Your Mind Plays Tricks On You
Posted on 3 October 2008
I watched the Vice-Presidential debate last night on TV and have to admit I was fascinated in a freak-show kind of way. Apparently it’s unwise to blog about politics unless you actually write a political blog, but politics is part of life and no matter how hard I try I can’t seem to ignore life with any measure of success.
It’s difficult to know where to go with this without panning Sarah Palin and potentially losing readers. So if you think being ‘folksy’ qualifies somebody to be VP of the most powerful nation on earth, you may want to have one finger hovering over the unsubscribe button.
Actually I don’t think there is an unsubscribe button, but you can compromise by leaving a scathing comment below attacking my professionalism as a life coach and suggesting I’m a pinko commie bed-wetter.
I haven’t really listened to any of the post debate debate so I may be at risk of repeating some stuff that has been discussed ad nauseum by the TV pundits, but here goes anyway.
Palin never really said anything meaningful on many of the issues. She waffled a lot and used some brilliant artfully vague language to make it appear like she was saying something profound and intellectual (almost), but that’s about it. To keep an element of balance, Biden also employed artfully vague language too, but nothing like the extent that Palin did.
Political speechwriters are masters at using AVL or as it is sometimes known, the Milton Model of language. It allows them to construct speeches that individuals can attach their own meaning to. And trust me people love to do that even if it’s not always at a conscious level.
The greater the specificity the more likely the recipient is to disagree, so they avoid specificity a bit like I avoid using an electric sander to wipe my ass with.
Other than politicians, horoscope writers and fortune tellers (using cold reading) are also masters of AVL. They have to be because nobody can actually tell the future with any level of accuracy. Whoops, there goes another 50 subscribers.
If you do disagree with me or have doubts, here’s an interesting fact for you. Nobody has ever been able to predict the future under laboratory conditions with a degree of accuracy that staggers much above random chance.
So let me ask you this. Do all the good clairvoyants have an unnatural aversion to white coats and test tubes? Or are they’re just dishonest con artists or deluded human beings?
If I said to you “America needs to stand tall and be strong in these times of troubles” you’d probably nod your head sagely, stroke your chin and agree that I am indeed a wise old soul. Unless of course you’re Spanish in which case you’d probably tell me to piss off, or more accurately, ¡vete a la mierda!
But what does that phrase actually mean to you?
If you are in favor of the ‘War on Terror’ it may mean you believe American needs to retain a proactive military presence in hot spots such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and be highly visible to hostile regimes in countries like Iran and North Korea.
On the other hand if you’re from the other side of the political spectrum, you may think it means America should be offering more humanitarian support in places like Darfur, Zimbabwe and Burma where human rights atrocities occur with sickening regularity
Obviously, there are numerous stages in between the two examples, but none of them (based on that one sentence) are any more accurate than the other.
The reality is that political debates like these are as close to pointless in the grand scheme of things as you can get. Unless Biden had called Palin a MILF, or Palin had put on sunglasses and declared Biden’s teeth too white to look at, it’s doubtful much would change. You can probably lose an election 5 weeks beforehand, but you can’t win one.
The vast majority of people that tuned-in for the debate (including many so-called undecided’s) were doing so to cement an opinion that they had already formed. Few people watched with an open-mind because our brains don’t work like that. We want to know that the original opinion we formed was correct and as such we look for evidence that backs it up and not information to contradict it.
If you are a Democrat you’ll have seen Biden’s performance as Statesmen-like and polished. You probably didn’t even notice the couple of times he stumbled over his response because you weren’t looking for that. Similarly, if you’re a Republican you’ll be basking in the knowledge (whether accurate or not) that Palin performed creditably and proved the interviews with Gibson and Couric were mere aberrations. The fact that she responded to a question on foreign policy by talking about energy would have gone straight over your head. And her ‘shout out’ would have seemed plain cute.
Why am I even talking about this you may be wondering and what has it got to do with life coaching or even just real life?
We don’t stop at politics when it comes to jumping to conclusions and making incorrect assumptions either, we do it all areas of life. In an effort to try and make things easier for you, your brain is constantly messing up. It deletes information that it thinks isn’t needed. It distorts experiences to make them fit your view of reality and it generalizes when sometimes it shouldn’t, so that you can make rapid decisions.
