How in the heck can people look at the same exact thing and see something completely different?
The answer is pretty simple, really. We’re human.
And human beings have this innate ability to twist what they see or hear to conform to what they want it to be. No, really. We’re not Superman or Mayor Tim Leavitt, but we have that power.
Take the M&M boys. Please. County Councilors David Madore and Tom Mielke swear on their reserved parking places that after they read a story explaining what they’re up to, we are evil personified. (Insert heavy irony here.) Yet, others read the exact same story and feel like we are informing the community about what’s going on. Oh, by the way, the M&M boys are able to draw these conclusions despite the fact that they swear on their sweet public pensions they never read The Columbian. (Can you do that, Superman?)
So how can people read the same thing and come to different conclusions?
This issue came up a few days ago when I was chatting with a friend. I consider this friend a bright, objective, observational kind of guy. He said he regularly reads The Columbian and finds it to be neither liberal nor conservative.
In other words, we swing both ways.
And, of course, my friend has it right. As do many others in our beautiful community. I’ve personally spoken to thousands of residents in our community. Both liberals and conservatives. Many of them have come in to buy a Don’t Do Stupid Stuff mug. When I go up to our front desk to say hi, what do I hear most?
“I don’t always agree with what you write, but I do enjoy your column. It makes us think.”
Perfect!
In other words, I am an equal opportunity head-banger. It doesn’t much matter to me if you’re a liberal or a conservative. If you do stupid stuff, you’re likely to hear from me. The Columbian’s editorial pages also support this point that we swing both ways. How else could we endorse Barack Obama in his first run and then support his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, four years later?
But still, all of this leaves the question: If the facts support that we are neither liberal nor conservative, why do many residents believe we are in the liberal camp — or the conservative camp?
Well, if I put on my Doctor Lou hat, I have an answer for you.
Blame your brain. Here’s why:
• Your brain starts out as a pretty soft pile of goo. But your surroundings begin to hard-wire your frontal lobe into beliefs that are pretty difficult to change. That’s why it’s called “hard”-wiring. You’re locked in, baby. Get used to it. Oh, a few of us can change — a little — but for the most part, you are who you are.
• More importantly, your brain tends to more strongly remember the bad things in life. This is a defensive mechanism our brains have developed. If you were badly burned by touching a hot stove, your brain will remember it much more vividly than all the pleasant times you had around the stove.
Now, back to our presidential endorsements. If your brain is hard-wired to be a conservative, you will mostly remember our endorsement of Obama. You hated it! If your brain is hard-wired to be a liberal, you will mostly remember our endorsement of Romney. You hated it!
The result? Both sides will swear we are two completely different things.
But wait, some will argue, isn’t it true I’m seeing more stupid stuff about those conservative M&M boys? Why, yes. Yes, you are. But that’s not because they’re conservative. That’s because the M&M boys — of late — have been doing more stupid stuff.
So keep an open mind — if you can. I’m pretty certain our ultra-liberal Democratic state Rep. Jim Moeller will do something stupid pretty soon. And I’ll be waiting for him.
The pendulum, you see, is always swinging.
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