NRI aunty and the fellow passenger

Once I was traveling with one of my NRI aunt to a relative’s place who stayed in a place very close to the Sundarbans. We took a train from the Sealdah station and sat facing each other in the middle seat. The train left the station and I looked around. Our fellow passengers were simpletons like fishermen, masons, workers in the tannery. They smoked, chewed beetle leaves or sipped tea. Some looked outside the window like the lady beside me and munched puffed rice. But the man who sat beside my aunt wanted to strike a conversation with us. His voice was hoarse and raspy. His eyes were red. He spoke in a local accent. I could see my aunt looking at him by the corner of her eyes, then placed her silk scarf over her nose and responded in one or two words. At one point when the man looked outside the window, she bends over to me whispering:

-         Lokta matal ! (This man is drunk)

Then sat back making a glum face keeping the scarf pressed on her nose.

So, I also had to behave curtly with him as I did not want to upset my NRI aunt who hated people who drank cheap Indian liquor.

When our destination came, the man immediately jumped up and pulled a bag that he kept below his seat. He handed us a handful of extremely ripe and gorgeous sapotas and smiled innocently. My aunt paused for a moment and then thanked him profusely. I could see her silk scarf was no longer pressed on her nose.

The moment we got down from the train my aunt cried out:

-         How rude of me. I did not even talk to that gentleman properly thinking that he smelled of cheap liquor! I completely forgot that sapotas when ripe really smelled like liquor!! Oh my god!!

We had a good laugh as we ate those juicy and extremely sweet sapotas.

But I learned a lesson that day which I can relate today from my studies of Unconscious bias theories. My aunt had a bias towards that man. The smell that she thought was coming from this man was the smell of the ripe sapotas that this man was carrying.

This kind of pattern in bias is called the Diagnosis Bias which is the propensity to label people, ideas or things based on our initial opinions. My aunt had an initial opinion that all the people who traveled towards the Sundarbans are low in lifestyles and most of them are crude workers and rough fishermen who drank cheap wine throughout the day!

But that is not the case always!!

Interestingly, we fall prey to this bias every single day at work. We encounter new people and we “scope them out” based on how they initially appear to us!

Think about how many times Diagnosis Bias might have an impact on our lives.

Especially, I am sure you have heard people say I am not going to hire that individual as he had poor eye contact – or her handshake was as cold as fish!

Though these can be indications but always ask if these are making you unconsciously slip into the bias pattern call Diagnosis Bias!!!

****Sapota is also known as Chikoo in some parts of India. It also called mud apples or nose berry :) ..It is a brown fruit with a rough skin but sweet brown pulp inside.