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Revelation.....I am prejudice

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Art M

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I had jury duty today. I was excused from the privilege of actually having to sit on the jury. I learned that I have preconceived ideas about me that do blur my vision of truth. Could i have seen past them? I think so.....If i was asked if i was prejudice or racist or sexist, i would say no. But i proved myself wrong today. Rhetorical questions...so how hard is it to be in a position of life and death power (officer, soldier, etc) and be completely unbiased? Is it part of life, that as we gain more experience with the world that we learn these ugly things?
 
Without knowing any specifics I have to ask what you mean by "these ugly things".

What some might call "ugly things" relative to some subject matter that they are opposed to, others might call the same things "beautiful things" depending upon one's point of view, one's cultural environment, one's physical environment, and one's needs and disposition.

That's all I've got to say on the matter, I'm going back to golf stuff now so I don't dig myself into a hole.
 
Sometimes, one falls into a demographic that a defense attorney just has a preconceived notion about. No rhyme or reason. I'm guessing you were called early in the selection process? Many potential jurors are dismissed early, it isn't until late in the selection process that most jurors are selected. Not an expert, but sat in my fair share of trials. Lived in 3 states, and sat on juries in each one. I wouldn't think to deeply about it.

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mesaman777 said:
Sometimes, one falls into a demographic that a defense attorney just has a preconceived notion about. No rhyme or reason. I'm guessing you were called early in the selection process? Many potential jurors are dismissed early, it isn't until late in the selection process that most jurors are selected. Not an expert, but sat in my fair share of trials. Lived in 3 states, and sat on juries in each one. I wouldn't think to deeply about it.

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if it's voir dire, there's DEFINITELY a rhyme and a reason. there is a specific type of juror they want to achieve the desired verdict. when i went through voir dire last year for jury duty, it was very obvious that the defense was asking the majority of its questions of mothers of small children, and what they would do and how they would react if their child was in danger and possibly hit by a moving vehicle. they were looking for that emotional connection, and asked every juror to find who would fit their profile.
 
There is certainly a type they person are looking for or to eliminate, I went in and the 1st question was do you have a carry permit and believe you have a right to defend yourself (yes I do) that was it for me.
 
Art M said:
I had jury duty today. I was excused from the privilege of actually having to sit on the jury. I learned that I have preconceived ideas about me that do blur my vision of truth. Could i have seen past them? I think so.....If i was asked if i was prejudice or racist or sexist, i would say no. But i proved myself wrong today. Rhetorical questions...so how hard is it to be in a position of life and death power (officer, soldier, etc) and be completely unbiased? Is it part of life, that as we gain more experience with the world that we learn these ugly things?
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I think whether or not a person can remain unbiased is largely dependent on things that are completely out of their control, such as previous experiences, both positive and negative, as early as childhood. That's not to say someone is a bad person because they have a prejudice. It's part of our natural self defense mechanism. Having a bias or prejudice is completely different than acting like a bigot or racist. That's where our ability to think rationally and logically can overpower a natural instinct that may have been a reaction to a single event in our lives or series of events in our lives previously.
 
c.a.eleric said:
if it's voir dire, there's DEFINITELY a rhyme and a reason. there is a specific type of juror they want to achieve the desired verdict. when i went through voir dire last year for jury duty, it was very obvious that the defense was asking the majority of its questions of mothers of small children, and what they would do and how they would react if their child was in danger and possibly hit by a moving vehicle. they were looking for that emotional connection, and asked every juror to find who would fit their profile.
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I certainly understand that, and I'm not suggesting that the attorneys selecting the jury's are not experts at what they do, I'm just saying as someone who has no idea of the intricacies of voir dire, and has been selected to sit on 3 jury's and dismissed for another, that there seems to be a bit of randomness to the process. Jurors that I thought would be perfect for the defense are dismissed by them, and the same for the prosecution. There are intricacies that I couldn't hope to understand, but there can't be anything worse than being identified as prejudice when in fact your not. No big deal if you don't want to sit on a jury. I find it fascinating and didn't mind it. Someone once told me that if you want to be selected, just say that you believe in our judicial system during your introduction and chances are you will be selected for the jury. Of course there is a great deal of responsibility that goes into being a juror and its not for everyone. I think I've completed my civic duty, and would not care to sit again.
 
I beleive everyone is prejdiced to a certain extent.
 
Revelation.....I am prejudice

I show up in a $3k suit, $500 tie, $500 belt and $1k shoes and am usually gone in 15 minutes!! No kidding, I don't profile as someone you want deciding the future of a criminal.

Then I get to my car and change into golf shorts and a polo


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I just ask if the electric chair is in the same building, or if we have to take a field trip to fry whoever we're convicting.
 
Greg Kulbick said:
I just ask if the electric chair is in the same building, or if we have to take a field trip to fry whoever we're convicting.
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The one time I was selected for the potential juror pool, I was asked my feelings on the death penalty. I was dismissed almost before I was done with my answer.

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NoLine said:
I show up in a $3k suit, $500 tie, $500 belt and $1k shoes and am usually gone in 15 minutes!! No kidding, I don't profile as someone you want deciding the future of a criminal.

Then I get to my car and change into golf shorts and a polo


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I can't even fathom those prices for articles of clothing.
 
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