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by kbenson
1720 days ago
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> and they spoke bullshit with a mild air of authority instead of running away, which a sensible person should have done. I think often they're asked because they've expressed interest in a topic or cause, and they realize that any benefit their name and the exposure they have at the moment is wasted if they ignore questions about it. That they misstep is probably no different than any fledgling PR person the first day on the job, and sometimes I don't doubt it's media baiting them with questions to expose their lack of knowledge of some areas of the topic, as it makes for good coverage. A lot of the times I give celebrities a lot of leeway in their knowledge, because most the time it's obvious that they just want to help because they feel fortunate for their current situation and want to give back. Sometimes that seems to be misapplied because of their lack of deep understanding on the topic, but at least their hearts seem to be in a good place. |
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It’s likely worse with celebrities who are generally smart and well-read on a wide range of subjects, who think that because they think they know a thing or two, that they should bestow their pearls of knowledge upon their audience.
The reality, though, is that they are in fact an illustration of the popular understanding of the Dunning-Kruger effect, because they don’t know how much they don’t know, sometimes even after a demonstration of the contrary.
I know about at least one such person who gave very thoughtful interviews on politics and blogged opinions and how he knew how to put things right, ran for a seat in the parliament twice, actually got elected both times, and failed miserably at his job both times, ending his mandate prematurely.