- Top Features:
- War Room
- Glenn Greenwald
- Broadsheet
- Joan Walsh
- Camille Paglia
- Since You Asked
- Follow Salon:
Read other letters about this article
As a Professor of Psychology, I agree with Farhad Manjoo that "selective perception" can introduce systematic biases into the ways we perceive and interpret reality. So, yes, people who are distrustful of the government are going to be more likely to perceive ominous and conspiratorial signals in the pictures from 9/11.
However, I would point out that "selective perception" works BOTH ways. Farhad, who seems much less distrustful of our government, looks at the same evidence and blithely dismisses any talk of conspiracy. This proves absolutely nothing at all, other than demonstrating that "selective perception" affects ALL people, not just paranoid leftists.
I also take exception at his assertion that "911 conspiracy theorists ... all rely on photos to make their case." This kind of categorical assertion is sloppy journalism. I am probably what Farhad would deem a "911 conspiracy theorist", yet very few of my doubts about the official 911 story are based on photos. They are based on basic facts of the case (e.g., why did NORAD stand down and not sent fighter jets to intercept the hijacked airliners, why were so many public figures warned to stay away from commercial air travel in the days preceding 911, why did WTC 7 collapse despite not being hit by a plane, etc).
- Stephen Christman, Ph.D.
