Frightening Patterns

I'm fascinated by stories of the recent “dry run” scare on Northwest flight 327, when passengers became convinced they were about to be overrun by terrorists.

I have no insight into what really was going on on the plane. Was the truth of the events better represented by multiple terrified passengers or by a single, seasoned air marshall. The story shows how much our perceptions are shaped by the patterns we have learned to notice, and how quickly one pattern replaces another.

The strange behavior of 14 Syrian musicians convinced passengers they were about to be hijacked, although the band was cleared by law enforcement afterwards. But if their ethnicity was only incidental and other recognized patterns were applied, then 14 musicians acting jumpy and going in and out of lavatories would have flagged a different “obvious” conclusion--a shared vial of coke, not a bomb, right?

Though a frequent flyer, you might find yourself very anxious seated next to a middle-eastern man. But think about the anxiety of flying when you are a middle eastern man?