Making one small assumption which later proves to be false can result in us having a drastically different picture to reality, because of the ways in which we stack assumptions to construct ideas and beliefs.
Writer and professor Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman published a moving debut memoir focused on her early 20s. Sounds Like Titanic details Hindman’s time struggling to pay for her Columbia education, her experience studying abroad in Cairo, Egypt, during 9/11, and her childhood in Appalachia. But it also involves that time she toured the country as a “fake violinist” with a group, unnamed in the book, that was very likely the Tim Janis Ensemble.
In the book, she refers to the unnamed ensemble leader as a ‘famous composer’. This led to a Guardian article retelling the story as being about an orchestra which was faking its music and just plain music from a CD player while the musicians merely pretended to play. But the entire story is based on an unchecked assumption.
It becomes clear when you realise she’s talking about Tim Janis’ Ensemble. Was he famous? Yes. He performed on a PBS special with George Clooney and everything. Was he a composer? Yes.
But the problem is when people hear the words famous composer they instantly think classical composer. They add that word without it ever being said. And then when you think famous classical composer, you assume it’s an orchestra.
And now there’s a mental image in your head - your expectations are set. And they’re wildly different to what the guy was really doing - overseeing a tiny band with a guitar and keyboard who got booked for gigs at local malls where they pretended to play music that was being simultaneously blasted from speakers connected to a CD player.
You have a mental image of a scam orchestra and a fraudulent composer. But instead, it’s an ensemble of a violinist, a keyboardist, and a penny whistle, playing new age music in mall courtyards and state fairs.
Considering the ensemble was playing in crowded mall courtyards, people likely never cared or even noticed that the band wasn’t actually playing and the music was just coming from a CD player.
In this situation, you weren’t fooled by the work itself; you were fooled by the cascade of assumptions you made based on the headline. You read ‘famous composer’ and think ‘classical composer’. You think ‘classical composer’ and think ‘orchestra’.
It’s like a magic trick - one tiny misdirection creates a massive illusion.
