Expert Layman Syndrome
We've all had episodes of this particular affliction (if one can call it that) from time to time. I too have had it. Chances are you have experienced it from someone in many different ways over the years.
How does it work? Take your favorite football tournament where your favorite team is playing. Imagine nothing is going right for your team. You, sitting, thousands of miles away, know exactly the problem. The coach should have done this or that, you tell your friend with increasing frustration. You plan out team tactics and strategies that the coach should be employing. Now pause for a while. You have just had an episode of Expert Layman Syndrome.
This is something that happens to everyone at some point. We become an expert for the briefest of moments in a field of profession that is as familiar to us as nuclear physics is to a 4 year old. You may say strategic football management is not exactly nuclear physics. If that were the case teams would not enlist the expertise of those coaches at the cost of millions. They'd be happy with you doing that for a fraction of the cost. But it does not work that way.
There are pundits of, say, football who form opinions and offer critical analysis. But there too, sitting with other pundits, is not you, is it? Many other such areas of specialization remain that make the idea of the opinion of the expert laymen (not that it matters at any level) seem outright ludicrous.
Take for instance, medicine. Several times I've heard critical analysis of doctors and their procedures from people with expertise in equally intellectually-demanding fields as desk-clerks, taxi drivers and receptionists. The doctor should have done this or that, they say. For them, as it is for many of us, the moment of the expert layman syndrome is something special. Momentarily we are transformed from our current position in the hierarchy of experts to a different position - not necessarily a higher or lower position. If the doctor has expert advice on how a taxi should be operated and is forming opinions about the business dynamics of taxiing then he too is having an episode of the expert layman syndrome (ELS).
This is all fairly harmless stuff, you say. And I have to agree to some level. But there is a very apparent danger in this. The danger is when the society as a whole is suffering from ELS. When that happens we find it difficult to distinguish between the real experts, those who have spent many years in the study of a particular area, and those that are constantly having ELS attacks. Here the problem is exacerbated by the introduction of envy between those suffering from ELS.
Here's how that works. You hear your friend, who's an average paper-pusher in the public sector, comment about some obscure section of the vast sphere of socio-economics of this country and you think: Hmmm, why didn't I think of that first? And so you try to better your friend's efforts. I think this mentality has been so imbued into our psyche that we react in the same style even when real experts express calculated, experience-based and learned opinions.
Now apply this to those few that are privileged with the power of administering this country for us. Most ministers, you feel, are constantly suffering from both the greater form of this envy and ELS combined. Remember when honorable Kamaldeen said, regarding gang violence, that it can only be stopped when they (the gangs) stop it? That's right. He was having a terrible ELS attack right then.
We can only imagine how many real experts from such institutions and establishments as the World Bank and IMF and the UNDP (etc) have given their expert advice on adjusting and transforming our economy, society, quality of life and the country? Remember the Vision 20-20 plan? Everything is big and beneficial to everyone on paper and then some idiot having an especially devastating attack of ELS goes and spends millions of dollars building a jetty for an island inhabited by 12 and a half people.
By the way, if you've missed it, I just had an episode, right there.
Comments
B. Dharavandhoo is soon to have an Island Office 5000square feet with 15 air-conditioners. Island population is under 600 people and island generator does not have capacity said an electrical engineer (electricity expert).
Posted by: ismail | June 25, 2008 9:44 AM
they are called opinions. everyone is entitled to it. we live in a free society, don't we? and we all have opinions about how our lives and our surroundings (immediate and beyond) should be. personally, i think the sun could have been made a less brighter and the earth should have less natural calamities built into its design. humans should have been created with less evil and more wholesome goodness and sugar and spice and all things nice. *sigh* :(
Posted by: M | June 25, 2008 10:00 AM
nice piece of writing - as always :)
and i agree, ELS can be widely seen in maldives.
maybe in other parts of the world too, but it can not be as prevalent in any other place as it is in our beloved maldives.
Posted by: minr | June 25, 2008 11:23 AM
SimYon,
Like you said at the end, you just had an episode.
Now, go back and read ALL your previous posts. See if you can notice anything different this time.
The rest,
All the others who commented above, and all the other future commenters, go back and read your respective blog posts too.
Myself,
Go read your own posts too.
PS. Thank you for explaining "Expert Layman Syndrome". Where would the world be without you!
Posted by: goodness, gracious | June 25, 2008 12:15 PM
Nice article, keep it up
Posted by: James | June 25, 2008 12:59 PM
Great, thought provoking article as always....
So ELS ain't such a bad thing after all, is it? I knew you were having an episode from the second sentence itself.
Everything should be subject to public scrutiny, i.e. LAYMAN scrutiny. We simply cannot let these "experts" do whatever they want with our money, resources or with our football team. It is the lack of such layman criticism and involvement that has lead us to our current situation, with the "experts" pretending to know what's best for us, rather doing everything for their advantage.
I am only surprised that you even began to think that IMF or the World Bank give expert advice to benefit us. Rather they devise and implement aggressive "developmental" projects designed to enslave developing nations and control their resources, and increase our dependency on them. I intend to cover the details in my new blog.
Posted by: Republic of Amnesia | June 25, 2008 2:51 PM
"Rather they devise and implement aggressive "developmental" projects designed to enslave developing nations" this is what life is all about, survival of the fittest.
Posted by: Suhail | June 27, 2008 10:16 PM
Basically, Might makes Right eh. I doubt,though, that the son of God would approve of this law of the jungle.
