That's very sweepy

Gavin Moffat called Ingrid Lotze"very sweepy" this morning, perfectly capturing a newly forming bias. 

The realisation is that, despite our work in DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging), we often think of biases as fixed. In reality, they shift constantly—shaped by where we are, what we see, and who we interact with. 

Right now, we’re in Phuket, Thailand, and the Island has become a popular destination for Eastern European tourists, particularly Russians, mostly due to direct flights, established communities & amenities, and consular presence. 

Ingrid's ‘sweepy’ statement centered around how tourists from Eastern Europe are brash, bold, and at times, dismissive of local customs. The truth is this is not all people from the region and we have also observed warmth and respect from others. If we’re honest, our observations have begun to reshape our perception of people from the region.

But that’s the catch, isn’t it? It’s easy to let a handful of interactions redefine an entire group in our minds, even though logic tells us that’s unfair. We haven’t met every traveler from Eastern Europe. We haven’t seen how they behave in other contexts. And yet, our biases adjust almost instinctively, filtering future interactions through this new lens.

This isn’t just about travel, it’s about how our brains are wired for pattern recognition and risk aversion, which naturally leads to bias formation. It is a cognitive shortcut just in case we need protection from a perceived threat or discomfort in the future. Bias is fluid, influenced by exposure, media, experiences, and even the people around us. When we experience something negative, we hold onto it and then we make assumptions, just in case it happens again. But that instinct, while useful for survival, isn’t always useful for truth or useful for human connection.

This ties into our No Space For Just In Case approach to life. Just as we consciously declutter our lives to carry only what serves us, we should also question whether we’re carrying outdated biases that no longer serve us.

The real challenge is recognising when our biases are forming and questioning whether they’re based on genuine understanding or just a narrow slice of experience.

So here’s a thought: instead of letting new experiences reinforce old biases, what if we used them to challenge our assumptions? What if, instead of saying, “people from X are like this,” we asked:

* “Why am I seeing this pattern, and is it really the whole picture?” 

We could also keep asking ourselves: 

* “Am I carrying a belief that no longer serves me?”

Because in the end, our biases say as much about us as they do about the people we observe. 

And maybe, just maybe, if we make space for new experiences, there’s No Space For Just In Case when it comes to outdated assumptions.

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