Hola amigo,
Happy Three Point Thursday!
This week’s edition features a warning about availability bias, some movie recommendations, and a classic quote from the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.
Beware Availability Bias.
There is a line from a Luke Bryan song that has always stuck with me. It goes, “I believe if you just go by the nightly news, your faith in all mankind will be the first thing you lose.” The idea that if it bleeds it leads really does dominate the media landscape. And understandably so: we’re hardwired by evolution to pay extra attention to danger and threats to ensure our survival. But in the digital information landscape, this negativity bias can distort our perception of reality. Consider the cognitive bias described by psychologist Daniel Kahneman, called WYSIATI—what you see is all there is. When you’re glued to news developments all the time, you’re led to think that every part of the world is full of death and destruction all day, every day. While it tragically is in some places, realize that you never hear news that says, “yet another day of peace and happiness over here!” There is a profound asymmetry.
South Korean films are genius.
Something I find oddly satisfying is watching movies in a language I don’t understand with subtitles on. My favorite language to do this in is Korean because of how many brilliant movies there are from South Korea. Many of the ones I’ve come across are dark psychological thrillers, like Memories of Murder, Decision To Leave, and Burning. Of course, you also have the Oscar-dominating movie Parasite. South Korean cinema is definitely worth checking out if you’re a true movie lover.
Arthur Schopenhauer, On The Vanity of Existence.
“…though we live all our lives in expectation of better things, we often at the same time long regretfully for what is past. The present, on the other hand, is regarded as something quite temporary and serving only as the road to our goal. That is why most men...are surprised to see that which they let go by so unregarded and unenjoyed was precisely their life, was precisely that in expectation of which they lived.”
Keep shooting,
Jeff