377). The homophobic students at Solomons school justified their

discriminatory behaviors through the explanation that homosexuality is a negative trait. Since

this was the explanation that the majority of society chose to accept, students and teachers used it

to justify their actions. Actions such as discrimination and bullying are used to pressure outsiders

to abandon their differences and conform.

Opinions of the majority pressure people to conform to their beliefs and accept their

explanations. In Immune to Reality, Daniel Gilbert cites a study in which one group of people

recorded their level of happiness after being rejected by a single judge, while another group of

people recorded their level of happiness after being rejected by a diverse jury group. The results

of the study revealed that the volunteers who were rejected by the judge were happier than the

volunteers who were rejected by the jury group. Gilbert explains how people value the opinion of

a group over the opinion of an individual, Being rejected by a large and diverse group of people

is a demoralizing experience because it is so thoroughly unambiguous, and hence it is difficult

for the psychological immune system to find a way to think about it that is both positive and

credible (Gilbert 134). In other words, rejection from a group is more difficult to handle
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because its easier to find fault in an individual than it is to find fault in a large and diverse

group. This conformity is exemplified in Karen Hos Biographies of Hegemony when

undergraduate students at Ivy League universities are taught to believe that the only suitable jobs

for them after graduation are on Wall Street, Implicit in this transformation from undergraduate

to investment banker is Wall Streets notion that if students do not choose Wall Street

postgraduation, they are somehow less smart (Ho, 180). Wall Street pressures students to

conform and choose careers as investment bankers by using the explanation that Wall Street is

the smart choice, and anyone who does not choose Wall Street is making a poor decision.

Similarly, Solomon describes how some religious groups use reform camps to pressure

homosexuals to conform, men and women continue to be treated for homosexuality at

religious reform camps and in the offices of unscrupulous or misguided psychiatrists (Solomon,

382). Religious reform camps try to force homosexuals to conform and fix their sexuality

because some religious groups accept the explanation that homosexuality is a sin. It is much

easier to find flaws in a single person than in a large group. However, when people strongly

disagree with the explanation that the majority accepts and the behaviors that the explanation

produces, they may choose alternative explanations.

On the other hand, sometimes people make the choice to ignore pressures to conform and

choose their own explanations and beliefs. When this happens, people find alternative

explanations that make them feel happier. For example, Andrew Solomon chooses to reject his

parents explanation that being gay must be a negative thing. Instead, Solomon chooses to accept

his homosexuality and view it as a positive trait, While I might have had an easier life if I had

been straight, I am now wedded to the idea that without my struggles, I would not be myself, and

that I like being myself better than I like the idea of being someone else (Solomon 383).
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Andrew Solomon determines that he was happy to accept his homosexuality and the difficulties

that come along with it. Happiness is the driving force for non-conformity and choosing

explanations that go against the majority. Solomon chose his own explanation of homosexuality

over societys explanation that homosexuality is a bad choice that should be changed. Solomons

choice to view homosexuality as a positive trait rather than a negative trait can be explained by

Daniel Gilbert when he states, When the experience we are having is not the experience we

want to be having, our first reaction is to go out and have a different one (Gilbert 138). In other

words, people are more likely to choose a positive explanation of their experiences rather than a

negative explanation. Andrew Solomon chose to view his homosexuality as a positive attribute

rather than societys view that homosexuality is a negative trait that should be changed.

Explanations shape our sense of reality by allowing people to have a choice in how they perceive

the world.

The explanations that people choose to believe shape their identity and therefore the lens

through which they view the world. By shaping our perspectives, we not only shaping our own

perceived reality, but we are also affecting the reality of those around us. The explanations that

one chooses to accept as truth can impact a multitude of people, as Gilbert states, Civilized

people have learned the hard way that a handful of iniquitous individuals can often cause more

death and destruction than an invading army (Gilbert 135). Sometimes small groups of people

can have a lot of power and influence. When the majority chooses to accept sexist or racist

explanations, everyones reality is affected by these choices; however, by changing the

community to which someone belongs, they can change their sense of reality. Communities form

when there are several people who accept the same explanations and thus have similar

perspectives, as Andrew Solomon explains, Difference unites us. While each of these
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experiences can isolate those who are affected, together they compose an aggregate of millions

whose struggles connect them profoundly (Solomon, 371). In other words, differences can be

isolating, but they allow individuals who shared similar struggles to come together and create a

community in which they can be themselves. Simply put, alternative explanations will act as

forces of isolation unless one finds a community of like-minded individuals who share the same

perspective. When communities force conformity, anyone who doesnt conform will be excluded

and create their own smaller community, which is based off of differences from the original

community.

Explanations are powerful tools that can be both isolating and unifying. Oftentimes,

people use explanations to justify discriminatory actions and behaviors, such as the sexist and

racist policies of Wall Street as well as bullying in schools. People often face pressure to accept

certain explanations and conform to the beliefs of the majority. This conformity can be seen in

Ivy League institutions, where students are pressured to become investment bankers. It can also

be found in religious reform camps, where homosexuals are forced to act heterosexual. In some

cases, explanations can be a powerful tool used for good, such as when people make the choice

to oppose conformity and find alternative explanations that make them feel better. Happiness is

the driving force for explanations, which shape identities and therefore the lenses through which

people view the world. When a group of people agree on an explanation, they often form

communities where their differences from society unites them together. By forming communities

and groups where people accept similar explanations, ones reality can be altered. In conclusion,

explanations have some positive impacts such as helping people discover their own identities and

form communities, but they also have numerous negative impacts such as the promotion of

conformity and justification for illegal or discriminatory behaviors.

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Works Cited

Gilbert, Daniel. Immune to Reality. The New Humanities Reader. Ed. Richard E. Miller and

Kurt Spellmeyer. 5th ed. Stanford: Cengage 2015. 129-143. Print.

Ho, Karen. Biographies of Hegemony. The New Humanities Reader. Ed. Richard E. Miller and

Kurt Spellmeyer. 5th ed. Stanford: Cengage 2015. 166-186. Print.

Solomon, Andrew. Son. The New Humanities Reader. Ed. Richard E. Miller and Kurt

Spellmeyer. 5th ed. Stanford: Cengage 2015. 369-392. Print.