3 ms·

indeed. here and elsewhere in the blagosphere people have taken this opportunity to opine at length on everything from epidemiology to virology to welfare econo

indeed. here and elsewhere in the blagosphere people have taken this opportunity to opine at length on everything from epidemiology to virology to welfare economics. it's been the case for a long time that people online have had very little sense of humility about their opinions but somehow experiencing a pandemic has given them even less pause to consider what they're ignorant of.

lordnacho 6y ago
I think the Internet makes it worse, but it's not as if it was hard to find someone who was too confident in their layman's opinion in the real world. Witness any sports event. How often do your friends say "favorite will definitely win" when it's been known that they lose now and again? Same with the stock market, predictions about the house market, the weather, political events, and so on. Overconfidence is the rule, not the exception. I'm certain of it.
tehjoker 6y ago
Consider how ill informed and criminally stupid the US administration is and I would suggest that people discussing things and coming to their own conclusions, while a messy process, is at least one that might reach the correct conclusion in the face of being lied to by authority figures. EDIT: As a recent example, consider the lies we were told by the administration about the effectiveness of surgical masks in preventing spread. While this lie was told in service of keeping the supply prioritized for health care workers, it caused vulnerable people to not wear them and discouraged people from wearing home made masks that might help prevent asymptomatic spread. We have only overcome this lie through public discussion and eventual acknowledgement by the CDC.
AzzieElbab 6y ago
I wasn't thinking about the internet. I meant the "experts", you can't be an expert on the unknown.

3 ms·

indeed. here and elsewhere in the blagosphere people have taken this opportunity to opine at length on everything from epidemiology to virology to welfare econo

by throwlaplace 6y ago

lordnacho 6y ago
I think the Internet makes it worse, but it's not as if it was hard to find someone who was too confident in their layman's opinion in the real world. Witness any sports event. How often do your friends say "favorite will definitely win" when it's been known that they lose now and again? Same with the stock market, predictions about the house market, the weather, political events, and so on. Overconfidence is the rule, not the exception. I'm certain of it.
tehjoker 6y ago
Consider how ill informed and criminally stupid the US administration is and I would suggest that people discussing things and coming to their own conclusions, while a messy process, is at least one that might reach the correct conclusion in the face of being lied to by authority figures. EDIT: As a recent example, consider the lies we were told by the administration about the effectiveness of surgical masks in preventing spread. While this lie was told in service of keeping the supply prioritized for health care workers, it caused vulnerable people to not wear them and discouraged people from wearing home made masks that might help prevent asymptomatic spread. We have only overcome this lie through public discussion and eventual acknowledgement by the CDC.
AzzieElbab 6y ago
I wasn't thinking about the internet. I meant the "experts", you can't be an expert on the unknown.