EMBL Forum Science and Society Seminar: Fabrizio Benedetti - The placebo effect
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What will we do when there's nothing for us to do that a machine can't do better, cheaper and faster?
I was placed on a stool in front of the two men. I was eleven years old. Very quickly the neighbour said the clothes were spoiling the beauty of me. He asked me to remove my clothes. I looked at my grandpa and did as I was told. Soon after I was on the stool, naked, and crying. I don’t know how long this went on but at some point my father arrived home. He quickly reviewed the scene, saw the man from the property, and…went ..nuts. He just lost it on them: raising his voice. Getting in people’s faces. I honestly thought he might kill them both.
Within a couple of hours my grandfather was gone and they never – ever – spoke again. Although in some circles it was common knowledge, the man from the property was a famous British science fiction novelist. Apparently he had been banished to (then) Ceylon from postwar Britain rather than face prison for being a pederast. I think about that day sometimes. My father didn’t have a temper and rarely ever even raised his voice but the man he became in that moment while essentially unrecognizable. While we’ve had our ups and downs from that moment forward I never questioned his love for me again. Ever. I knew he’d kill for me. I learned how important it is to protect your family and those more vulnerable than you.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/we-asked-people-what-childhood-moment-shaped-them-the-most/