How you should consider General’s Clark Statements, Perception equals reality

There are many calls in the media to “Stop Distorting General Clark’s Words”. Applying a little common sense show’s how the strategy works.

To start, below is a fitting excerpt from the Wapedia entry for Perception. You should read this in the context of General Clark’s statements on John McCain’s military service.

Perception alters what humans see, into a diluted version of reality, which ultimately corrupts the way humans perceive the truth. When people view something with a preconceived idea about it, they tend to take those preconceived ideas and see them whether or not they are there. This problem stems from the fact that humans are unable to understand new information, without the inherent bias of their previous knowledge. The extent of a person’s knowledge creates their reality as much as the truth, because the human mind can only contemplate that which it has been exposed to. When objects are viewed without understanding, the mind will try to reach for something that it already recognizes, in order to process what it is viewing. That which most closely relates to the unfamiliar from our past experiences, makes up what we see when we look at things that we don’t comprehend.

On Sunday, General Wesley Clark spoke honestly and bluntly about what it takes to be Commander in Chief. He said that while Senator John McCain’s service made him a hero to millions, including Clark himself, McCain’s experience doesn’t trump the poor judgment that he’s shown on some of the most important issues in recent years.

General’s Statements, no matter how much they are retracted lay a strategic ground-work for corrupting the truth. And think to yourself for just moment, do we really believe that intelligent people, do not do this by accident?

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