| Time | Text |
|---|---|
|
Pulling Strings Behind Me
00:03:11
|
|
| Why would I look like a clown? | |
| I'm sorry. | |
| People don't care if they look like clowns. | |
| I mean, that is so anathema to me. | |
| I can't even tell you. | |
| I would not be able to sleep. | |
| They go, put up a picture, put up a video of a drag queen twerking in front of a child and then do the whole, oh my god. | |
| I'm not gonna do that. | |
| I'm gonna look like a stupid person if I do, and that doesn't mean you can't react to a video, but do the whole, you know, expression and the whole outrage. | |
| I would feel like I am a puppeteer. | |
| And someone is, like, pulling the strings behind me and I have this theatrical reaction. | |
| It's stupid. | |
| Also, I really endeavor in my role in public life, I want to elevate my own intellect and character and other people's intellect and character. | |
| And doing these stupid reaction videos where we're, you know, expressing outrage, I don't think that achieves that. | |
| And also, you know, there are people who say... | |
| That, you know, they advise me. | |
| They go, oh, you should just do more your comments on something. | |
| You know, post two times a day your reaction to a news story. | |
| You know what my response is? | |
| What if I don't have a reaction? | |
| Or what if what I have to say isn't contributing anything? | |
| I'm not just going to post, you know, let's say... | |
| Trump, something happens with Trump. | |
| I'm not just going to post and give some stupid comment that everybody else is giving just to get my face in front of people. | |
| And you know what? | |
| I acknowledge it's probably harmed me. | |
| But it goes back to that dignity issue. | |
| I want people to associate me with someone who is serious, who is thoughtful, and when I open my mouth, it's because I actually have something good to say. | |
| I know it. | |
| I knew it and I assumed it. | |
| Did I ever tell you about my anti-cheating campaign in high school? | |
| Yeah, you have. | |
| And I was on the Honor Council at Harvard and at my high school, too. | |
| I believe that. | |
| So interesting, by the way. | |
| Boy, forgive me. | |
| I wish I could talk about... | |
| I wish you could. | |
| I wish I could talk about the stuff that people would pull. | |
| You can't? | |
| No. | |
| Even without names? | |
| That's a good question. | |
| Yeah, I don't know why not. | |
| So did I ever tell you... | |
| I don't think I did. | |
| But I don't even think I've ever mentioned this in public. | |
| Not that I've hidden it, but again, it doesn't come out unless you're in a dialogue. | |
| So I started an anti-cheating on test campaign in high school. | |
| By the way, it had a very big impact on me. | |
| You know how? | |
| Why? | |
| This I've never told you either. | |
| I was elected the president of the graduating class. | |
| So there were four classes. | |
| The four classes. | |
| They vote together for the president of the whole graduating class. | |
| I was elected. | |
| And I remember thinking, that's really interesting. | |
| They did not resent me for my anti-achieving campaign. | |
| And that's when I realized something very important about myself. | |