Julie Dorschlag
Appearances
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
I've had a lot of uncomfortable situations, forgetting people and have been accused of being a snob or racist or, I mean, everything.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
When I was in college, you know, you're on a campus, you meet a lot of people all the time. And there were people I met for a few minutes at a party or something, a meeting, I don't know. And I'd be on campus, small campus, walking, and I'd walk past them. Didn't think anything of it. Just smile and keep going. And they were offended. I've heard over time people were offended.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
I got this little reputation of being this snobby person because I didn't greet everybody that I met or how are you doing? And I normally would if I knew them or I thought I knew them.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
I worked for an architecture firm in Philadelphia and we had to go to a meeting and I swore after going into the meeting and then coming back, going back into the meeting room, I talked to this guy as if I knew him. He happened to be African-American and I was talking to him. He's like, I'm not that man. I said, oh, I'm sorry. I could have sworn. He's like, oh, okay. So it became that.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
And it's not people of just color or different ethnicity.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
I apologize profusely, and usually the people just walk away from me. So I just stop. I just feel embarrassed. I'm just used to being embarrassed.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
He's like, oh, you waited on me in Columbus, Ohio, and X year, the guy just froze. And then he's like, oh, yeah, and I don't know how you put it together. You named the restaurant, the time, the place. And it was probably 15 years before. And he said, yeah, you're right. And so he does it a lot with servers.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
And I think people in restaurant industry travel, and he remembers them because they're servers. You see their face.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
Well, sometimes he doesn't catch me in time. I think we were at one of your friend's apartments. A guy came in and I went up and hugged him and said, oh, it's so good to see you again. And Marty's friend leaned over and said, why is Julie hugging the caterer?
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
And I thought that was funny.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
But I touched him. I hugged him. So that goes into another. You have to be careful.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
I don't approach people with as much joie de vivre. I don't touch them until I'm sure they want to be touched or that I know them. And also, I sort of create this verbal cue for them to tell me why I know them. So if I shake their hand, I'll say, oh, right, do I know you from somewhere? And they're like, If they say, I don't think so, I said, okay, you just looked a little familiar.
Hidden Brain
Do I Know You? (A Hidden Brain-Revisionist History special on facial recognition)
I'd rather err on that side than not knowing them. And if they finish the sentence, I said, yes, that's right. Good to see you again. But I don't use again until I know that they've filled in the blank.