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Blinded by Personal Expectations
by Jeffrey Thomas
I thoroughly enjoyed the premier
episode of The Practice, "The Candidate" (part
1). In typical fashion, it raised a variety of interesting issues
in a provocative way. As with other episodes, this one explored
the uncertainty between guilt and innocence, interjected several
ethical conundrums, and considered the importance of media coverage
of the legal system, all in the context of a case about a popular
and persuasive state senator. Although these are fascinating
issues, what caught my attention was this episode's depiction
of the role of personal expectations in the search for truth.
It showed that people, including those who operate our legal
system, can be blinded by their personal expectations of the
truth.
From the outset, all of the
players believe that Senator Keith Ellison shot his wife's lover.
The police, prosecutors, and even the defense attorneys focus
on evidence to support this belief. The prosecutors obtain a
warrant to take a bodily fluid sample from his wife looking for
proof of the affair. The police test only the Senator for gunshot
residue. The defense team interview witnesses to assess evidence
of the affair. The Senator's daughter is ordered to give a statement
to the prosecution, and her testimony neatly fits everyone's
expectations. The story is further solidified when the Senator
publicly "confesses" that he shot the victim in the
mistaken belief that he was attacking the Senator's wife.
When the daughter takes the
stand at trial, however, she tells a different story. This time,
she claims to have shot the victim. The prosecution immediately
assumes that the daughter is lying to protect her father, as
does the defense team. The prosecution, with the consent of the
judge, offer to give the daughter immunity if she'll recant,
and when the defense takes this offer to their client, her father,
the Senator decides to plead guilty in an apparent attempt to
protect his daughter.
After the court accepts the
Senator's plea, and during the press conference in which the
Senator explains that he changed his plea to protect his daughter,
the truth finally comes out. It wasn't the Senator after all,
which is no surprise to regular viewers. My point, however, is
that no one-not the police, the prosecution, or the defense-considered
the any possibility other than the Senator. The linked video
clip delivers the punch line. (Don't view it if you don't
want to know who did it.)
My point is that all of us
perceive reality through our own set of expectations, and tend
to fit the evidence and data we collect into our expectations.
Perhaps we should be more circumspect as we piece together a
story.
Posted October 29, 2001
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