A new book about Matthew Shepard suggests the story of his murder was far more complex than the gay-bashing narrative that has been assumed. Turns out it can be seen as a prime example of confirmation bias, <\/p>\n
http:\/\/dish.andrewsullivan.com\/2013\/09\/16\/challenging-the-myth-of-matthew-shepard\/<\/a><\/p>\n Comparable, says a senior editor for The American Conservative, to the narrative that led so many to initially support the Iraq war.<\/p>\n \nThe story of Matthew Shepard as a martyr struck a deeply resonant chord within many gays and their supporters in the media, who created the hagiography and, as this review acknowledges, was fiercely defended by leading gay activists in the face of contrary evidence reported at the time. The thing is, I wouldn\u2019t be quick to accuse these activists and their media allies to have been conscious liars. I know what it\u2019s like to want to believe something so badly that you close your mind to the possibility that things aren\u2019t what they appear to be \u2014 and, in turn, you conceal your motives from yourself. This describes the way I responded to 9\/11 with regard to the case for the Iraq War, though I didn\u2019t recognize it until years later. There were liberals and a minority among conservatives \u2014 including the founders of this magazine \u2014 who didn\u2019t buy the pro-war narrative. People like me considered them gutless, or, infamously, \u201cunpatriotic.\u201d We did not grasp the extent to which we were captive to confirmation bias. We thought we were seeing things with perfect lucidity. But we were very wrong.<\/p>\n This is not a left-wing or a right-wing thing. It is not a gay or straight thing, it is not a religious versus atheist thing. It\u2019s a human thing. …\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Since I’ve been reading about confirmation bias recently, I’m seeing discussions of it everywhere!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new book about Matthew Shepard suggests the story of his murder was far more complex than the gay-bashing narrative that has been assumed. Turns out it can be seen as a prime example of confirmation bias, http:\/\/dish.andrewsullivan.com\/2013\/09\/16\/challenging-the-myth-of-matthew-shepard\/ Comparable, says … Continue reading