Selective perception

Kate: Ugh, the same old drama with prejudices!
Conrad: One tends to regard it that way, but this view itself is a snap judgment. The real eternal drama is actually playing out inside our heads.
Sophie: I understand. You mean as soon as we see the scene in the park, our brains trigger the usual stereotypes …
Kate: What stereotypes?
Fred: Well, mostly the standard cliches pushed by the media. How many times have you heard about “juvenile delinquency” or “police brutality”?
Helen: And because of that, we have to associate bad traits with every cop or every Black person?
Conrad: No, but this encounter here illustrates the fact that humans generally – before being perceived as individuals – are classified as “different” because of something noticeable in their appearance. And we rarely judge an “outgroup” positively.
Sophie: We hate admitting how primitive our brains really are! But that’s the way it is. We can’t stop this automatic process, even if we are consciously against prejudice.
Conrad: Eventually, though – if the circumstances are right – there may be a chance to correct those false images through a reality check, so they don’t arouse prejudices.
Robert: I think that’s exactly the moment captured in the painting. While the girl prefers to break free, her older brother is still checking out the cop. You can see the suspicion on both men’s faces, but they’re assessing the situation – and then de-escalation is possible.
Kate: Right now, our line of thought was similar. One never stops learning, and it is real fun when you have such favourable “circumstances” as hanging out with you guys.