Fundamental Attribution Error

"The fundamental attribution error (sometimes referred to as the actor-observer bias, correspondence bias or overattribution effect) is the tendency for people to over-emphasize dispositional, or personality-based, explanations for behaviors observed in others while under-emphasizing the role and power of situational influences on the same behavior. In other words, people tend to have a default assumption that what a person does is based more on what "kind" of person he is, rather than the social and environmental forces at work on that person. This default assumption leads to people sometimes making erroneous explanations for behavior. This general bias to over-emphasizing dispositional explanations for behavior at the expense of situational explanations is much less likely to occur when people evaluate their own behavior."

That's the basic definition of Fundamental Attribution Error. This explains (thanks) the huge public outcry after Tiger Woods incident. In other words just because he plays perfect golf, people presumed him as Buddha in every aspect of life.
This also explains why in third world countries, famous people become politicians promising utopian dreams. A little introspection can get rid of this bias but constant propaganda on the air makes it close to impossible. But even with introspection sometimes this is hard to eliminate. There cannot be better example than I. I have had this FAE with someone for almost 20 years now. In-fact I have taken FAE a much higher level. It's very ironic given the aversion I now have for watching sports. I grew up not only watching Sachin play but admiring him as a human being from the very day he started playing. Talk about the fallacies weaved by our memories -  I remember the day he made his debut, his good days, his bad days and what not. I have gone so much further that this person became more important  than the game and his character became more important than his game. These days I don't even watch cricket but still follow his progress. He has become a quasi-family member. So far the world and he with his impeccable character has vindicated me from this error. He is 36 and I am 35, we both have a long ways to go and time is against me, he can mess up big time exposing my fallacy. Even if that happens, as a teenager and young man growing up, I learnt the lessons of gratitude, maturity, cognitive composure and simply how to better human being from him. I am grateful for him for saving me from my under developed frontal cortex. May be I used the "idea of him" for my benefit without knowing the real him. So far, so good.

The reason I am writing this because Mark Rowlands blogged about this today and of-course today was the "perfect" day out - 200*.

"It took nearly 40 years of waiting and it was well worth it. Sachin Tendulkar chose one of the better bowling attacks doing the rounds, to eclipse the record for the highest score, before bringing up the first ever double-hundred in ODI history.