I think in Star Wars they call it a disturbance in the “force.” I dealt with it in a less scientific or fanciful setting. I called it surveillance. Setting up an observation point invariably affected the natural way of things. (See observer effect, below) Just because the target of my surveillance didn’t notice me doesn’t mean that my presence was unremarked. For more on surveillance follies I refer you to a previous post: Surveillance is a Carnival – PORAC Ponders
the observer effect is the disturbance of an observed system by the act of observation.[1][2] This is often the result of instruments that, by necessity, alter the state of what they measure in some manner. A common example is checking the pressure in an automobile tire; this is difficult to do without letting out some of the air, thus changing the pressure.
Wikipedia
The Gell-Mann Effect, also called the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect describes the phenomenon of an expert believing news articles on topics outside of their field of expertise even after acknowledging that articles written in the same publication that are within the expert’s field of expertise are error-ridden and full of misunderstanding. The term was coined by author and film producer Michael Crichton.
Michael Crichton
What if the perception of the observer is so twisted that resulting observations are flawed from the outset? It dawned on me that this clown thinks he is a girl. He gets up every day and looks in the mirror and thinks, “You go girl!” He is surrounded by sycophant’s who reinforce his distorted view of self. Yet, we are supposed to accept his and that of his little helpers opinions on a variety of public health issues. Why?
He has no credibility on anything. His self assessment and demented ravings are no more acceptable than those of Charles Manson. I take that back. Charles Manson has a leg up on Mr. Levine. Manson didn’t hide who and what he was.
