“I hate Man City. Yeah, they’re a good team, but that’s what happens when you buy success.”

“I’ll support Boro ‘till the day I die.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have worn that scarf to watch the game, it’s unlucky.”

“These people are so stupid. They don’t know football like I do.”

“I’ll just go to see them one more week. They’ve got to start winning soon.”

“Typical. I knew they would get beat. They are so predictable.”

All of these are genuine statements I’ve uttered at one point or another in my life. And like every football supporter in the world, I am a prisoner of my own stupid, facile thinking. Soccer illustrates human biases perfectly.

Our minds are a hodgepodge of biased, untrue, poorly informed opinions and beliefs. In my club, Middlesbrough, we sing ‘we’re the greatest team of football, the world has ever seen’. If you’ve ever seen us play, you’d know that was not true, and never has been. Not in a million years!

Where these ideas come from I’m not sure. I think we are all like a ball of Velcro, picking up little bits of fluff in the form of convictions, as we merrily roll along through life. We think our beliefs are formed from facts, but they rarely are. Or at least, what was once true isn’t necessarily true forever, because facts are like shifting sands moving through time. What we believe are facts, are often simply biases. 

For example, when we observe other people, we are more likely to be fairer on them than we are ourselves, or vice versa depending on our disposition. Or we jump on the first piece of available information to support our prejudiced opinion, ignoring evidence to the contrary. And how can we forget the Dunning-Kruger effect, which makes people think they are smarter than they are? Social media is full of such people. We are so quick to judge people, and assign our previously held beliefs to them, without thinking things through. This is what being human is. We are a mish-mash of likes and dislikes, nepotism, prejudices, favouritism, kindness and cruelty. We like winners, and hate losers. We stay loyal to a cause, even when we know it’s foolish. 

What would it be like to not be subject to biases? I’m not sure I’m qualified to provide an answer to that question, since I’m so riddled with prejudice myself, but I can certainly quote some venerable people who have written on the subject. Here are some quotes I like, that try to live by: 

“Before you speak, let your thoughts pass through three gates: is it true, is it necessary, is it kind?” Buddha

“Do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Christianity/Judaism/Islam/Buddhism/Confucianism

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Buddha

“You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” Dan Millman

“No matter how good you are, people will judge you according to their own insecurities.” Buddha

“If most of us remain ignorant of ourselves, it is because self-knowledge is painful and we prefer the pleasures of illusion.” Aldous Huxley

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius

There is a new football season starting this weekend and I am going to try to watch it through unbiased eyes for the first time. I’m going to attempt to remove my own stupid prejudices in other areas of my life too. This won’t be easy, after all I’m an old dog of a football fan, trying to learn new tricks, but I’m going to try my hardest to learn them. Then maybe, just maybe, I might appreciate Middlesbrough FC a little more, even if we’re not the greatest team in the land.