Have you ever had a false memory? Of course you have, everybody has. In fact you will be holding lots of them as you read this. It’s because your mind constructs memories rather then reconstructs them as you would think. It has to, because otherwise every memory would take as long to think about as the actual event.
So the brain retains crucial bits of information and lets you fill in all the blanks with gay abandon. As such, you frequently make mistakes. We’ve all had moments of absolute certainty and clarity about an event only to come across incontrovertible proof that demonstrates we got it completely wrong. It can be a sobering experience.
There’s no way round any of this, it’s one of the things that makes life so intriguing. However, if you can stay aware that your opinions may well be wrong even when you just ‘know’ they are right, then you are more likely to grow as a human being. Self development is much easier if you check your beliefs and presuppositions at the door.
I’d love to hear any clever uses of artfully vague language that you have come across or great stories about false memories.
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Comment by Samantha on 3 October 2008:
Honestly… I’m scared shitless.
And seriously. America needs to take back control.
Comment by Marina on 4 October 2008:
What is so very troubling to me is that educated - and otherwise intelligent - people, including political commentators - are afraid to speak the plain truth:
“…THE EMPRESS HAS NO CLOTHES …” lest they be called “elitists” (or much worse). Why is it wrong to expect that someone running for the highest office in the land have a little more upstairs than “yer typical joe-sixpack or hockey mom”.
Comment by dan | personal development on 4 October 2008:
Tim, nice post. I appreciate that you probably feel that you’re putting your b***s on the line, but frankly I think that there needs to be some commentary out there that looks at this marketing campaign, sorry I mean election, from a fresh perspective.
I’m intrigued to find out how this all works out for the US and also to see how it will effect the next general election here in the UK.
Why is it that people can’t tell the truth or have an opinion about their policies??? There’s the moral high ground I suppose where they can safely say that they didn’t lie - simply because they chose not to say anything or said something artfully vague that can be interpreted however the listener wants. Frankly, with all the important issues in the world, don’t we want to choose someone who is prepared to put a little of themselves into the office? Maybe you should all vote for Tim!
Cheers, Dan
p.s. I’ve read a few chapters of your book now and I can honestly say I’m impressed! I’m not easily impressed either!
Comment by Tim Brownson on 4 October 2008:
@ Samantha - No need to be scared shitless, seriously, there isn’t imho.
@ Marina - LOL, that is an interesting question and I have no idea what the answer is.
@ Dan - I had 3 e-mails from a women last night that were fairly abusive and one from a guy this morning saying this:
‘Gee, what would you do if you had to have an opinion all your own instead of parroting the main stream media’s infatuation with whomever the Democrats run for President!”
I’m not sure what he’s talking about with that comment, because I wasn’t aware that I was parroting anything, especially as I hardly ever read or watch the main stream media.
Do I feel like I’m putting my balls on the block? Nah, not really. The post wasn’t about politics, I just used politics to make a point. If people want to jump to all sorts of erroneous conclusions about me and starting getting all defensive, let then get on with it.
Thanks a lot for the book feedback!
Comment by Ali Hale - Alpha Student on 4 October 2008:
Tim, what a brilliant piece! Please keep putting your political opinions on the blog — the fact you riled some people means they had a reaction to the post, which is great.
I agree with you on so many points. Particularly this: “Other than politicians, horoscope writers and fortune tellers (using cold reading) are also masters of AVL.” — YES!! I find that I can pick any random horoscope and find stuff in there that applies (I’d love to try it with “believers”, giving people the wrong horoscope — and see what happened…)
Have you read George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language”? It’s a great essay, and touches on some of the points you make here — though it focuses more on how politicians butcher language than how they use deliberately vague statements. (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm if you want to read it online).
One line of Orwell’s that stands out for me is: “Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism., question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.”
Shame that what was true over 60 years ago is still true today…
Ali
Comment by Tim Brownson on 4 October 2008:
@ Ali - The weird thing is that the post isn’t particularly political. I started off by suggesting I was going to slam Palin and then really didn’t. Some people seem to be sat around waiting to fire off e-mails of indignation because they have nothing better to do.
I read a lot of Orwell in my 20’s. I loved Burmese Days and Keep The Aspidistra Flying of his novels and Homage to Catalonia and The Lion & the Unicorn on his more social stuff, but I don’t remember reading Politics and the English Language. A great, great writer and one of my favorites of all time.
