We see what we want to see

I'm in several birding groups online and the algorithms feed me posts from other groups I'm not actively following as well.  Since the weekend, I've been seeing posts of a dark black heron or egret that was spotted in the Slidell, LA area.  Initial speculation was that it was a melanistic Great Blue Heron, a rare sight to see.  Others wondered if it was covered in oil, although those opinions were pretty quickly dismissed.  So photographers flocked and more and more videos and photos appeared online, many of them appearing to be from a very close distance.  This bird became quite the celebrity.

Then on Monday, the bird was found deceased smelling strongly of creosote.  I believe it has been confirmed that it was covered in oil which likely made it very sick.  This would also explain why people were able to get so close and no one ever saw it fly away.  If only that earlier speculation that it was covered in oil had not been dismissed so quickly, the bird might have been rescued and cleaned.

As events unfold today in Minneapolis with very diverging accounts of what happened (despite several good videos), I can't help but think about how so often we see what we want to see and we listen to the accounts of the people we decide to align ourselves with.  I suppose that is why gaslighting can be so "successful" and it can be so easy for doubts to enter when people so quickly dismiss our initial thoughts.

Today I am sad.