All those blowhards on TV who offer predictions and supposedly informed analysis do know one thing: they seldom get held to their own words. Like weather forecasters, pundits can take refuge in the idea that almost nobody either remembers what they promised would occur or will take the trouble to check the record. [I know I count on it]
One reason is our craving for entertainment. Shoot-from-the-lip commentators are simply more interesting to most of the public than sober, balanced and much more accurate experts. Compare Darrell Good (more coffee,please) to Sue Martin (beans in the 'teens?).
Imagine your job as a media executive depends on expanding your viewing audience. Whom would you pick: an expert who balances conflicting arguments and concludes that the likeliest outcome is more of the same, or an expert who gets viewers on the edge of their seats over radical Islamists seizing control and causing oil prices to soar?
Feel free to bring up my wildly inaccurate past utterances. Quite honestly, I don't remember what I said most of the time.
Hey - you'll be middle-aged too someday!
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