A mock letter to the editor expressing my opinions on Al Gore’s 2007 Nobel Lecture

To Whom it May Concern:

I am writing you about the recently published speech given by former Vice-President Al Gore at his Nobel Prize reception ceremony. Your company published the speech in its entirety, which I greatly appreciate, but offered no counter-point to his claims. While I am not an Al Gore supporter, I have been moved by many of his arguments and emotional appeals. His arguments are compelling, although generally based on emotional appeal over hard fact. However, I am more concerned about the influence his speech may have on the less informed audience that may interpret Gore’s statements as “absolute facts”.

For example, Gore makes many references to what “scientists say” or other cited credible sources have written, announced or published. The issue for me is not the validity of what was said or published but those credible sources, but the context in which the facts were cited in Gore’s speech. As a trained scientist myself for over 15 years, I have learned to question all facts and claims and put them to the test before making any assumptions. There are ALWAYS conflicting facts and theories to any given theory in science. That is the nature of science; the nature of scientists, to question, criticize and scrutinize all facts and claims until a single, consistent and verified theory emerges. Such a validated scientific theory could stand the test of time for decades until new data emerges which disproves it. The problem with Gore’s approach to scientific issues is to immediately dismiss anyone (be it a scientist or member of the general pubic) as “foolish or uniformed” if they have differing opinions or conflicting facts. Such personal attacks on the credibility of those who challenge Gore’s beliefs does not foster the productive, rational debate on the subject which he and his followers claim to desire.

Please do not get me wrong. I am not in favor of allowing corporations to spew billions of tons of toxic waste into our oceans and atmosphere, but I am certainly NOT in favor of idolizing Gore or his particular beliefs on the matter is the only definitive authority. It is foolish to assume Gore is anything but a well-spoken, well-educated lawyer and politician. He is NO scientist no matter how many years of “study” he claims to have on the subject of global warning, or Academy Awards he wins as a filmmaker. I would never assume to know more about politics than a professional politician; and so should he not assume to know more about the scientific method or rational scientific debate than other scientists who disagree with him.

Like Al Gore, I too have a purpose. My purpose to ensure an open, healthy debate on the subject of global warming so that we can truly address the issues and not be bogged down with personal speculation or loosely connected “facts” that support some political ideology. The earth’s climate is changing, and possibly for the worse. But that does not give Al Gore any more authority on the subject than those who truly study climatology, oceanography, and geology for a living. For the sake of fairness and balance, I strongly recommend that your company publish counter-arguments to Gore’s speech by qualified scientists in the future. No matter how many Nobel prizes Gore accumulates, he is no authority on the subject – only a man with an opinion like everyone else.

I greatly appreciate your consideration in this matter and look forward to your published rebuttal to Gore’s speech in your next issue.

Sincerest regards,

Concerned Citizen

Coming to America

My Mother came to America under less than ideal circumstances. Refugees from the Vietnam War, my Mother, younger sister and I finally arrived to America after nearly 2 weeks of arduous travel, passport checks and delays. She was one of the luckier Vietnamese nationals who had married an American citizen and managed to escape the madness in 1973. I was only a small child at the time, but I do remember clinging desperately to my Mother’s hand as my Father led us to safety in the States. The following is an encapsulation of many long talks I’ve had with my Mother on the subject of her transition to America, and the impact of language on her identify, culture and assimilation.

My Mother has always been an interesting dichotomy of the old and the new. She still practices old Vietnamese customs such as celebrating the Lunar New Year with a visit to the Buddhist Temple, money-stuffed red envelopes for the kids and grandkids, and lots of tasty moon cake. And yet, she was an avid disco dancer, Western fashion queen and working Mom during her time in America. At first, she welcomed the many “American” ways living and sought to adopt many of them. However, it wasn’t long before she felt the harsh reality of some than tolerant individuals and language barriers. Her biggest stumbling block, she tells me, has been her inability to communicate effectively. Her English was and still is only barely intelligible; her accent, thick. Ironically, her English reading and writing skills were more solid, and actually allowed her to secure decent paying jobs over the past decades.

