Context & Perspective

[DickyC]

WinstonWolf said:

The Unbeam thread is on my watch list, it's a slow burner but a minor classic. A bit like Mortimer and Whitehouse go fishing

Too kind, too kind.

[Drihump Trolomite]

Fullook said:

I have a question.

Having had a minor fall out with a work colleague and turned to PH for comfort and solace, I found instead that the ego-centrism and sweeping generalisations that characterised most of what I read instead just irritated me more.

So I did what any rational person would do and wrote some sarcastic replies on a few threads in an attempt to prick a few pockets of pomposity and share the gift of self-awareness.

You're welcome, by the way.

Then I thought, rather than just ride on the back of other people's idiocy like some sort of parasitic tick, why don't I set myself up as the idiot?

I be the idiot.

This thread is the idiot, upon which all parasites are welcome to ride.

Oh...my question?

It's something like this - do we really think our own experience is all that? Why are there so many posts on here that take that one thing that happened to that poster yesterday as empirical evidence of a thing being a truth for everyone?

When we post this evident idiocy, is it because:

a) it just makes us feel better, we're not thinking about that deeply
b) we actually believe that that one thing that happened to us yesterday proves a thing is true for all of mankind
c) we know we are just a tiny speck in the vastness of creation and our one experiene is not representative of anything, but, godammit, it surely meant something
d) none of the above, what are you talking about

You waffle on like I do when I've taken a couple of codeine tablets and beer.

[james_TW]

Bobberoo99 said:

To fully answer your pertinent questions first you must look deeper into yourself for a prolonged period of time, this is called self perspective referencing, once you have achieved a sufficient level of self perspective reference you may wish to study others and their interaction with the people around them, you may come to notice some traits which appear to have become prevalent in today's society, namely self absorption, self promotion above all others, self indulgence, the inability to perform the most basic of tasks without a mobile phone in your hand, spacial awareness being non-existent, the inability to park in a designated bay "because too important", the inability to use lanes on a round about, needing to have the latest tech and gadgets because you can't possibly not have it, living your entire life on social media and then feeling inadequate when people openly ridicule you, and finally the acceptance that the truth is, nobody likes you, you smell funny and your mum dresses you strange!!!

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!

[Bobberoo99]

james_TW said:

Bobberoo99 said:

To fully answer your pertinent questions first you must look deeper into yourself for a prolonged period of time, this is called self perspective referencing, once you have achieved a sufficient level of self perspective reference you may wish to study others and their interaction with the people around them, you may come to notice some traits which appear to have become prevalent in today's society, namely self absorption, self promotion above all others, self indulgence, the inability to perform the most basic of tasks without a mobile phone in your hand, spacial awareness being non-existent, the inability to park in a designated bay "because too important", the inability to use lanes on a round about, needing to have the latest tech and gadgets because you can't possibly not have it, living your entire life on social media and then feeling inadequate when people openly ridicule you, and finally the acceptance that the truth is, nobody likes you, you smell funny and your mum dresses you strange!!!

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!

Why thank you kind sir!!
Makes a change from, "You were so ugly as a baby your mother fed you with a catapult!"

[Monkeylegend]

StevieBee said:

Earlier this year, a poster asked a question and some advice about something I have a degree of professional experience on. I provided a reply with the advice he was after and a few helpful links. In essence, one of the the things this forum can at times be brilliant for.

Yet, despite the benign nature of my reply, the context clearly didn't fit the agenda of several others that sparked off the most ludicrous tirade of argument I've ever witnessed. At first, it was confusing but ended up being funny - but for the wrong reasons. I say 'argument'. Argument suggests the robust discussion of opposing views but this was more playground in nature. This is a regular occurrence....

I've seen posts written by Dentists and Doctors in Health completely laid into by welders and IT bods and the advice of Legal professionals criticised by factory workers.

For some very strange reason, 'experts' are today viewed with ambivalent derision throughout all of society and that includes the hallowed halls of Pistonheads. I'm really not sure why that is but is a dangerous situation and possibly a reason why the country is in the state it is currently in.

Expert..................... a small drip who is past it as an old work colleague used to say.

[StevieBee]

TorqueDirty said:

StevieBee said:

Earlier this year, a poster asked a question and some advice about something I have a degree of professional experience on. I provided a reply with the advice he was after and a few helpful links. In essence, one of the the things this forum can at times be brilliant for.

Yet, despite the benign nature of my reply, the context clearly didn't fit the agenda of several others that sparked off the most ludicrous tirade of argument I've ever witnessed. At first, it was confusing but ended up being funny - but for the wrong reasons. I say 'argument'. Argument suggests the robust discussion of opposing views but this was more playground in nature. This is a regular occurrence....

I've seen posts written by Dentists and Doctors in Health completely laid into by welders and IT bods and the advice of Legal professionals criticised by factory workers.

