Expert is code for Bullshit Artist

Have you ever wished that you could take a big clown hammer to every person who’s stupid in the world. A big ridiculously huge one w/ the “bonk” sound effect and everything. Either that or a shotgun to the face… yeah, I think for this case I’m leaning more towards the shotgun to the face.

:sigh: I’ve just had my fill of stupid people. In particular anybody claiming to be an “Expert” in the field of science.

Kat’s Rules for Detecting Bullshit #3: If they are calling themselves a “Science Expert” and not a “Scientist” then they are full of shit. End of story. I don’t care what the subject is. Only those who couldn’t cut it as a real Scientist call themselves an “Expert.” It’s like the difference between a police detective and the rent-a-cop at the mall. Whose authority are you going to listen to?

Experts talk in sensational definites.
Scientists don’t.
Experts will always pick the most graphic and often apocalyptic scenario to talk about or way of explaining something.
Scientists don’t.

I wish more news organizations would talk to actual Scientists rather than Science Experts.
This anger is an old one but the rant is inspired by an incident this week on CNN. They brought on some hack who worked in a planetarium somewhere as an expert on asteroids. No, not a representative from Jet Propulsion Labs. No. He was a doof from the local planetarium calling himself an “expert.”

Not only was his information 6 months out of date on a particular NEO nicknamed Apophis but he put the most overblown, sensational, Hollywood spin on it. And I know, I go to JPL regularly. I actually KNOW that this guy’s information was inaccurate. I’M MORE UP TO DATE THAN HE IS!!! That’s just not right.

Now if you saw the segment I’m talking about you’ll say “But Kat, that was part of a comedic bit.” I say BULL SHIT. I don’t care what the circumstance is. They are a news channel. They have a responsibility to report things accurately and I don’t care that it was part of a comedy routine, the guy they brought on was speaking seriously… as an “expert” on this particular subject. Is it too much to ask that he have his damn facts correct?

He didn’t even get what Apophis meant correct (people getting ancient Egyptian facts wrong is another pet peeve of mine.) :sigh: why must people suck.

There was another “science expert” incident this week involving a theory not related to the above... I don't want to go into it here. To put it mildly, I want to break this guy’s nose very badly w/ my fist. Make him bleed. Make him cry.
The article he wrote was extremely sensationalistic.. and the paper he was citing as where he got his information from debunked his ENTIRE write up. All of it. Even the parts he got correct were so grossly exaggerated and misleading it might as well have been a fabrication. But, then you find that, hey, he has a book to sell. Well gee, no wonder he wrote it that way. You can’t sell books if you’re going to tell people the truth. Truth does not get you noticed. Big, impressive claims and apocalyptic predictions get your books sold. So what if it’s not true. At least you made a few bucks… and you get people who don’t know any better calling you an “Expert.”

:sigh:

Ok, changing the subject now.. to porn.
I started another piece for my “Joy of Sex: 2150” art book. That’s a working title but you get the idea. The “Techno-Love” piece is the first in the series. I plan on doing an entire book of these two cyborgs. At least 15-20 pieces... possibly more. Depends on how inspired I get… and creative. :evil grin: Toying with the idea of making an overarching story… but I think that might get in the way. We’ll see.

Oh, and I almost forgot, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

-Kat