RWS 305 Blog 2: From Professional to Personal

In virtually any writing activity throughout our college career, speaking from an objective perspective is the usual requirement. It is a concept that was strongly instilled in our brains especially with some professors threatening grade reduction for every single first person pronoun caught. For years we were trained to be incredibly careful not to be tempted to step on the landmines that will utterly lead to our scholarly doom. I believe that it is a fairly reasonable practice. There is a clear list of reasons as to why the convention of writing in objectivity is the preferred theme over subjectivity. It would be a bit odd if lab reports sounded too personal. “I was able to inoculate the sample onto my blood agar plate. I believe it to be the bacteria S. aureus.” That sounds very unprofessional and a bit too casual. Imagine the same lingo found in your research papers. Subjectivity suggests opinion. With opinion, hints a slight lack of reliance on evidence and facts due to the incorporation of emotions, preferences and beliefs. In addition to the seemingly lack of formality, oftentimes subjective language can be potentially depicted as holding judgement. In formal academic settings especially involving scientific research papers and studies, objectivity wins. Although objective writing could display a plethora of uses, it is undeniable that subjective work could be just as relevant. The importance of each is relative to the situation they are being used in. 

Subjectivity grants writers the power of establishing an emotional bridge to allow them to become more personal with the audience. Such a connection can invoke a stronger bond that captivates the reader. Because humans are emotional beings, subjective writing can definitely impact readers to a degree and in areas of one’s being that is not attainable by academia. When one is presenting factual information, barriers in thinking can seek to disprove what was already said to be true. Factors such as expectations and experiences could only be strongly validated through what emotions were stirred after the fact and how it truly left the individual at a personal stand point. For an example, in speaking about the big topic of sexuality, one can derive plenty of different feelings after being educated of the statistics and important historical milestones that led to the present LGBTQ movement. Take that information, and translate into it an individual story of how a pediatrician did not expect that her son was actually a daughter, a problem that medical school nor years of experience in her field did not prepare her for, and that the child was battling against depression. The op-ed talked about the battles that she and her now daughter endured through and how all of that eventually let to both of their happiness. Most readers would say the the second text brought about feelings of pain then hopefulness as they were guided to an empathic pedestal upon which to watch the rest of the story unfold.

Subjectivity can give us stories rather than the mere presentation of information. When given the opportunity, one must not waste having the ability to speak for one’s self to truly exercise our freedom of expression without the chains of rules in writing. Problems can be addressed with either option. It is up to the writer’s discretion to decide what method is appropriate for the situation.