Safe-Out-Safe-Out-Safe-Out

[michaelboy]

It seems that people often find or see convincing reasons other than truth as the primary force behind the genesis and progression of unfortunate or undesirable events. It is simple enough to blame an external circumstance, a gender, or another person for an unattractive state.


Umpire Bill Summers of Upton prepares to call Jackie Robinson safe on his steal of home in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series, Telgram and Gazette

As an example in a simple form, think of how many baseball spectators will bias their perceptions by personal wishes for a particular outcome. Often it isn't based on an accurate judgment of what has happened but simply a desire to have things 'go their way'. If truth happens to coincide with sentiment, then all is well. If not, the call at the plate can be blinding.

It is prevalent in human nature and I am, at times, a part of this. I might consider every failure I've ever experienced and simply claim that it wasn't me, but that just isn't so. I hope to recognize this weakness often and know that I am a responsible player in my life

Comments

[keplers_angels]

We can be superstitious, and we can try to evade responsibility for our own failings. Undoubtedly.

But people often make statements like you have when they are trying to dismiss demonstrably true, statistically significant, systemic injustice and the cyclic mechanisms of inequality. Sometimes it IS race or gender or disability or poverty or even physical attractiveness that causes a person to fail. Decks are stacked differently against all of us. As important as it is to feel empowered and to take responsibility for our own success, it is also important to notice that some people have much rockier roads to get to the same starting line.

[michaelboy]

Absolutely so. In these situations, the failures are external and insidious. I worked in a world where gender, appearance and race bias were common --especially in terms of recognition, position and compensation. Here it was the collective of "umpires" who failed, by wanting things to go their own way, regardless of personal merit or truth. Thank you for your perspective. I appreciate it more than you might imagine.