Remnants of Illusion: Our Problem Lies in the Logic of “Self-Referential Perspective”!
Since the spark of the Gulf War was ignited, I have felt and observed that everyone following these events—except those whom God has mercy upon—tends toward information that aligns with their political leanings, academic background, and social environment, while avoiding information that contradicts their beliefs or convictions. You find them defending the views that bring them comfort, and refusing to be convinced by any other thought or divergent logic. This phenomenon is scientifically termed “subjective perspectiveness.”
The vast majority of people, in any country, view the world—or rather, prefer to see it—from their personal perspective, as if they are wearing the leather blinders typically placed on either side of a donkey’s or horse’s eyes to keep the animal focused on the path ahead, thereby ignoring everything else.
These individuals prefer a path that aligns with their professional experience, cultural environments, and social sentiments, so they can then interpret the political, social, or military events unfolding around them in a manner consistent with their experiences, environments, and feelings. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, as they interpret events and reality according to their own interpretations and in accordance with their individual perspectives, even if those perspectives are far from neutral objectivity.
This type of person sees things from a purely personal angle and through their subjective lens. They understand things, interpret events, and tailor their analyses based on their personal experience, even if their understanding of the same things, interpretation of the same events, or analysis of the same situations differs from that of others. Such individuals are biased toward their personal life experiences, religious beliefs, and political orientations. Therefore, I am not surprised by the intellectual behaviors of people who possess such traits; their interpretations of matters align with their social values, correspond with their life experiences, and reinforce their fears and even their belonging sanctuaries stemming from deep-seated beliefs or ethnic origins.
If you had hundreds of followers on WhatsApp, Twitter, or Facebook who varied in their educational backgrounds, differed in their administrative experiences, diverged in their party affiliations, were scattered in their political loyalties, were rigid in their religious convictions, and differed in their economic interests, and you sent them a video clip of a funny scene, they would not all agree on a single viewpoint.
Thus, I say that over time, through diverse media experiences, I have discovered that the majority of colleagues, family members, and friends who surround me each interpret the same subject—or “the content of the video clip”—according to their own perspective, even if it does not align with their personal interests. This is exactly like how we see a glass of water as half full, while others see it as half empty; the outcome depends on the environment in which each person who watched the video or looked at the glass of water lived, and their individual perspective.
Each of these individuals chooses a specific television news station to stare at for hours simply because it aligns with their political, military, or social opinions. They reach a point where they do not wish to listen to any viewpoint contrary to what they believe or favor. Even more striking is that this type of person feels psychological comfort when they find others who agree with their opinions or analyses, and who criticize others.
