alt Hacker News>It's just as likely that she is totally lacking in self-awareness, and that she simply does not know when to shut her mouth because she has no idea how stupid she sounds.
No, because she doesn't sound "stupid" in the movie. The mountain of evidence against her is so extreme that being able to carve out any narrative in which her innocence has any plausibility requires such a calculated and well constructed plan that is shows a high level of social intelligence and self-control. Fielder literally lives with her 24/7 for weeks and her mask doesn't slip. You don't have to believe her story to recognize she's not a "stupid" person who "does not know when to shut her mouth".
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Look, I'm not trying to belittle your opinions. I just disagree with your assessment about Elizabeth Holmes' intelligence, and more generally, about the rave reviews for this so-called documentary, which in my view merits far less attention than it has received.
According to your theory, Elizabeth Holmes proves herself to be an intelligent person simply because she is able to come up with a plausible narrative. Of course, I have no doubt that she and her defense lawyers made up some narrative to justify her actions and make her appear innocent. That's what lawyers do, and she is evidently smart enough to memorize and perform the script her lawyers wrote for her. It's the same with any criminal trial: whenever a defendant pleads "not guilty," the defense team must find a plausible narrative they can use to refute the evidence. But this does not require "a calculated and well constructed plan that shows a high level of social intelligence and self-control" on the part of the defendant. All it requires is a defendant who is able to learn the narrative written by the attorneys.
And when you say that "her mask doesn't slip," that merely shows that she is a reasonably good actor. It does not mean that she is innocent or intelligent.
My point is simply this: Elizabeth Holmes is nothing more than a liar and a fraud. There's absolutely nothing about her that is different from all the other con men and fraudsters sitting in jail or prison. Based on all the rapturous reviews about this so-called documentary, maybe Holmes is indeed a talented liar and fraudster, but that hardly makes her special or different from all the other criminals convicted of similar crimes. It only means that, at most, she may be slightly more convincing than the others.
But when her speech and her behavior in the film are understood in the context of the evidence against her, it is obvious that she is lying and that she is probably not very bright. This documentary does not improve her image. It only makes her look foolish.
or she's just delusional, smart people can be delusional
You are talking about someone that spoke with a rather manipulated voice almost 24/7 for years. Of course she can act all day, every day. It's a big part of what her job was.