Being a person of interest is hard. Whatever you do or say can be recorded. And with social media, a lot of people will see itâwhether you want them to or not.
We all say stupid stuff. I certainly have. And Iâm really glad nobody caught that moment on camera or audio.
Sometimes, that gives you the luxury to reflect quietly and come up with a better statement later. Not everyone gets that. Some people get roasted immediately for a single slip-up.
The other day, I saw a physio I like on Instagram roast a podcast featuring some really knowledgeable people. I actually picked up a few insightful quotes and pieces of knowledge from the people on that podcastâstuff I still use in my daily practice.
Was the physio right to call them out? Yeah. Itâs good that someone takes the time to set things straight and clear things up. Were some of the statements a little off? Maybe. I didnât agree with them either. But does that erase the value those people brought or make their insights any less useful? Absolutely not.
And yet⊠the comments. âI used to follow these guys and loved their input,â one person said.
I get it. But think about it like this: in my teens, Bruce Willis was my favorite action hero. I loved Die Hardâand whoever says itâs not a Christmas movie, you are wrong.
Do I think Die Hard 5 was terrible? Yes. Does that make me stop loving the first Die Hard movie? No way. That movie is still amazing.
Just because someone says something dumb now doesnât undo their past contributions.
A psychiatrist once did a fun breakdown of Harry Potter characters, and his take on Dumbledore fits perfectly here. He said: Albus Dumbledore has the curse of being right 99% of the time. Being the smartest kid in the roomâor the smartest adultâmeans you make the most catastrophic mistakes, because your brain assumes youâre right almost all the time. And you donât realize which 1% youâre wrong.
Experts have that curse too. You know a lot about your field, youâve seen things work, and that confidence sometimes makes you blind in the moment. With social media, though, thereâs no second chance. Once itâs out there, itâs out there.
This is also linked to âNobel diseaseâ or âNobelitisââwhen Nobel laureates start embracing unsound ideas later in life, often outside their expertise. Prestige inflates the ego, and suddenly evidence doesnât matter.
Take Linus Pauling. After winning a Nobel Prize, he became a vocal advocate for mega-doses of vitamin C to cure cancerâa claim not supported by solid research. Does that make his pioneering work on chemical bonding and protein structure any less groundbreaking? Not at all. We still rely on it today.
The takeaway? Just because someone you respectâor even idolizeâmakes questionable statements later on doesnât erase the wisdom they shared before. You can think, âOkay, thatâs a bit off,â while still applying the insights that matter.
Iâm not saying you shouldnât be critical. Point out when someone is wrong. Just phrase it a bit more neutrallyâand acknowledge the good points they made before the slip-up.
Past work, insight, and knowledge donât disappear because someone stumbles. And thatâs a lesson we all need to rememberâonline and offline.
đ§Ș Letâs Experiment
Before you roast someoneâonline or offlineâremember: you could be next.
Being critical is easyâespecially when someone says something that seems off. But if youâre an expert too, youâre not immune to the curse of thinking youâre right all the time. And just like others, you might say something dumb later on.
đŻ Try This:
Next time you feel like publicly calling someone out, pause.
Ask yourself: Am I critiquing a single statement, or dismissing everything this person has ever contributed?
Remember: youâre not any better than your comment section if youâre just roasting someone for a single, momentarily stupid statement while ignoring their past achievements.
Itâs said in the moment. Sometimes our brain just hasnât had the time to think things through, and we say something stupid. It happens. Sometimes we get carried away by others. That happens, too. Not everyone has the luxury to carefully think everything through before they go online.
Take that breath. Think â you have the luxury to do so. Then typeâor donât. That pause could save both you and them from unnecessary backlash.
đ§ Final Thought:
We all stumble. The people we admire stumble too. Their past insights donât disappear, and neither do yours. Roasting can wait. Wisdom endures.
Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learningâyouâve got this.
Take care,
Carina đŠ