Observe and report

Dear Internet Experts,

Notice that I did not say “experts on the internet.” There is a difference. Just because you have access to all sorts of information, that does not mean you are an expert on various topics.

Case in point: 45 (incoming 47) spends loads of time on his phone, could Google “tariffs” if he wanted, but does not seem to understand how they work. Fact: Other countries do not actually pay the price.

(And those who think tariffs won’t drive up costs ALSO could have done a quick Google search BEFORE the election when it would have been most helpful, not afterward.)

I read a surprising exchange on the platform formerly known as Twitter. A person actually said that having a degree in a subject doesn’t make you an expert.

Um. What?

I’ll allow that maybe it doesn’t make you THE expert, but it does make you AN expert. You certainly would be better versed in the subject than some rando.

I have a graduate certificate in explosives technology. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I would say I know more than the average person.

In the runup to the election, I had friends of Facebook friends — people who didn’t know me — trying to tell me about the “woke liberal media,” “fake news” and media ownership.

I wanted to scream, “I worked in media for 30+ years. I literally wrote the book** on media ownership. SHUT UP.”

When did people become so anti-science and anti-knowledge? When did people stop listening to people who have experience and expertise and KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT?

Can you imagine someone who has never done your job telling you they know more about it than you do? You would be outraged. And rightfully so.

So why, dearest Internet Expert, do you think it is OK to do this on social media?

Look at this exchange about COVID (which, by the way, is still around and killing people, even though we like to ignore it):

So let’s recap: A person with an advanced degree in virology is being told by these “Internet Experts” that she:

• is giving terrible advice.
• lives in a fantasy.
• is a low IQ individual.
• doesn’t know anything.

Her actual job for more than 10 years is studying viruses, but yet she doesn’t know as much as these three fools?

GTFO.

For kicks, here are their profiles:

So they seem fun.

Honestly, where do people get off?

I saw this just today:

I’m all for people having opinions, but come on: We are not equal in all areas. There is and should be a hierarchy of knowledge.

For example, I will listen to my doctor about my health over WebMD. (It’s better that way anyhow: WebMD always says I’m dying tomorrow.)

My point? Stay in your lane. I’m sure you have an expertise. We will trust you in that area. In return, please trust others who are experts in their fields.

Google is a great tool, but it is no match for a true education.

Thanks for your consideration,
Beth

*Pink Floyd seems appropriate here.

**OK, it was a book-length dissertation, but still.