Georgian Prime Minister Criticizes Protesters in Open Letter, Cites Dunning-Kruger Effect
On May 10, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze wrote a lengthy open letter on Facebook to what he described as "sincere" but "misled" youth.
He contrasted the protesters against the Foreign Agents Law, who he claimed were predominantly supporters of the United National Movement (UNM) and numbered "around 10,000," with supporters of the Georgian Dream (GD) party, whom he portrayed as having a "higher IQ" and coming from a broader cross-section of society.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze elaborated on what he sees as a significant threat to the state - the prevalence of individuals of average intelligence. He referred to the Dunning-Kruger effect to assert that such individuals often exhibit high levels of self-confidence without sufficient knowledge or intelligence. He argued that those who haven't read the controversial law but have been informed by others that it is "Russian" are likely to have strong, if uninformed, opinions against it. "This level of self-confidence, combined with a lack of information, is a greater danger than a Russian tank," he claimed.
The prime minister criticized the youth protest movements as "violent" and implicated opposition figures such as Lelo leader Mamuka Khazaradze and TV Formula founder Davit Kezerashvili, as well as foreign donors, accusing them of funding these movements with "black and non-transparent money."
Kobakhidze presented a choice between following this "sincere youth of average intelligence" and his colleagues, or aligning with other Georgian citizens who, in his view, have more astutely analyzed the events of the past three years and resisted "artificially created provocations," thereby preserving the strength of the state.
The Prime Minister concluded his message by urging the youth to recognize the importance of moving towards Europe "with dignity". He predicted that Georgia would join the EU by 2030 as an "independent and sovereign state," maintaining its dignity.