Heh, I am a terrible communicator. What I meant is that to the individual, perception and reality are the same. The facts and stats don't back up perception,

Heh, I am a terrible communicator. What I meant is that to the individual, perception and reality are the same. The facts and stats don't back up perception, but a person will think their perception is correct, otherwise they would perceive differently. Which is why we judge parents - our perception is "it's dangerous out there", even though the data doesn't bare it out.