Former CNN anchor Aaron Brown continues to cement his image as someone not emotionally compatible with the demands of anchoring a live television news broadcast. In an interview with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Neal Justin, the tanned and freshly-LASIK-ed Brown talks about the battle for domination between The Two Aarons:
Q Why the eye surgery?
A I just got tired of wearing glasses, and, all of a sudden, I had the time and the freedom to do it. Peter [Jennings] used to say, "You look stupid without glasses." OK, so maybe it's not a great career move, but the TV Aaron wore glasses, and, maybe, at some level, the TV Aaron was in conflict with the other Aaron.
Q What do you mean?
A The TV Aaron was public and I'm very shy. My wife and I would go to a party and we'd have to take separate cars because there would always be a point where I'd get really anxious and have to leave early. I need to feel really comfortable with people. But I could put on the uniform and do the job of a reporter.
This is worth dwelling on because Aaron has just provided a great litmus test for journo-vocational ability. If you have to take separate cars to a place where you will be forced to interact with strangers, because there is a high probability you will freak out and need to flee because you are not "comfortable with people," then a job that is 99% interacting with strangers--ie, the audience and the people making news--is not for you.
He looks great without the glasses, though.
