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Just taped with @Dateline_DC, and figured there was more meat on the bone of a particular point we discussed… (today’s podcast will be posted around midday or early afternoon) https://bit.ly/2isERz2
Remember that astronaut who wore diapers while driving from Texas to Florida to confront the woman who was involved with her ex? https://bit.ly/33behRN
Lisa Nowak was an American aeronautical engineer, former US Navy captain, naval flight officer and test pilot, and NASA astronaut. flew in space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-121 mission in July 2006. She was extremely accomplished.
https://bit.ly/399NwAY
https://bit.ly/399NwAY
Extremely smart, extremely accomplished people can still have crazy beliefs. Steve Jobs used to relax by soaking his feet in the company’s toilets.
You can ace your SATs, get into the Ivy Leagues, make partner at the big firm, get the big promotion… and all the while, believe that the moon is made of green cheese.
I don’t know of any studies that prove it, but I suspect politics - and perhaps journalism and law, and certainly the Internet - attracts a higher percentage of the “smart, accomplished, and cuckoo-for-Cocoa Puffs” demographic.
Pierre Salinger was JFK’s press secretary. In his final years, he vehemently insisted that a missile took down TWA flight 800 off Long Island on July 17, 1996. https://bit.ly/35WZ6h5
At some point, you’re going to encounter something that sounds crazy and outlandish, but it’s being offered by someone who is indisputably smart, accomplished, and probably respected, or once-respected.
Attorney Lin Wood’s work representing Richard Jewell is pretty darn impressive - whether you like what he’s saying these days, or think it’s nutty. https://twitter.com/llinwood/status/1208677424512274432?lang=en
And it’s inevitable that we assess people based upon their past accomplishments. “Oh, that guy did that? I guess he’s worth listening to, then."
But it’s not a guarantee. And while there’s always the chance that the high-profile, accomplished person with the crazy theory will turn out to be right… oftentimes, you’re just dealing with the usual tinfoil-hat kind of nut with a shining resume.