For some very strange reason, 'experts' are today viewed with ambivalent derision throughout all of society and that includes the hallowed halls of Pistonheads. I'm really not sure why that is but is a dangerous situation and possibly a reason why the country is in the state it is currently in.

It is because of this:-





Most people spend the majority of their lives in "Peak of Mr Stupid". Those that transition to the far right of the graph have learned not to bother wasting their time trying to educate those on the left - certainly on Pistonheads. It is pointless because - linking to the OPs question - unless it has happened to them then it is not true.

What makes it worse is that society, the economy and to a greater degree the workplace all now seems to operate largely in the "Peak of Mr Stupid" so there is little incentive to move to the right, so to speak.

When dumb wkers can become millionaires by being influencers on Youtube why bother actually learning anything?

I have spent most of my career helping technology start ups become successful - the Bio Medical field, not dating app type tech start ups.

Increasingly I am seeing young inexperienced company founders rise big investments for utterly ludicrous ideas, because neither they nor the investors realise just how hard it is going to be. Equally I see real experts, who are honest about the challenges ahead, fail to raise money because they present a realistic plan and highlight the risks. So increasingly you are better off living in ignorance it seems.

Having said all of that, it is a lot more fun pissing about on the left hand side of the graph.

TD

Really interesting and succinctly explains a lot!

The comparative lack of replies to this post might suggest that graph is acting somewhat like a mirror to some.

[StevieBee]

Monkeylegend said:

Expert..................... a small drip who is past it as an old work colleague used to say.

Your old work colleague is not alone. And there lies the problem. The more society ignores the acquired experience and accumulated wisdom amongst those with the capacity to articulate and impart that expertise on the here and now, the more regressive society becomes.

See current state of politics for further information.

[irocfan]

WinstonWolf said:

The Unbeam thread is on my watch list, it's a slow burner but a minor classic.

TBH I'm another fan - much to my wife's chagrin when I advise her "...we're making a small detour..." and end up at an ex-petrol station

[Monkeylegend]

StevieBee said:

Monkeylegend said:

Expert..................... a small drip who is past it as an old work colleague used to say.

Your old work colleague is not alone. And there lies the problem. The more society ignores the acquired experience and accumulated wisdom amongst those with the capacity to articulate and impart that expertise on the here and now, the more regressive society becomes.

See current state of politics for further information.

Also though when somebody says they have 20 years experience it often means they have one years experience repeated 20 times.

[WinstonWolf]

irocfan said:

WinstonWolf said:

The Unbeam thread is on my watch list, it's a slow burner but a minor classic.

TBH I'm another fan - much to my wife's chagrin when I advise her "...we're making a small detour..." and end up at an ex-petrol station

She's probably posting on Mumsnet about it right now

[StevieBee]

Monkeylegend said:

StevieBee said:

Monkeylegend said:

Expert..................... a small drip who is past it as an old work colleague used to say.

Your old work colleague is not alone. And there lies the problem. The more society ignores the acquired experience and accumulated wisdom amongst those with the capacity to articulate and impart that expertise on the here and now, the more regressive society becomes.

See current state of politics for further information.

Also though when somebody says they have 20 years experience it often means they have one years experience repeated 20 times.

Well, yes. That's the definition of experience; repeated exposure to the same basic thing.Thus, offering an opportunity to experience all that pertains to a particular task (or tasks) beyond those that have done it for less (or never) and thus able to pass on that wealth of experience.

If you need help or advice, would you rather take the opinion and input from someone who had done that thing for 20 years or from someone who's been doing it for 2?

Experience doesn't necessarily make someone an expert but an Expert will always have experience.

[Fullook]

TorqueDirty said:

It is because of this:-





Most people spend the majority of their lives in "Peak of Mr Stupid". Those that transition to the far right of the graph have learned not to bother wasting their time trying to educate those on the left - certainly on Pistonheads. It is pointless because - linking to the OPs question - unless it has happened to them then it is not true.

I like this.

I especially like your (deliberate?) typo where the "Peak of Mt. Stupid" in the graph has evolved to become the "Peak of Mr. Stupid" in your post. Your version is funnier.

Does irritation experienced on the left hand side of the graph become the "Pique of Mr. Stupid"?

[geeks]

[Fullook]

Drihump Trolomite said:

You waffle on like I do when I've taken a couple of codeine tablets and beer.

They go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong

[irocfan]

WinstonWolf said:

irocfan said:

WinstonWolf said:

The Unbeam thread is on my watch list, it's a slow burner but a minor classic.

TBH I'm another fan - much to my wife's chagrin when I advise her "...we're making a small detour..." and end up at an ex-petrol station

She's probably posting on Mumsnet about it right now

I did wonder why I keep seeing messages of DTB