The Art of Recognition

By: Jack Norcross

From meeting with Wolf Blitzer in the lobby to running into Joe Biden on the streets of Des Moines, our access to members of the media and politicians has been incredible while here in Iowa. During the process, my recognition skills have come in handy. 

A few years ago I, being the news junkie I am, was watching a story on 60 Minutes from Lesley Stahl about face recognition. While some have find difficulty in identifying faces, after watching the report my dad concluded my mom and I were super recognizers. This means we have the ability of only meeting or seeing someone a few times and can remember their face. My mom and I may not have the ability to remember every single face we have ever encountered, but we certainly have stronger than average recognition abilities. 

While in Iowa, this skill has come in handy. Several times I have parked myself in the lobby and played “spotting.” One thing I’ve debated a large part of my life is when it is ok to know someone and when it is creepy. I often struggle with this line drawn in the sand for both people I’ve met in person and people I’ve seen on television. 

An example of this is seeing Jonathan Allen in the lobby of our hotel. To most of you I assume that name means nothing, but I’ve seen him on TV a few times and I know he wrote the book “Shattered” about Hillary Clinton’s failed bid for the presidency in 2016. This isn’t some big time anchor or famous correspondent, instead Allen is a digital reporter for NBC News.  

However, my “skill” has also come in handy. I was able to meet numerous on-air personalities while here in Iowa including Rachel Scott from ABC, Gloria Borger and David Axelrod from CNN and countless embeds who are here covering the presidential candidates.

I often struggle to balance the helpfulness and creepiness of my recognition skills. Nevertheless, I am fortunate to have this skill and hope it stays with me for years to come.