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guest_
· 4 years ago
· FIRST
It’s a serious problem- but it isn’t completely fair to follow the common line that people on the whole are idiots for this. Events of the late 20th century shook the faith people have in institutional based on trust. The knowledge that governments and doctors and scientists were often lying, covering up or misrepresenting facts- that expert opinions were easily subject to being bought or being manipulated to suit personal or political agendas disenfranchised people. Gen X, who was known for a general apathy or nihilism- was the generation that was first to be born into a proto version of our modern state of information and media manipulation AND had access to information to widely know and accept they were being lied to.
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guest_
· 4 years ago
As we have also made the requirements to be an expert less- while increasing the information and knowledge available to the average mean- the gap between supposed subject matter experts and the lay person has reduced- where at one point the average person couldn’t even read; now the average person can create thinking machines in their home and even- with the right materials- their own nuclear power plant. There is still a gap in overall knowledge but it’s much thinner- and the fact people can use the knowledge of others to replicate results that traditionally only an expert could achieve- tends to make us feel more capable than we might be at a subject.
guest_
· 4 years ago
So all in all- it’s a shame that misinformation and “peer sourcing” is such a common source of information for lay folks- it’s a shame people who are obviously interested in a subject don’t do the research and studying to form an educated opinion if they doubt the experts. I think it’s important to note however that experts and the media helped create a climate where people don’t know who to trust- so trust in themselves or have more confidence in quacks than educated and verified experts.
jd1984
· 4 years ago
And now we have a little high school drop out who's thinks it's too hot outside.
