Another person I used to admire...

[Archae]

Months ago, I wrote about Jane Goodall, the chimpanzee researcher.
I mean, I followed her articles about Chimps in the wild in National Geographic, and enjoyed them.
Even when she wrote about Chimps acting erratically or even murderously.

Goodall lost my respect when she wrote glowing reviews and agreed with a GMO hysteric who has a business degree from a diploma mill, the Maharishi Yogi "university."

Well, looks like Keith Olbermann fell down the rabbit hole of woo also.

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/02/05/how-they-view-us-gordie-howe-edition/

[CajunBlazer]

1. Huh? n/t

[Archae]

2. Woo. Quackery.

Testimonials are worthless in medicine.

[Xyzse]

3. We are not perfect.

One can be honestly mistaken.

Also, one can feel free to extoll the virtues of another no matter their faults, especially in a public setting where you have to say something nice.

We are also free to suddenly lose respect for someone who has done much good, if they make a mistake or have a different view from ours.

I still consider Ms. Goodall's contributions as a net positive, in many many ways. Even if I don't agree with some of her stances, or her views, I can't lose respect for her that easy.

[Archae]

4. It happens to many people, and to many I used to admire.

Last edited Tue Jul 7, 2015, 12:20 PM - Edit history (1)

I used to admire Henry Ford, because I was taught what a genius he was at making cars.
Later I learned how stubborn he was, and how viciously anti-Jewish.

I used to admire Mother Theresa, until I learned just how much of her "work" was PR, and how she lived in luxury compared to the people her order "treated."

I used to love Jim Carrey, he could make me laugh big time, but then he went to making awful movies and now he's an anti-vaccination zealot who calls Governor Brown a "fascist" and continues with disproven and discredited stuff about vaccines.

So here's Keith Olbermann, I didn't like it when he would let his ego get away from him, resulting in him losing jobs.
To slam "Orac" like he did because Olbermann believes in a quack, is beneath Olbermann.

[rock]

5. Except for Goodall and Olbermann

(Neither of which I have been keeping up with) I am pretty much in agreement with you on the others. Although I was never a fan of Mother Theresa.

[Xyzse]

6. Understandable.

I have a hard time judging people from a long time ago, since they are products of their environments. I can understand the distaste for someone like Henry Ford, where I could laud him for his accomplishments but still lambast him for his anti-semitism.

With Mother Teresa, I don't know enough about her. I still think she has done what she can, and living in "luxury" compared to those she treated in her order... I don't know. The ones she treated were in abject poverty. Having some sort of air conditioning or a slightly better living arrangements could be considered luxury. As I don't know how much more in terms of what she has in comparison to them, I can only base it on how much good she has done.

Jim Carrey, I never respected. He's always been an odd ball. I don't take him seriously enough. I'll enjoy whatever movies he has worked on, but anything beyond that, he's a non-entity.

As for Olbermann, I'll take what he says, especially the ones I agree with to heart, and reference him. He has his own demons.

All I am saying is that people are complicated, and I'm sure many have disappointing aspects in them, and no one is perfect.

I get what you're saying, and you have valid reasons for suddenly losing respect for someone. We have different thresholds for gaining respect and losing them.

[Archae]

7. I've lost all respect for Bill Cosby, along these lines.

He used to just crack me up, he was just so funny.

But all the scandals, and now? He admitted to buying Quaaludes to get women into the sack.

He's going to die in not too many years, in disgrace.

[Xyzse]

9. I was about to say the same thing.

He reached the level on unacceptability that I can't just stand.

[csziggy]

8. Total sidenote - Gordie Howe mentioned in the article

I just read a SF story about a clone of Gordie Howe - who I had never heard of before. The clone was exposed at the age of 17, threw away his hockey career and went on to lead a normal life. The end of the story was that the whole thing was a ploy by the gene manipulators who created the clone in order to revive and redirect the public discussion over gene manipulation.

Interesting story and what a coincidence to see that name in this context within a few days of seeing it in a story - I wasn't sure if Gordie Howe was a real person or someone made up for the story!

(Not sure of the author or title - I've been reading old SF anthologies and this was in one of them.)