The Creative Contrarian

Wise Fool Strategy # 6Reverse Your Perspective

“You can't see the good ideas behind you by looking twice as hard at what's in front of you.”

— Andrea Mercer, American Poet

The Wise Fool believes reversing your point of view can allow you to discover the things you typically overlook. Here are a few examples that illustrate this idea, including several of my longtime favorite stories.

In the mid-1950s, television quiz shows such as The $64,000 Question, Tic-Tac-Dough, and Twenty-One were huge ratings hits and revenue bonanzas for the networks. That is, until the “Charles Van Doren scandal” broke in 1958, and the public learned that the shows had been rigged: some contestants had been given the answers beforehand. These and other game shows were soon canceled.

A few years later, media executive (and popular talk show host) Merv Griffin was discussing with his wife, Julann, how much he missed the quiz shows. He knew, however, that their return was unlikely because their format had lost all credibility with the viewers. Julann playfully responded: “Why not give the contestants the answers to begin with and make them come up with the questions?” Why not, indeed! And then she said: “79 Wistful Vista.” And he replied: “What is Fibber McGee and Molly's address?” — a reference to the old radio comedy program they'd both grown up listening to. It was quite the reverse! From this conversation ...