Comment by Dr. Nicole Sundene on 4 October 2008:
Oh this post has me rolling. Good stuff. I was watching the debates with my eyes open wide and a big bowl of olive oil popcorn nearby.
I believe the scientific description of what you are discussing here is that the portion in our brains called the “Reticular Activating System” (kind of like the filter that drowns out the sound of a lawnmower running in the background, but then alerts you when a baby is crying…) this place in our brain conditions us to pick up on the things we want to pick up on. Republicans can drown out Palin’s mistakes, lack of confidence, jitteriness, inability to properly recall the facts and pertinant names correctly…
While Democrats were able to drown out Biden’s mistakes of ______ what were they again? I think he stuttered twice. ;)
Being that this is the most important election in our time, I am trying to remain (TRYING being the operative word) as open minded as possible to the Republican party, because I hate Obama’s plan for Univeral Healthcare and just don’t think it is going to work.
However, I just don’t have confidence in Sarah Palin. Trust me, I would LOVE to vote for a woman and promote nazi-feminists everywhere (ok extreme over-exaggeration) but seriously. She is just not competent. She is just not credible. Her “folksiness” would add to her and make her look like a political genius if she actually had a clue what she was talking about. But she doesn’t…and THAT is what makes her incapable. Not her being a soccer mom, or having a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” hairdo or saying “gosh darnnut” every five minutes.
Anyways, my point with this, is that if McCain’s wife was running for vice President I might just cast my vote Republican…because she is well put together and groomed. But, when Palin speaks she seems weak and incompetent… and that makes me fear for my country. She makes us appear vulnerable, she is just not professional. Maybe for Alaska, but not for the white house.
We need to look strong right now, not weak.
If McCain is elected and croaks on us- I am leaving the country. YIKES!
Hope you checked your feedcount pre and post this political discussion. lol
I bet most people will see the moral to it though. I am working on my own post right now.
Comment by Laurie on 5 October 2008:
Tim,
We all put our own twist on how we remember things. I appreciate your passion in speaking your mind. Could you be wrong? You say: “However, if you can stay aware that your opinions may well be wrong even when you just ‘know’ they are right, then you are more likely to grow as a human being.” How difficult is this for you Tim? I find it a challenge in areas I am very passionate about my beliefs. How do you get to that place where you can entertain the idea that you may be wrong? Just some thoughts.
Comment by Laurie on 5 October 2008:
Oh, and I’ll keep reading even though I am very conservative. :O)
Comment by Tim Brownson on 5 October 2008:
@ Doc Nicole - That is a good point. It’s not that Palin is a Republican or that she’s a women that bugs a lot of people, it is that she is so patently in over her head. I love in this country and I want the best for it, I don’t happen to believe that Palin offers that. I like my world leaders to be erudite, highly intelligent and knowledgeable on world and home affairs. Is Palin any of those? She may be, but she hasn’t demonstrated it yet imho.
@ Laurie - You’re a good example of how people ought to respond to a thread like this. I know we are poles apart politically speaking, but so what? I have no issue with anybody ever offering an opinion as long as they know why they have it.
I was a rabid Thatcher supporter in my late teens and even helped campaign for her in ‘83. Then as I read more and started to question what she was doing to the country I changed my mind. I was brought up in a household with both parents lifelong Tory supporters and naturally I followed their lead thinking they knew best. On reflection, they probably didn’t.
I find it easy to challenge my own beliefs and I do it all the time. You wont have to scroll back far on this blog to find me saying I got something or other wrong. I have no issue accepting that.
People that scare me are those that have a strong opinion and when you push them as to why, can’t offer a credible reason other than they’ve always thought that.
What was the question again? ;-)
Comment by Doug on 6 October 2008:
Aaah, Tim, your column brings back memories!!
;>)
I think Tina Fey should run for VP. I’d vote for her in a second. I especially love her channeling Palin when she said:
“I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers.”
:>)
Recent studies suggest that both liberals and conservatives tend not to be persuaded all that much by facts when confronted with something contrary to their preconceived notions. But the same studies found that conservatives were more likely to increase their certainty regarding those preconceived notions when confronted with fact-based rebuttals.
As in, if you confront conservatives with fact-checking, they tend to dig in deeper, see your fact-checking as elitist, and become even more convinced of their original position.
