Commentary Imagine a world where everything is perfect. No one ever makes a mistake, there is no bias, and everyone gets along. Can’t think of such a planet? That is because it does not and cannot exist. It is called “Utopia”—Greek for “there ain’t no such place”—for a reason. It is impossible.
Nevertheless, we often expect—and demand—perfection from people in trying circumstances. Why did the infantry fail to take that ridge? Why was the ambulance 10 minutes late, resulting in a tragic death? Why did the police officer treat that person that way?
Coupled with this unreasonable request for no errors is the tendency to extrapolate from small data points. Videos are shot on cellphones and posted online without context and usually without exculpatory background information (i.e. a six-second outtake from a 45-minute event purports to be an accurate summary of the entire encounter)….