People are mixed blessings....as the old Quaker said: "Everyone's crazy but me and Thee, and sometimes I think THOU art a little queer."

How to "earn"? I look for those who CAN step out of their eccentric pose and be dead serious when necessary. I know a few of those.

I can affirm though, that even semi-'protected' ones do not get unlimited freedom. There are lines, even if the lines look squiggly and gray at times.