That makes “dialogue” rather difficult. In fact, it makes it downright counterproductive.
Conservatives also tend to score higher on tests regarding fear. As in, they react more fearfully to stimuli. Their threshold for fear is lower in general.
The combination of those two things — circling the wagons with greater intensity when confronted with rebuttals, and showing greater fear in the presence of various stimuli — would lead one to think that we really are different in some fundamental ways. Progressives and conservatives, etc. etc.
(Of course, millions of exceptions exist across the political spectrum. Generalizations are too general generally.>)
Different tribes. I think you should write something about that. About tribes. Someday. How does that impact life trajectories? Does that come into play with NLP?
Comment by Laurie on 6 October 2008:
Tim you said “I find it easy to challenge my own beliefs and I do it all the time.” that is precisely why I like to discuss things like this topic or faith issues. It makes me study and think deeper.
In response to what Doug said, I have found the same was true when discussing things with liberals. They are very emotional about their beliefs and will hang onto them no matter what. Maybe we are all passionate about our beliefs and hang on because they reflect who we are at our core? Just a thought. About fear. I am not afraid of stimuli. In fact some stimuli is extremely pleasurable! ;O0 I believe I don’t fear change because I try to be self reliant and responsible for myself. In that I have control as much as possible, for my life. I am not depending on others to help me out if there is a change. You may disagree.
Tim- I figure I’ll hang around. Maybe I’ll rub off on you a tiny bit! :O) he he he.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 6 October 2008:
@ Doug and Laurie _ I don’t really want to let this get dragged into a political debate per se, so I’m, going to say thanks for commenting and leave it at that.
Comment by Doug on 6 October 2008:
Tim,
You’re a wise man.
:>)
@Laurie, as I mentioned, the study found that both liberals and conservatives hold onto their beliefs with stubbornness, even in the face of fact-checking that seems to contradict those beliefs. Both tribes were guilty of that. The difference, according to the study, was that fact-checking (against their views) actually increased the intensity of belief for conservatives, whereas liberals tended to remain about the same. IOW, both tribes remained adamant and unconvinced by contrary evidence, but the conservative tribe actually increased their net level of devotion to their beliefs when confronted.
To me, and I should have said it the first time, neither tribe shows up well in that study. At all.
And, again, there are millions of exceptions across the board. Perhaps so many exceptions, that studies like these are hopelessly beside the point. Which is why I wish Tim had an edit or delete button so I could pretty much remove the whole message.
;>)
Comment by Rita on 6 October 2008:
Tim,
First of all, ther most definitely IS an unsubscribe button in everybody’s feeds and emails.
Second, I would like to add that perhaps Governor Palin is “mental” - in the British sense, of course.
Rita
Comment by Melissa on 6 October 2008:
Should we try annarchy for a little while?
*thinks of all the stupid people that would die almost immediately*
How do you trust someone when you know they’re lying? Oh, I mean, their speech writer made them vague enough that you’re not sure they said anything in particular….
I HATE Palin. I’m sorry, but I do. I don’t like Biden very much either, but I don’t HATE him. It is my inability to open my mind that makes me HATE her.
Comment by Laurie on 6 October 2008:
Tim, What’s the “British sense”? I am too curious.
Doug- it’s all good. Conversations are fun and thought provoking. I don’t get offended by disagreement or challenge. How would we ever grow if we were never challenged? You’re good in my book.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 6 October 2008:
@ Doug - No need to delete and I have no problem with others discussing this as long as it remains civil, and I know you and Laurie will be so.
@ Rita - Ah is that what it is? Well thanks for the clarification ;-)
@ Melissa - I honestly don’t think I hate anybody. As for Palin, I don’t know her well enough. She concerns me, but I don’t hate her and I’m sure the genuinely wants the best of the US and American people. It’s just that may be we disagree on what’s best.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 6 October 2008:
@ Laurie Actually, I have no idea, maybe Rita could explain what she meant.
Comment by Doug on 6 October 2008:
@ Laurie,
Thanks. Much appreciated. One big aspect of Tim’s “discomfort zone” is exactly what you say above. Challenging ourselves. We all need to do that on a regular basis. But there are ways to do so without offending others. Something I need to work on, reshape. Even, “reframe.”
