Sunday, August 5, 2012

Being Invisible - The S.E.P. phenomenon

R.a.n.t. of week 08/05/12
Ever have the feeling like you're invisible? I have. I just got back from a convention this weekend and I can't count the number of times I saw someone I knew, but they seemed to look right past me, as if I wasn't there. It's annoying enough when it's someone you feel close to, even more so when it's someone you wish you knew closer. I have a hard time being the quiet and shy type (another r.a.n.t. for another time), so when this happens it can be frustrating, to say the least.

Maybe Douglas Adams was correct. Maybe everyone has an S.E.P field covering them and for others it's more intense. For those not in the know, S.E.P. stands for 'Somebody Else's Problem'. It's the ability a person has for not seeing something right in front of their face. Douglas Adams went on to erroneously describe this condition as seeing something unrealistic, so the brain (in order to cope) just edits it out of the picture. One example would be a deadly alien space-ship landing in the middle of the Lords Cricket Grounds, disrupting a test match. Later on, you don't even really recall what happened; The S.E.P. took effect. 'Doctor Who' calls this phenomenon a perception filter.

So why are people like this? Not seeing someone in a crowd CAN be understandable, but when they are standing right next to them? Or better yet, right in front of them? So annoying! Anyway, I'll get back to you on this later. I have to take off for a bit, my sons have been standing here waiting for me to take them to their mothers house. I didn't notice they were standing here waiting for me.

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