stevestory
Posts: 13407
Joined: Oct. 2005
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When I was in a crim justice class 20 years ago there was a sudden exercise one day to teach us how shitty eye-witness testimony is.
One morning out of the blue in the middle of class, there was a bang, and a scream, and somebody ran in one door and out of another with some weapon, a knife I think.
Then the class was asked to write down what happened, in what order, and what color clothes was on who, and what/where the weapon was.
Virtually everyone got multiple details wrong. Colors switched or invented, the chronology all askew, wrong weapon in the wrong place etc. Everybody was sure they saw what they saw. Everybody was wrong.
That demonstration had a lasting impact on me, and I wish everyone had to do it.
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