Negativity Bias
Are you a good judge of character?
Like most people I have a chequered history with judging character. I tend to remember the times I got it wrong rather than the times I got it right. It’s very much the case that as I have got older I have become less sure of myself and my judgement. The truth is that I am probably not as bad as I think I am, but I know that I am likely to be more negative about people’s motives and much more likely to be careful with trusting them.
The perception I have is that people are far more self centred than they used to be which definitely colours my initial approach to them. I have seen management, especially senior management, become more and more demanding and less and less supportive over the years. Once you get to Centre Manager and particularly above there seems to be a very poor approach to staff where welfare comes a very definite last in their calculations. For that reason I am inherently suspicious of anyone from board level who says they care.
People in public spaces are far less respectful of others and they are often deliberately antagonistic, particularly young men. They indulge in behaviour that would have been totally beyond the pale for anyone back in the 70s, 80s and 90s. So again, if I see young men on a train I am always very negative in my head, expecting them to show me no respect. I have to admit, however, that such bad behaviour is still the exception rather than the rule.
It’s nearly Christmas as I write, so let’s end this on a positive note. The other day I received a Christmas card from my former colleagues and it gave me a really positive feeling to know that they remembered me so fondly especially at Christmas. In truth, most people I have dealt with are more like these colleagues, but I have to admit that in day to day interactions it will be difficult to remember that.
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David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 
This resonated a lot with me. There are a lot of good people about and I think the ones who are not great we should try to feel sorry for (and even try to make better if we can). I don’t follow my advice on this, however. Instead, I can get extremely bitter and angry with the kinds of things you have identified. I am not sure how much of this is just with the behaviour and how much it ends up being directed onto the people themselves. It is destructive when turned towards others as we then risk becoming more like the object of our hatred than the caricature we might have built up in our own minds. Perhaps it is important to remember that most people try to be good most of the time – or at least they are not consciously bad. I do think much of the selfishness we are angry with just comes from the world itself, which forces many into a kind of survival mode. As a result, these people are not able to consider others as much as we think they should. At this time of year, the pressure and selfishness of the world is suspended to some extent, which I dare say helps many become closer to the ideal. I will try to remember this myself as we go into the new year.
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Just wanted to tell you about a film I am watching at the moment. It’s called They Came to a City. Written by JB Priestley and filmed during WWII it’s really good on social commentary and a lot of what it touches on reflects what we have often talked about.
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Excellent, thank you!
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