Oh man. I already knew about this effect when I spent the summer in Atlanta. But I am not very good under social pressure, so when all the panhandling gentlemen recognized my clueless wandering around the streets and started demanding a dollar or bus fare, I felt like I had to give it to them. (I did this until I ran out of cash, and then I just said “Sorry! No cash! I need to catch the bus! Bye!”) One guy asked for 80 cents for water from the vending machine, so I offered him my water. To which he promptly replied that he would like my water in addition to 80 cents because, “well, I live in a shelter.” It’s true! Kind of! I don’t live in a shelter! Anyways, I am concerned that this experience has turned me more liberal than I would be otherwise. Even though I can sort of tell that I shouldn’t be. Or rather, that it shouldn’t be from this experience. Social pressure be damned!
Oh man. I already knew about this effect when I spent the summer in Atlanta. But I am not very good under social pressure, so when all the panhandling gentlemen recognized my clueless wandering around the streets and started demanding a dollar or bus fare, I felt like I had to give it to them. (I did this until I ran out of cash, and then I just said “Sorry! No cash! I need to catch the bus! Bye!”) One guy asked for 80 cents for water from the vending machine, so I offered him my water. To which he promptly replied that he would like my water in addition to 80 cents because, “well, I live in a shelter.” It’s true! Kind of! I don’t live in a shelter! Anyways, I am concerned that this experience has turned me more liberal than I would be otherwise. Even though I can sort of tell that I shouldn’t be. Or rather, that it shouldn’t be from this experience. Social pressure be damned!
So. How do I unbias myself? =]