Reality

Invisibilia

NPR

Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Social Sciences, Science

4.6 • 22.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 June 2017

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How is it that two neighbors can look out their window at the exact same thing, and see something completely different? This is a question many people in America are asking now. We explore it by visiting a small community in Minnesota, called Eagle's Nest Township, that has a unique experience with the reality divide: some of the people in the town believe that wild black bears are gentle animals you can feed with your hands, and others think they are dangerous killers. This divide leads to conflict and, ultimately, a tragic death. So, is there a "real" truth about the bear, or is each side constructing its own reality?

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, before we get started, we would love to hear what you think of the show.
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0:11.4	So we're going to start this episode at Umpire School.
0:14.5	Hey, no!
0:19.3	Recently, we went to the Wendell's Dead Umpire School near Daytona Beach, Florida.
0:24.2	In the mornings, students at the school sit in a stuffy classroom and review the rule book.
0:29.5	Then in the afternoon, they go outside to these green fields and work in small groups.
0:34.0	It's nine hours a day for five weeks, all devoted to a single purpose.
0:39.7	Learn to see what's in front of you, clearly.
0:42.8	Get down. Get set. Can you see that bitch?
0:45.2	No, exactly.
0:46.4	They practice where to stand and how to track the ball with their eyes.
0:50.1	Then, all 140 men in matching gray slacks and black t-shirts
0:54.9	fan out across the green fields and range themselves in these meticulously spaced rows.
1:00.4	All 140 are going to run their drills as a class.
1:13.2	For hours and hours, they run these drills.
1:16.0	Over and over with military precision.
1:25.6	In the hot sun, they jiggle back and forth, hoping enough practice will allow them to see the world more clearly.
1:35.3	Because, accurately seeing the world, that is their sacred duty.
1:39.6	The thing this whole dance is about.
1:48.8	And I got to say, their belief in their ability to actually discern the reality in front of them
	...

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