Bottom line for me: I believe in a pluralistic society and love difference. I think we should promote that, promote the freedom to walk a different path. I think we get into the most trouble as a nation when one ideology or another dominates and shuts everything else out, or limits things to one or two acceptable views. Open it all up. Let freedom ring and all of that.
In a sense, a nation goes through what all of us go through on an individual basis. Choosing what voices to listen to. The many or the few. Variety or sameness. Difference, the Other, the Foreign, or what we feel most comfortable with. Of course, nothing is automatically good or bad depending upon foreignness or sameness. We still have to decide. But I think we’re all better off if we’re open to all of it . . . .
Comment by Doug on 6 October 2008:
Hey, Tim . . .
Looks like civility is the way for this blog. Seems that way naturally. Which is great.
Speaks well of you and everyone who posts here.
Time for me to get some errands done. Take care, all.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 6 October 2008:
@ Doug - Yep, there a pretty good bunch all in all and I’m lucky to have them openly sharing their opinions.
A MASSIVE thanks to everybody that responded to this it was great to hear your thoughts.
Comment by Sal on 6 October 2008:
Tim, I am so glad you posted this one. Ever since you were tweeting about it, I couldn’t wait to see how it all tied together. Very nice indeed. Personally, I hate false memories because then it looks like you are a big liar if you are re-telling the story with someone else who was also there. “So I was wearing that red shirt.” “No you weren’t it was blue you blubbering idiot!” “Oh crap, it was blue wasn’t it!?!” Blech.
Comment by Awareness on 7 October 2008:
Good article about how our mind distorts things according to our beliefs.
Awareness is not the same as intelligence And intelligence is no substitute for awareness. Awareness provides a clarity of perspective, even clarity of what your beliefs and assumptions are. Intelligence is how you process and analyze what you see. But if you don’t have awareness to see things clearly, no amount of intelligence is going to help you because you are starting with a distorted set of assumptions.
Comment by bryan on 7 October 2008:
The USA is bleeding from an old wound: the divide within. It is like a cancer and it’s eating away at civility and order and good decision making. People have dug in their heels supporting their ’side’ while many seem to have forgotten that this is one country not two. It amazes me that people can’t see what has gone on the past eight years with Bush/Cheney and the oil industry. The war on terror is ideological…it’s not happening in Iraq. We’re occupying Iraq for the proximity to the oil. If you don’t realize that, you’re not listening. But now we’ve got Palin acting like a pit bull and calling it righteous. Pit bulls have a reputation of maiming and killing children and the elderly and those unable to defend themselves. Apparently this image is appealing to Palin just as it has been to Bush/Cheney. We need help here in the USA but instead of asking, we get upped attacks on each other. I’m afraid all this upheaval and distress has barely begun…
Pingback by » Awareness is Different Than Intelligence | The Four Agreements Blog on 7 October 2008:
[...] good article on how beliefs distort your perceptions, and therefore you analysis and [...]
Comment by Tim Brownson on 7 October 2008:
@ Sal - I know what you mean and the worst thing is that they seem just as real as genuine memories.
@ Awareness - that is a really good point and to be honest, not one I’d considered before. I have always struggled to understand why some seemingly intelligent people make such ridiculous decisions. Maybe now I know!
@ Bryan - I agree that the US seems like a divided country, especially at election time. Is that not the same elsewhere though? I know it was very much like that in the UK and I honestly don’t know what you can do to change things. The simple fact is that people don’t like to compromise their values and that is what’s required to come to a consensus. Thanks for commenting.
Comment by Melissa on 23 October 2008:
Hey hey hey, let’s not vilify the pitbull just because Palin is acting like a viscious dog. I’ve had two pitbulls. Both were big lap dogs who loved little kids. I’m sure many people want Palin in their lap, and she loves little kids, but I don’t think that has anything to do with anything. Totally lost where I was going with this. *laughs rather maniacally* (and oh yes, maniacally is the correct spelling, I looked it up!)
Melissas last blog post..Easy Distraction
Comment by Karanime on 7 November 2008:
Dude, you have no idea!
A few weeks before Halloween, I thought we had EVERY Nevada day off (Nevada day is the 31st, BTW), when really, we never did until this year. I so totally thought I was right that I was a little angry when everyone said, “You were absent at school every October 31st, then.”
>.< I mean, they coulda been nicer, but that would be a memory that totally created itself…
/<3
Karanimes last blog post..A revelation on sucking at life