{judgement} blind spot // mixed-media

This painting is inspired by a photograph featured in the New York Times capturing a scene from the ongoing protest and revolt in Libya. In the original image, a Libyan man is holding up to his face a stylized portrait of Colonel Qaddafi, the Libyan leader whose refusal to step down from power in spite of massive popular demand has led his nation into civil war. This Qaddafi supporter poses alone in a desolate stadium with darkness and smoke in his background.

The occurrence of a common man standing up for a cause that is in contradiction with his own self-interest is not uncommon. One does not have to go far to find someone whose personal and political convictions stand at odds with the objective reality. The neural mechanisms underlying self-perception can shed light on this phenomenon. 
Although it is unclear why people tend to view themselves and their loved ones differently and often with a rosy glow, research from a variety of fields in social sciences has established that the overwhelming majority of people see themselves as being more capable, talented, and deserving of future success in relation to their peers. It seems that people are incapable of subjecting themselves, and the people and ideas that they hold dear to the same standards of scrutiny that they use to assess everything else in life.

Neuroimaging studies have revealed that the activation of Medial Prefrontal Cortex (MPFC) is required for self-reflection. Within the frontal cortex, the increase in activation of the orbital frontal region (OFC) is tightly coupled with the ability to be self-critical. These studies reveal that within our brain, there exists a unique circuitry for processing of self-referential information. Which in pathological conditions such as drug addiction, gambling, persistent emotional abuse, or under perceived threat become re-wired to provide even less capacity for self-insight.


This natural predisposition for us to subconsciously judge ourselves differently than we see others has immense social and political consequences. And I would argue that the continued prevalence of exclusionary political policies and ethnic divides in this age of globalization is partly attributed to this cognitive processing gap.