The Rashomon Effect - Essay Example

The Rashomon Effect

Introduction

The Rashomon effect refers to the contradictory but plausible interpretations of an event by different people who were involved in the incident (Anderson 252). Although the witnesses were in the same scene, they tend to provide varied descriptions of the event. The phrase “Rashomon effect” was derived from the 1950 Akira Kurosawa film that involved a story in which witnesses gave controversial accounts regarding a recent murder case (Anderson 249). Typically, the manner in which witnesses narrate a tragedy, or an event can be convincing in such a way that an observer tends to believe in all versions. Despite an incident being an independent entity, witnesses tend to give subjective accounts of the case due to influential factors, such as expectations, experiences, memory, and other psychological dynamics. Consequently, it becomes an increasingly difficult task for an observer to verify the truth due to the absence of evidence to disqualify any of the accounts. This results in a dilemma in which an observer is not certain about which of the testimonies is true or false while they are all different. Investigators can minimize or eradicate the causes of the Rashomon effect in various ways to ensure that facts from a witness are accurate and verifiable to eliminate any possibility of doubt.

The 1950 Akira Kurosawa movie, Rashomon, is widely used as a reference by today's investigators while referring to the recent controversies particularly in media reports about an incident. The story revolves around the events leading to the death of a samurai and the rape of his wife in the same encounter (Sanahuja 4). It portrays the different accounts presented by the husband, wife, and the witnesses of the incident. Interestingly, each of the parties provides contradictory reports regarding the events that transpired leading to murder and rape. However, each of the involved parties describes the event convincingly in such a way that all seemed to be true. The Rashomon effect in this film is also a technique used in modern literary works to provoke critical thinking on the audience to make it more appealing and interesting. It has also advanced the field of investigations where verifiable information is necessary to enforce justice. Detectives apply different techniques and knowledge to identify perpetrators of crime to support reasonable legal actions.

Causes of the Rashomon Effect

Various factors hinder the ability of the concerned people to identify the truth in case of contradicting accounts of an event. According to Davenport and Marika, the motive or the underlying agenda influences individuals to provide biased testimonies about an incident based on what they want the observer to understand (3). For example, some media houses intended to portray police brutality during the oil pipeline protest in Southern North Dakota. According to Moore, the police engaged protesters who were allegedly in peaceful demonstrations in an incident where six people were bitten by security dogs while thirty were pepper-sprayed. Conversely, the police department reported that the protesters crossed over private property and attacked the security forces, thus forcing them to react forcefully to prevent further damage (Moore).

Additionally, bias is another factor that can subvert the truth and hinder proper investigations into an important matter. A witness can be predisposed in such a way that he or she tends to prefer a particular side regardless of the truth of the incident. For example, there were different reports about Russian hacking of the United States election system where some claimed that it led to Clinton’s loss while others denied such an attempt (Lissack). Arguably, the contradicting reports were biased based on the political affiliations of people. Trump’s supporters argued that the accusations did not have weight citing that Clinton’s failure to campaign in the most important and populous states contributed to her loss. Conversely, Clinton’s supporters maintained that the alleged hacking was the cause of her loss in the general elections. Such factors tend to hinder the ability of people to come to a consensus and uncover the truth behind an event. Hence, it is necessary for investigators to develop mechanisms for evaluating information accuracy by seeking the truth based on verifiable facts and evidence.

Effective Methods for Minimizing the Rashomon Effect

Truth identification can be a challenging task in case of an event surrounded by contradictory accounts by the involved witnesses. The kind of information that a witness provides regarding an incident involves an interplay between several influential factors. These issues tend to compel individuals to provide subjective data rather than the actual truth of the matter. Consequently, it becomes difficult for an observer to find the truth since all those involved describe the event differently yet they were in the same scene. Indeed, contradictory testimonies from witnesses of an incident are one of the greatest challenges that courts face while trying to enforce justice to victims of a crime. Due to that reason, it is necessary for investigation bodies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to design proper mechanisms for finding reliable information and detecting deception.

Forensic science is one of the most effective methods of gathering reliable information, particularly in crimes and accidents. This involves the collection of samples from the scene for DNA or fingerprint assessments to identify the individuals involved. This technique has been proven to be the most effective in detecting crime perpetrators and helping with investigations on different incidences. In fact, it is the most widely used method by modern investigators and detectives while gathering important data necessary for justice enforcement. This technology would also be applicable in the Rashomon movie to find the truth about what happened before the death of a samurai as well as who raped his wife. Forensic investigators would have managed to identify whether the murder occurred after a fight using swords or suicide as the witnesses claimed. The results of this investigation would have helped uncover the truth and thus eliminate doubt and contentions on who might have been telling the truth or lies. Hence, a forensic research would be the most reliable method since it is based on samples collected from the incident scene which cannot be biased and subjective.

Conclusion

The Rashomon effect has been demonstrated in some of the recent events that raised contentions due to controversial media reports. The variations in the information that witnesses of an incident provide are due to various influential factors such as the motive which causes them to give subjective descriptions. Consequently, such information can hinder justice enforcement since it is unreliable. Hence, it is necessary for investigators to minimize the Rashomon effect by using effective methods of seeking the truth. Forensic science is one of the most effective techniques that provide investigators and detectives with reliable information regarding an incident and thus help in finding justice for the victims. Hence, it would also be an effective strategy for identifying the perpetrators of crime in the Rashomon movie where a samurai died while his wife was raped.