I owe you an apology; I didn’t blog yesterday. I got a call from Jane that she needed my help and I went over there instead. I hope you managed to survive without my words of wisdom. I’m helping Jane clear out her apartment. Anybody know how to get rid of a collection of vintage 45s? It’s artists like Eddie Fisher and Frank Sinatra. When it is for someone else I can do the kinds of things I can’t do for myself. I spent most of my time trying to arrange for someone to take her furniture. That’s being donated, if you need something ask me about it.
I got the time for my cataract surgery on Monday, I have to be there at 6 AM. Just my luck, I’m the first of the day. I’m excited about the surgery but not the time. I’ll spend the rest of the day sleeping. I thought it was bad enough that I had to be at the follow up appointment the next day at 7:45, and that’s just a short walk for me, not the other side of the Bronx. I will focus, pun totally intended, on being able to see when it’s over. The second eye will be done in two to three weeks. Will you recognize me without glasses? Many of you have never seen me without them. I have never seen you without me wearing them. For my more recent acquaintances, this will be my first time seeing you clearly.
It’s tough being a Knick fan. I went to the Knick-Mavs game on Wednesday. They got killed. That was their 11th consecutive loss. Neither of those is the worst thing. The team has had one bright spot since 2001, they drafted Kristaps Porzingis in 2015, he developed into a star. Last year he had a major injury and has not played this year, but he’s still considered a developing superstar. So what did they do? They traded him to the Mavs and didn’t get much in return. Dennis Smith Jr, a potential good player but people aren’t even sure if he should be an NBA starter and two future draft picks. The only hope for this deal not being a total bust is if the draft picks pan out. Given the Knicks record, Porzingis was their only good pick in the last 18 years, I’m not optimistic. They did it so they could dump salary, salary they needed to dump because last time they had money to spend on free agents they overpaid and now need to get rid of the players they bought. The idea is that now they will have so much money to spend that they could lure two top free agents including the second-best player in the league, Kevin Durant. Porzingis left because of the Knicks culture of losing. This is not going to help them sign free agents. Even without the deal they could have signed Durant and still had Porzingis who is as good as anyone they could pick up as the second free agent. If they were smart they could have found less costly ways of dumping the salary and still had enough to sign two free agents. Ugh. This is the story of the Knicks, they can’t resist that next shiny object. If they don’t sign Durant and another superstar this will be one of the worst trades in history. Sorry to cry about basketball but this hurt.
Now for something completely difference, confirmation bias. It’s one of the most common cognitive errors, one that most of us at least occasionally, are guilty of. We seek out facts that confirm what we believe and ignore those that don’t. I’ll give some examples from my friends. I had an unpleasant encounter on the subway and told a friend about it. She immediately asked, “what the person black?” I was happy with the way I responded, “What difference does that make?” One thing I do to fight prejudice is I avoid giving ethnicity when talking about people when it’s not relevant. Think of it this way, “do you say; would you say? “This guy with green eyes was taking two seats on the subway?” Of course not, so why would you say, “this black guy?” It’s harder to avoid gender, it’s built into the language. I would have to say, “this person took up two seats;” that sounds awkward. Much easier to say “man” or “woman.” I still do my best to avoid it if I can.
I have another friend that if she hears someone talk about someone being cheap or greedy will always ask, “Is he Jewish?” People want to hear their prejudices confirmed.
It’s not only about bigotry. People can convince themselves they have bad reactions to foods. If every time you have a headache you ask, “was there MSG in that?” sometimes the answer will be yes, and that’s what you remember and tell everyone that MSG gives you headaches. When people do double blind studies MSG has not been found to cause headaches. Similarly sugar doesn’t make kids hyperactive. Being told that their kids had sugar does make parents more likely to say their kids are hyperactive, even when they aren’t. And it goes the other way, if I kid acts hyperactive parents will ask if the kid had sugar and remember all the times when the answer is yes.
This is a known bug in the human heuristic system. We can’t eliminate it, but we can keep it in mind. People’s refusal to admit they can be deceived makes them more easily deceived. The biggest sucker is the one that thinks he knows it all.
Now to make breakfast. I have a busy day ahead of me, the psychiatrist and therapist up in Harrison, then the MetroNorth into the City to the Long Island Railroad to Garden City, to see Bobtown tonight. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen them; they are one of “my bands.” When I tell the venue “I’m with the band” I’m being honest. I’m never said I was IN the band. Come join me at the Garden Stage.
Wise Madness 