When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me. Doesn’t sound too respectable, and yet somehow, assuming is a favored pastime these days. People seem to really enjoy getting up in arms about issues without ever spending the extra few seconds it would take to find out whether they actually had a reason to get up in arms at all.
Here’s an example that might apply to you: The recent change in athletic ticket policy at the ASUO was, shall we say, controversial. An alarming number of people have taken it upon themselves to protest outright the disqualification of spousal equivalency tickets in a less-than-subtle manner. For the most part, they do seem to have a justified reason to be upset.
What protesters don’t know is that currently the policy states that any leftover student tickets, not picked up by the Wednesday before a game, go on sale to students. Up to four tickets can be purchased and given to whomever the purchaser chooses, even people who aren’t students. My oh my, that looks very much like a solution to the problem that would benefit everyone. And if only people knew about it, they might not be so ready to get upset.
That’s just one example of an assumption based on misunderstanding, and there are plenty more. You’ve probably seen it 10 times a day, whether it’s someone rushing past you on the street and almost knocking you over or your boss asking you to put in a little extra overtime at work. For all you know, that person rushing past is going to the hospital where his or her child is being born, or your boss has a sick relative in the hospital.
It’s a common thing for people to automatically decide they know enough to justify an argument, or get upset, without ever fully acquainting themselves with the facts of a debacle. The fact of the matter is, you just don’t know what’s really going on without asking, or even taking the time to do a little bit of research.
There are an infinite number of reasons why a person might do anything at any time. It’s that pesky free will thing we are constantly struggling with. Somewhere along the line, it became in fashion for people to assume that the end-all-be-all reasoning behind any course of action must be because of the worst reason. The only reason someone would rush past you on the street is because that person is just plain rude; the only reason your boss would ask you for overtime is because he or she wants to slack off; the only reason a decision-maker would make a controversial call is because they want to. Sure, it’s all possible, but is it likely? Doubtful.
Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not saying apologize to the next guy on the street, love your boss and your local elected official. I’m not writing this article to give people the proverbial “right answer” or to tell anyone what to think. I’m writing this article to get people to think, period. Ask yourself, what is bothering me, and how much do I really know about that thing? How many preconceived notions do you really have? That is worth looking into, wouldn’t you say?
It is utterly within the realm of possibility that you are one of those people who will learn everything there is to know about a situation, like the athletic ticket situation, and still disagree. That’s fine, it is your God-given right to disagree with anyone at any time.
I mean, it is going to happen. People are going to have different viewpoints, and that is just the way it is. Free will, remember.
The difference between disagreeing without having asked any questions and disagreeing after having asked every question is that you actually asked a question. Now you know, now you can sleep at night knowing you have a good reason for thinking what you think and believing what you think.
There is an old saying: knowledge is power. It seems to reason, then, that we would all want to have as much knowledge as possible and be as powerful as humanly possible. If you can ask questions yet still disagree with whatever is bothering you, you’ll now know enough to have a realistic shot at making a difference. You won’t have to just get upset; you can actually do something about it.
It all boils down to: knowing everything there is to know about something has got to be worth something to someone. It takes 10 minutes to read an article in the paper or watch a news story on television about why a controversial decision was made. It takes two minutes to ask your boss if everything is all right when they want you to work overtime, and it takes a split second to give the next guy on the street the benefit of the doubt. No one wants to make an ass out of you and me.

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