Self- Analysis Post

Unemployment is a very complex topic that requires vast amounts of research and data to fully grasp its entirety. From the very beginning my main goal has been to present both sets of solutions proposed by each political party, and then use everything that I learned to propose my own solution to fix unemployment. I also made sure that readers were supplied with sufficient information on both sides so they too could formulate their own hypothesis, even if it differed from my own.   When I first began my research, I went in with the conception that this will be an easy topic to blog about as there is an endless supply of information pertaining to it. Well I was half right. This issue is so large that it is easy to find information on it, but what makes it difficult is finding the "right" information and linking everything together.  Often I would come across articles plagued with bias, which makes sense as this is a major political topic. However, I learned to avoid politically biased sits such as the Rush Limbaugh website and the Daily Kos blog site. Rush is notorious for being a major conservative, while Daily Kos is filled with liberal blogs. Neither are truly helpful sources for researching unemployment as they only present one side of the story. The more I continued my research, the better I got at identifying biased sites and finding neutral sites that display both sides of the story such as Real Clear Politics and Politico. 

I also learned very quickly that there is not one, true answer to fixing the unemployment crisis.  Therefore, I started broad and then began to narrow my focus with each post.  I began by analyzing all the solutions proposed by Conservatives and Liberals, and then compared and contrasted the two sides.  From there I would dive into a deeper analysis on specific issues such as the Bush Tax Cuts, unemployment benefits, and outsourcing. By doing this I was able to gain a better understanding on each specific aspect and truly see how it relates to unemployment as a whole.  This method worked very well for me, as I was able to develop a deeper comprehension of the numerous aspects associated with unemployment because I had already some experience with them from my previous research. 

From this blog I have also learned to be more open to others' opinions and ideas. As I researched more and more, I found myself visiting other blogs more frequently. I found it interesting to read all the different view points and arguments on certain issues related to unemployment.  Reading others' blogs (even my classmates which didn't all relate to my topic) has made me more open to new ideas and different thought processes.  Even if I didn't necessarily agree with what the blogger was saying, I was able to appreciate their point and be aware of where he or she was coming from.  I don't mean to be lame or cheesy, but this blog really has changed me as a writer and thinker. I have developed a greater sense of awareness in recognizing bias in both others' writing, as well as my own.  I am also more open to others' opinions. There were countless times during this process when I would read a post proposing an idea I traditionally would not have agreed with. But after reading I would analyze the points and examples made, and a majority of the time my opinion would change. It truly is amazing how knowing the full side of a story or even just more information can completely reverse your way of thinking.  Blogs are an excellent mechanism for communicating a variety of opinions and ideas. This process has been truly beneficial to me as both a writer and thinker.