When I joined Google in late 2005, I had the idea of asking every famous visitor the same question, and someday editing them all together into a video on that subject. It had to be a question where they did NOT have a pat answer all focus-group-tested and ready, not a hot button or culture war question, and yet demand some real thought.
The question was "It's often said that the U.S. won the Cold War. Do you agree or disagree, and why?"
I asked it of Michael Kinsley, Strobe Talbott, and Bernard Henri-Lévy. You'll have to watch the YouTube videos to find it. I remember Kinsley immediately got all political and said that Reagan didn't deserve the credit.
For some reason, I stopped. I don't know why. It would have been fun to ask Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift, for instance.
Eventually, the guests would have gotten wise to it and had an answer ready.
A question like that is either a joke, or an effort to establish dominance.
I think the correct response would be, "Why are you asking me a question to which you presumably already have an answer, or at least an opinion on? Why don't you just share your views on this with the audience?"
I still think about what a ridiculous question that is to ask a politician. Programming as a new form of literacy was a much bigger idea then, i suppose.
The question was "It's often said that the U.S. won the Cold War. Do you agree or disagree, and why?"
I asked it of Michael Kinsley, Strobe Talbott, and Bernard Henri-Lévy. You'll have to watch the YouTube videos to find it. I remember Kinsley immediately got all political and said that Reagan didn't deserve the credit.
For some reason, I stopped. I don't know why. It would have been fun to ask Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift, for instance.
Eventually, the guests would have gotten wise to it and had an answer ready.