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Tunnel Vision
How the mass media makes us incapable of rational thought
Tunnel vision is the phenomenon of locking our attention onto a single element of our environment and ignoring everything else. We get locked into tunnel vision when we’re afraid, because the hippocampus shuts down the part of the human brain that occasionally attempts to perform reasoning (the prefrontal cortex). It’s why drivers freeze and plough into whatever was directly in front of them when suddenly the situation changes from normal to dangerous.
Unfortunately, as is the way with us humans, we seldom learn from our experiences of tunnel vision. Instead, we first rationalize them and then we forget about them as quickly as possible so as to avoid the emotional discomfort that would arise from us realizing we didn’t have to be so stupid.
Many decades ago I saw a clear-cut example of tunnel vision up close. It was Day One of a CQB (close quarters battle) course. A group of us, dressed in what was back then known as “black kit” and armed with H&K MP5s plus ancient Browning HiPower 9mm pistols, were waiting to make explosive entry into a structure fondly referred to as “the killing house.” We were all newbies and eager to make a good impression in front of the highly experienced Directing Staff. We were also nervous, because there would be loud explosions, smoke and CS…
