reactions to accusations

[kengr]

Sat, 18:44: quixylvre: aphobic-soundwave: aphobic-soundwave: “if somebody becomes panicked when you accuse them of...
https://t.co/U6ETGhyIz2 (read it, it makes a lot of good points)

The reverse happens too. I shared a room with another kid in a foster home. I hadn't really paid attention to him messing with the wall with a key. I just wrote it off as being pretty much the same as kids at school idly gouging at the wood of the desks (in lower grades anyway, and he was a bit "slow").

Anyway, turns out he'd been using the key to "drill" a hole through the plasterboard to the girls room on the other side.

We both got accused of it, and I got special attention because I *didn't* get all panicky at the accusation.

Hey, I knew I didn't do it. so why would I panic?

But nooo the fact that I *didn't* panic was "evidence" of guilt.

Basically, this sort of thing is used to "confirm" what the person already believes about your guilt.

Comments

[stickmaker]

One of the key behaviors TSA agents are trained to look for is a traveler who is _too_ relaxed. It's considered almost as much of a tell as someone who is too nervous. *Sigh*

[kengr]

Yeah. Both are based on the common fallacy that "other people will react like *I* do in similar situations".

[stickmaker]

Even though in those circumstances they won't act they way they think they will. :-^)