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Click on the photo to go to collateralmurder.com

What occurs in this video and the diversity of reactions to it are both examples of confirmation bias, the brain’s tendency to pick up information that fits in with preconceptions and to throw away information that does not fit.

The helicopter pilots are trained to spot weapons, so they spot weapons wherever they look. If you are told long enough that “Everything could be a threat”, pretty soon you will start behaving as if everything is a threat.

In 21st century Western civilian life, this might be termed paranoia. In situations with high threat density (such as Iraq or the African savannah of 200,000 years ago), it functions as a positive selection influence for survival.

Confirmation bias is extremely difficult to overcome, particularly when the biases are instilled early in life. Thus the Jesuits and “Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man”. This is also why good medical science requires double-blind trials.

You can see your own visual confirmation bias in action here:

Coming back to our video, then our reaction will be based on our worldview going in.

If you see the war in Iraq as a just war, and the insurgents as murderous criminals, then you will likely see the incident as a justified reaction to the presence of a potential threat to friendly units. The “cowboy” nature of the pilot and gunner is part of a necessary de-sensitisation to the suffering of victims that is an essential part of functioning as a soldier who needs to kill as part of his or her duty.

If however, you see Iraq as an unnecessary opportunistic invasion of a sovereign nation, and the insurgents as justified in resisting a foreign occupation force allied with a local puppet government, your view will likely be different. You’ll see the helicopter crew as murderers itching for an excuse to shoot up innocent civilians video-game style.

My bias has elements of both. In my opinion, the war (in Iraq & Afghanistan) is illegal, immoral and pointless, and serves to put Australians in more danger than we would be in were it not being fought. The behaviour of the pilot and particularly the gunner sickens me. That said, it’s pointless to blame the military for acting like the military. Soldiers kill people. It’s what they’re trained to do, particularly in a situation where they perceive threats to themselves or their fellow soldiers.

So string up Bush/Blair/Howard (and Obama/Brown/Rudd if you like), and bring our boys and girls home.

And challenge your biases. This flawed monkey brain of ours is more powerful than you may think.

Michael

Wikipedia on Confirmation Bias

Confirmation Bias: A Ubiquitous Phenomenon in Many Guises (PDF)