Oh yeah? How the hell do you know?
Tamara wrote an amusing yet profound little vignette of an example of why she's found herself withdrawing from many public firearm fora as of late, due to the the unfortunate nexus of the Information Age and the Age Of The Common Man.
Dad responds in agreement, and elaborates quite well.
In the field of firearms, I note some common threads:
1. Seems like everyone loves and recommends the gun that they own or owned or have been issued, and have had satisfactory experience with.
2. Just about everyone who has extensive experience with given firearm will assign its qualities to every other specimen of the type.
3. Generally, people will mistake being an expert with a single specific type of weapon (and most likely, a single specimen thereof) with being an expert in that entire genre. I.E.: "I know all about the Glock 31, which makes me an expert in duty pistols."
I'm quite certain that such foolishness is found in other fields of study, but it seems most pronounced in the study of guns, which gets people all caught up in mysticism and pride issues.
When you find a genuine possessor of knowledge on a topic, take the time to verify it, and then rejoice and be sure to do others a favor by identifying that person properly. If more experts were allowed to speak to the subject of their expertise, and more people would shut up and listen, this world would be a better place, wouldn't it?
I've got a lot yet to learn from Dad and Tamara, both. Among others.
Labels: false pride, guns, Other blogs, science, writing
posted by Matt G @ 1:30 AM
10 Comments:
If you think the behavior is pronounced on gun matters, you should try cameras, photo printers, woodworking equipment, cars, and motorcycles.
Those are my interests and my highly unscientific sampling of similar boards for many years leads my to conclude it is likely a basic human behavior (i.e. my tribe is the only true tribe and is definitely better than yours).
What fastbike said.
Dodge, Chevy or Ford?
Harley or Rice Burner?
Mac or Windows?
The list is endless. The world is full of "experts" who are full of nothing but themselves and BS.
The one thing that continuing my education has taught me unequivocally is how much I still have yet to learn.
There are plenty of people in the world who have never really figured that one out.
Oh yeah, you find such behavior in almost any human endeavor.
In the martial arts, a quick trip to the mats generally sorts wheat from the chaff.
"But it's too potentially lethal to practice..."
OK, lets start with basic anatomy. Let's talk to some emergency room personal, consult Gray's - the book, not TV series...
Then there was the very young military guy claiming an expertise in "close quarters combat." Looked WAY too young, and upon questioning, his "expertise" came from Play Station.
To quote the Bard, "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
The best anything is whatever I happen to own and enjoy.
Anyone who thinks different is a hopeless n00b.
I've noticed much the same, Fastbike. Of the examles you mention, I've been quite satisfied with various cameras, cars, and only a few photo printers. NO significant experience with woodworking or motorcycles.
In the shooting sports, however, I have some definite opinions. With a good deal of background, I strongly prefer Colt's autopistols, S&W revolvers, Remington sporting rifles and shotguns. These are the ones which suit me best, and which I seek out. I do like examples of other brands, though.
Very seldom will I ever say that a particular brand of ANYTHING is garbage. If you like it, fine, use it. If you ask my personal opinion on a certain item, I'll give my objective opinion.
JPG
Also count in dogs. Breed, training methods, equipment... it produces the same syndromes.
Ironically, the only dog forum I've ever been on that did NOT suffer from constant internecine warfare doesn't because... it's led by a famous professional trainer who finds the syndrome distasteful and would actively crack down on anyone saying their method was the only one that worked, up to and including her OWN methods.
Heh- It's everywhere Matt... Pick ANY thing, as fastbike alludes to. I won't even get into the stuff I see with the PHDs who actually ARE experts (at least in very narrow, specialized fields) LOL The way I look at it, if nothing else I will learn some negatives, or questions to ask :-)
I like Colts, Smiths, I have had nice experiences with the FEG hi-powers, both single and double action. BUT this last year, I've shot more than the preceding 15 or so. So I claim no expertise. When I can take out a 3 pound coffee can full of ammo out to the range, every week, for three weeks running, then I'll maybe claim some experience.
I don't shoot, but there are plenty of things where I have been told, by a supposed expert, "You can't do that."
The expert is supposed to be the one capable of doing the impossible with limited material, not the one claiming that things just can't be done.
Fortunately, the line "Prove it," is effective and discriminates against fools. :-)
I meant three years running in my previous comment.
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