The department of light amusement

[gomberg]

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/12/cato-fellow-election-conspiracy-theories-458248

My own comments:

1. You should avoid hiring certifiably insane people.

2. Once you hire them, it is your own madhouse, you own it. And no, you cannot simply fire them. At least not for talking the sort of nonsense you hired them for.

Comments

[juan_gandhi]

Informally, I'd support the idea that the guy is crazy. But I'm not a psychiatrist; are you? If not, then our opinions are worth even less than the opinions of soviet psychiatrists regarding all the dissidents.

[gomberg]

You saw no problem telling other people that I am crazy. So, I would ask you to keep your medical scruples to yourself.

[juan_gandhi]

I probably have to apologize. A lot of time has passed, and I've been gradually changing. So, I apologize.

[gomberg]

tnx

[lm644]

I don’t think he is quite insane... dishonest and manipulative - yes.

[gomberg]

Alas, I am actually afraid, it is not dishonesty. Normally I try to avoid assuming stupidity where evil provides a reasonable explanation: but in this particular case there is a lot more evidence than his recent posts. As the gentleman above points out, I should not be throwing around medical diagnoses I am not qualified to issue, but whatever little I have heard from people who know the guy suggests he is really not well, and has been so for a long time. His public history suggests the same. I have felt nothing but awkwardness whenever his opinions are seriously discussed for decades now.

Anyways, my comment was not about Mr. Illarionov, but about his employer.