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Don't be tricked by the biases of fiction
Robin Hanson (who else?) writes:
...teen romp movies tend to portray parents and teachers as inept, clueless, sexually repressed, but ready to help when help is wanted. If so, teens should realize that parents and teachers probably know more, are more sexually satisfied, but less available to help, than teens realize. We should be able to find hundreds of other applications, such as using the standard biases of science fiction.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on July 12, 2007 at 03:06 PM in Film | Permalink
Comments
Good idea. Let me think about what else I can learn from his methodology:
-Women are *less* likely to fall in love with their rapists than portrayed.
-Being shot at by numerous men with guns is *more* likely to result in one's death than portrayed.
-It is generally *less* appropriate to remark "drinks are on the house" when you smash a beer bottle
on someone's head than portrayed.
Hm, any one's I'm missing?
Posted by: Person at Jul 12, 2007 4:26:20 PM
It's a cute way to lump together a whole list of biases that fiction is usually based on. Of course, if you only think about the obvious examples, it seems a little silly. But there's plenty of use for it if you don't want to memorize a list.
Posted by: Swimmy at Jul 12, 2007 4:36:23 PM
I thought our fiction module was efficiently selected by evolution as a repository of possible responses to novel situations. Crap.
Posted by: Kieran at Jul 12, 2007 4:46:33 PM
"-Women are *less* likely to fall in love with their rapists than portrayed."
I'd say the reverse. In fiction women are generally portrayed as virtually destroyed by rape, whereas in reality most rapes take place within relationships that continue despite them. It also turns out that more successful date rapes turn into relationships than failed date rapes. Something on the order of 40% vs 5%.
So imo fiction vastly seems to bias the effects of rape towards the negative. Both when it comes to the character of the rapist and the results of the rape.
Posted by: Rasmus at Jul 12, 2007 5:12:09 PM
Rasmus, are you including romance novels in your esimates?
Posted by: Person at Jul 12, 2007 5:19:53 PM
ramsus, I would love to see the data behind the date rape claim.
Posted by: David at Jul 12, 2007 6:11:57 PM
Sure fictional characters are stereotypes, but how much of this translates into bias (or reflects existing bias)? Regarding helpfulness, I think fiction represents our ideal: this is how parents *ought* to behave toward their children. Perhaps such portrayals push parents to be more helpful than they would otherwise be.
Posted by: blink at Jul 12, 2007 6:35:00 PM
I would say that the rape thing is also biased AGAINST rapes becoming relationships.
I've NEVER read a book where that happens, except for one James Bond story, where it was recounted to James as an alleged story.
On the other hand, you see it mentioned in court reports and police files often enough.
I suspect Person may read some really kinky stuff.
Posted by: doctorpat at Jul 12, 2007 11:42:34 PM
"Don't be tricked by the biases of fiction"
Well, since they call it "fiction," I'd have to say they're doing a poor job of tricking me.
Posted by: Keith at Jul 13, 2007 12:03:29 AM
One fiction bias that annoys me is the tendency to claim that if someone behaving very differently from me is happy and harmonious on the outside, there must be rottenness underneath. It's a very human thing to believe, but I suspect fiction magnifies the effect. Certainly people often quote fiction to support such positions.
I'm convinced that the traditional paths to happiness, those that appear to work, probably do work a lot more than we appreciate.
Posted by: Harald Korneliussen at Jul 13, 2007 2:45:36 AM
Someone once said that if you ever find yourself in a situation that feels like it could be taken straight from a novel, you should run like hell.
Posted by: Jan S. at Jul 13, 2007 6:09:30 AM
All of which brings to mind
40 things that only happen in movies
Some of which are along same lines as Hanson. But why do we imagine that we are fooled by any of these fantasies? To me, they seem pretty widely viewed as unrealistic.
Posted by: Slocum at Jul 13, 2007 7:38:53 AM
doctorpat: Romance novels are indeed pretty common.
Posted by: Person at Jul 13, 2007 9:20:03 AM
My contribution: crime novels show murderers to be highly intelligent people with a penchant for meticulous planning. In fact, criminals tend to be very stupid and to commit their crimes under the influence of alcohol and drugs and with fairly little planning.
Posted by: jult52 at Jul 13, 2007 9:33:10 AM
"Rasmus, are you including romance novels in your esimates?"
Nope, never crossed my mind. But now that you mention it I can easily see "romantic rape" being a rather common feature of them, what with rape being one of the most frequent female fantasies.
"ramsus, I would love to see the data behind the date rape claim."
Dvaid, I don't have it handy, but read it in Robin Baker's excellent "Sperm Wars". The basic idea is that rape is a genetic test and that a successful rape triggers feelings of "good mate material".
The study he referenced were performed by interviewing a large number of American female college students in the 80:ies. So you should be able to find it by scholar.google if you're really interested.
"I suspect Person may read some really kinky stuff."
I suppose romance novels might fit the bill.
"Well, since they call it "fiction," I'd have to say they're doing a poor job of tricking me."
The point isn't that you're fooled by actual fiction. The point is that we have a "story-telling mind" and over rely on cause-and-effect thinking too much. And since the same mechanisms are exploited to make good stories we can therefore shine a light on them by looking at where stories differ systematically from reality.
Posted by: Rasmus at Jul 13, 2007 9:48:47 AM
Sexual encounters in fiction are accomplished without any complications or threat of STDs.
Posted by: RJ at Jul 13, 2007 10:35:22 AM
Unlike in the movies, if you drive like a crazed lunatic you will probably have an accident and kill someone, including quite possibly yourself.
I'm glad someone helped me figure that out.
Posted by: Bernard Yomtov at Jul 13, 2007 12:17:10 PM
One thing that I've noticed myself doing that's been changed by fiction is fixating on small objects / events. Because if the camera ever shows something minor (ie a bananna peel on the sidewalk) you know that DOOM WILL HAPPEN. So now I'm looking around for the guy on the streeet twirling an umbrella (he's a secret agent) or the rotting sign in a downtown store (meaning that it is a heroin den in the back as they can't keep up appearances). Have to go, my cat just walked across the floor twice, there's a ghost in here!!
Posted by: BlogReader at Jul 14, 2007 12:42:23 PM
A common one: If someone is a fanatical anti-semite - he's probably secretly a jew! If someone is violently homophobic - he must be a closet homosexual! It seems clear to me that people actually believe this kind of argument, (espc. about homosexuality), but I can see no reason why, outside of fiction.
Posted by: Harald Korneliussen at Jul 16, 2007 9:14:29 AM
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