Why do we see things so differently?

I am continually surprised by the reactions of people to political events. I didn't used to pay much attention to politics myself and stayed vaguely aware of what was going on but never really got to thinking about what was really happening until Waco.

My wife and I happened to have taken the day off to do some decorating and were watching as the tanks started their assault. We watched live and saw with our own eyes how the fire started throughout the building at the same time. A few minutes later, reporters were raising the spectre of the fire having been started by the beseigers. "What?" I thought. How on earth were these supermen supposed to have travelled through the entire compound in seconds, carrying large amounts of incendiary devices past armed cult members and then dashed all the way back through the now burning building to emerge unscathed and unseen? All of a sudden, my rose-tinted spectacles shattered and I realized that the media was not reporting the news, not even trying to offer both sides of the story; they were molding the minds of the people who expected (and believed they were getting) unbiased reporting.

Since then, I've watched the trend grow and grow. Murrow was precient. Media celebrities mix carefully selected facts with carefully crafted opinions and the mega-corporate-controlled outlets present the result as "news." Most people are not paying enough attention to notice and think they've been told the "fair and balanced" truth.

There was a hope that the internet would change that but overall it has done little but add overt and covert partisan messages that appeal to those of similar leanings and repel those who disagree.

Political debates tend to bring this trend into the light rather dramatically. I remember watching the Bush/Gore debates and being told that Bush "won" because he was so much better than anyone expected of a hayseed while Gore "lost" because he talked about numbers and facts. We were actually told that a better-than-expected hayseed who stumbled over his words would make a better president than a slightly boring but clearly intelligent and knowledgable "policy wonk." And the majority, it would seem, bought it hook, line and sinker. After all, these media celebrities know what they're talking about, don't they?

Last night's debate was remarkable for seeming to break the trend. As debates go, it was, on the surface, far less one-sided than most others I have watched. And yet all the polls I have seen, even the one on Fox News, have Obama the clear winner. Either the die-hard Republicans are hiding their heads because of last week's financial and political meltdown, or they are actually realizing that there is more to leadership than "a good guy I'd like to have a beer with."

So often in books, the great silver-tongued magician is revealed as the evil tyrant and the veil falls from the eyes of the spellbound who look around in wonder as they realize that they had it all wrong. This morning, I seem to see that happening for real as I read the posts and view the commentaries. Of course, there are still plenty of people who believe, and who will never admit, even to themselves, that they have been hoodwinked for so long. They will remain convinced that trickle-down economics works, that Saddam Hussein sponsored 9/11, that global warming has nothing to do with carbon emissions and that Clinton's lies were impeachment-worthy while Bush/Cheney's torture, cronyism and lies are OK.

I need to re-read "The Emporer's New Clothes." Were there people in the crowd who steadfastly denied he was naked after the little boy pointed out the truth?