Posted by: Hitler | June 28, 2008 3:50 PM
lol whats wrong with bieng a pretend knowitall
Posted by: abbasfromcrackmv.com | June 29, 2008 12:53 AM
did somebody just say that we live in a "free society"?(comment#2)
just out of curiousity, where are you living?
Posted by: used toothpick | June 30, 2008 10:47 PM
obviously not here.
i agree with goodness gracious. my blog's full of such episodes. so's this. so's most of the blogs i know. thats what we maldivians prolly do best, after all- being roanu edhurun.
Posted by: fruityloopsy | July 1, 2008 12:50 PM
well we don't have to make everything a syndrome or disorder do we?? its just a personal opinion, and since its your own personal opinion, you ARE the expert on it. Any way thats MY EXPERT opinion on personal opinions...
btw nice article
Posted by: Athena | July 2, 2008 6:47 AM
"But. But, it didn't happen, and one of the reasons. One of the reasons is because we were using that soft language. That language that takes the life out of life. And it is a function of time. It does keep getting worse. I'll give you another example. Sometime during my life. Sometime during my life, toilet paper became bathroom tissue. I wasn't notified of this. No one asked me if I agreed with it. It just happened. Toilet paper became bathroom tissue. Sneakers became running shoes. False teeth became dental appliances. Medicine became medication. Information became directory assistance. The dump became the landfill. Car crashes became automobile accidents. Partly cloudy bacame partly sunny. Motels became motor lodges. House trailers became mobile homes. Used cars became previously owned transportation. Room service became guest-room dining. And constipation became occasional irregularity. When I was a little kid, if I got sick they wanted me to go to the hospital and see a doctor. Now they want me to go to a health maintenance organization...or a wellness center to consult a healthcare delivery professional. Poor people used to live in slums. Now the economically disadvantaged occupy substandard housing in the inner cities. And they're broke! They're broke! They don't have a negative cash-flow position. They're fucking broke! Cause a lot of them were fired. You know, fired. management wanted to curtail redundancies in the human resources area, so many people are no longer viable members of the workforce.
Smug, greedy, well-fed white people have invented a language to conceal their sins. It's as simple as that. The CIA doesn't kill anybody anymore, they neutralize people...or they depopulate the area. The government doesn't lie, it engages in disinformation. The pentagon actually measures nuclear radiation in something they call sunshine units. Israeli murderers are called commandos. Arab commandos are called terrorists. Contra killers are called freedom fighters. Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part of it to us, do they? Never mention that part of it.
And...and some of this stuff is just silly, we all know that, like on the airlines, they say want to pre- board. Well, what the hell is pre-board, what does that mean? To get on before you get on? They say they're going to pre-board those passengers in need of special assistance. Cripples! Simple honest direct language. There is no shame attached to the word cripple that I can find in any dictionary. No shame attached to it, in fact it's a word used in bible translations. Jesus healed the cripples. Doesn't take seven words to describe that condition. But we don't have any cripples in this country anymore. We have The physically challenged. Is that a grotesque enough evasion for you? How about differently abled. I've heard them called that. Differently abled! You can't even call these people handicapped anymore. They'll say, "Were not handicapped. Were handicapable!" These poor people have been bullshitted by the system into believing that if you change the name of the condition, somehow you'll change the condition. Well, hey cousin, ppsssspptttttt. Doesn't happen. Doesn't happen.
We have no more deaf people in this country, hearing impaired. No ones blind anymore, partially sighted or visually impaired. We have no more stupid people. Everyone has a learning disorder...or he's minimally exceptional. How would you like to be told that about your child? "He's minimally exceptional." "Oohh, thank god for that." Psychologists actually have started calling ugly people, those with severe appearance deficits. It's getting so bad, that any day now I expect to hear a rape victim referred to as an unwilling sperm recipient.
And we have no more old people in this country. No more old people. We shipped them all away, and we brought in these senior citizens. Isn't that a typically American twentieth century phrase? Bloodless, lifeless, no pulse in one of them. A senior citizen. But I've accepted that one, I've come to terms with it. I know it's to stay. We'll never get rid of it. That's what they're going to be called, so I'll relax on that, but the one I do resist. The one I keep resisting is when they look at an old guy and they'll say, "Look at him Dan! He's ninety years young." Imagine the fear of aging that reveals. To not even be able to use the word "old" to describe somebody. To have to use an antonym. And fear of aging is natural. It's universal. Isn't it? We all have that. No one wants to get old. No one wants to die, but we do! So we bullshit ourselves. I started bullshitting myself when I got to my forties. As soon as I got into my forties I'd look in the mirror and I'd say, "well, I...I guess I'm getting...older." Older sounds a little better than old doesn't it? Sounds like it might even last a little longer. Bullshit, I'm getting old! And it's okay, because thanks to our fear of death in this country, I won't have to die...I'll pass away. Or I'll expire like a magazine subscription. If it happens in the hospital, they'll call it a terminal episode. The insurance company will refer to it as negative patient-care outcome. And if it's the result of malpractice, they'll say it was a therapeutic misadventure. I'm telling you, some of this language makes me want to vomit. Well, maybe not vomit. Makes me want to engage in an involuntary personal protein spill."
Posted by: Lol | July 16, 2008 11:22 AM
cummon update this site...
Posted by: lolly | July 17, 2008 9:42 AM
an interior designer suggested a few things for the new apartment. but i ignored some of them cos they just didnt feel right to me. yes, he's more aware of the technicalities of it but afterall i'd be living there & not him. one might call it ELS but i guess everyone has an opinion about something that concerns them at some level, while deep down we all believe the experts know (or atleast should know) better.
Posted by: shaari | July 24, 2008 3:04 AM