Taking sides and the risks of blindness

Was watching the NFL football games last weekend and was very amused by the ways people decieve themselves simply because of their support for a certain team. In Green Bay, the stands were packed with Packers fans. The ref would throw a penalty flag, and the screens would show an instant replay of the play that caused the penalty. In some cases it would be questionable whether the call was a good one or not, but in many it was obvious that the penalty was deserved. In all cases, however, if the penalty was against New York, the stands considered it a good call, and if it was against Green Bay, it was a bad call.

People would boo and yell and call the ref names and get all indignant about the unfairness of the situation, the persecution to which they were subjected. Did they truly not see the evidence of reality? Or did their minds just allow them to ignore such evidence?

A few weeks ago, I suggested over beers to a few people that perhaps it would be justifiable to question the reliability of the supposed threats from the Iranian boat to the US ship in the straight of Hormuz. The suggestion was met with a bit of incredulity at my naivete, and suspicions that I was a bit paranoid. Subsequent reports supported such questions.

Despite our incredibly dubious history of media manipulation throughout the past century, why do even the most liberal of us continue to believe penalty calls against our 'opponents' and disbelieve those against ourselves?