We are surprised by people’s behaviour at a level of notoriety, wealth and success (Gates, Musk, Kanye, Netanyahu), yet those elements have merely combined to insulate the values and attitudes that person always possessed, and to deflect external forces.

The “surprise” is we think that we actually know someone, by dint in this age of hyper “managed media” (PR, broadcast, print and digital media) and everyone must have an opinion, when the uncomfortable truth is we really don’t know them or understand how insular they have become.

The problem is not them, it is us.

Most humans are imperfect.

We routinely overestimate our talent and judgement of character, and routinely understimate how wrong in reality we can be.