Despite her missed opportunities due to language barriers, she never lost the dream of making a better life for herself and her family. I had always wondered why she had such a fierce determination that my sister and I master English. She hovered over us like a hawk when we studied, making sure we completed all of our math and English assignments religiously. She even kept her usage of Vietnamese around us to a minimum - even in the company of her friends. At the time, there were only a handful of fellow Vietnamese immigrants so most would ecstatic about the chance to converse in Vietnamese. She resisted it. The importance of mastering, not just learning, to speak the language of her new culture was painfully obvious to all of us, and we worked hard to make her proud.

My Mother’s choice to forgo our speaking Vietnamese to speak English has paid off for my sister and me. We’re both working professionals now with good jobs and promising futures. However, a part of me still wishes that I had learned a little more Vietnamese while growing up. Since my childhood, I have felt disconnected with that side of my heritage. Yes, I can speak and understand a few, but I could never hold a conversation in Vietnamese if my life depended on it. I can only imagine what her struggle to assimilate a new culture and language must have felt like.

On a more positive note, the Vietnamese language and culture seems to have resurfaced over the past 2 decades. I’ve observed a growing number of Vietnamese-American children able to speak both fluent Vietnamese and English. In contrast, most 1st generation Vietnamese-American individuals like myself can barely speak Vietnamese except for a few formal greetings or insult phrases. The ease with which the newer generations can speak in their native Vietnamese language and converse fluently in English is impressive and inspiring. It has been great to see that cultural assimilation does not necessarily mean the death of a language.

Thinking Critically about Critical Thinking

I have heard many different definitions of what it means to "think critically". Some definitions focus on the mechanics of critical thinking as it applies to evaluating an essay in a purely academic context. I like to take a more general stance on critical thinking. To me, critical thinking means to make a careful analysis of something before placing judgment. From my experience, that approach would apply to any field of study, work and even daily lives in general.

All of us make judgments about what we see, hear and read everyday. When it comes to reading, however, I have found it much easier to withhold initial judgment upon first glace. I like to read the entire piece first, take notes, and make an informed judgment about the piece only after some thought. Perhaps it is because reading printed words requires a deeper level of analysis than the spoken word? Or perhaps we are condition to think more "critically" of written words thanks to years of English courses? What I find most interesting, however, is that when it comes to spoken words or visual representation of ideas (such as advertising), most of us draw immediate conclusions. We often give little attention to what we hear or see, or what the intention of the message really is. Why is that the case?

I believe that we would be better off if we put the same effort in to critical thought about what we hear and see as we do in the written word. Do we really understand what are our politicians saying to us, for example? If each of us more critically analyzed the information we are presented with in the media, would we so quickly accept what we hear as "truth" or "matter of fact"? Perhaps critical thinking should be taught in a broader context so that one could apply it to life outside of the classroom? Let me give that idea some more critical thought...

To be honest, I am rather excited about the opportunity to hone my critical thinking skills this semester. It's been too long since I had well-structured critical thinking exercises. And I don't just mean critical thinking in an academic sense, but in application to everyday information that we are all bombarded with all the time. I’m sure most of us would agree that as our world "shrinks" in a virtual sense, the amount of information we expected to make sense of increases exponentially. I believe a greater effort on critical thinking about our laws, our values and even our own expression of ideas through writing will make us better citizens - not to mention less gullible! The ability to hold off judgment until all the facts are considered is something I hope to never lose, and always improve.

I sincerely believe that critical thinking has far reaching importance in all of our lives. And more importantly, as I prepare to enter medical school this Fall 2010, my ability to think critically about what I see, or read or hear could actually affect the lives of my patients in profound ways. I can think of no better reason to start honing my critical thinking skills sooner than later.