 |
| Why is on the back of his guitar, though? |
For those of you unfamiliar with Tom "Meat Swinger" Morello (that was his nickname during his brief tenure as a male stripper) (no, we are not joking), he was/is the guitarist for Rage Against the Machine, and he is an absolute beast. While he was earning that honors poli-sci degree from Harvard, he was also practicing the guitar for 8 hours a day, inventing new ways to make sound come out of the thing. Between his wah-wah pedal and Zach de la Rocha's amazing vocals, Rage became one of the most unique musical acts to come out of the 90s. Even if you don't 100% agree with their politics (and we don't), nothing makes you more ready to start a mass revolt than RatM.
What does this have to do with the stated topic of our blog? Well, easy. This is a picture with some stupid in it. First of all, OP davez67 is apparently wholly unfamiliar with the entire output of Rage Against the Machine, probably the most goddamn political band in the history of ever. Second, he is most definitely unfamiliar with Meat Swinger Morello and his credentials in the subject in question.
What does this have to do with the stated topic of our blog? Well, easy. This is a picture with some stupid in it. First of all, OP davez67 is apparently wholly unfamiliar with the entire output of Rage Against the Machine, probably the most goddamn political band in the history of ever. Second, he is most definitely unfamiliar with Meat Swinger Morello and his credentials in the subject in question.
Now, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that doesn't mean that all opinions are equal, and some celebrities definitely have stupid-ass opinions in areas where they have zero expertise (Gwyneth Paltrow). But these are usually highly technical areas.
As Mr. Swinger rightly points out, though, there's a lot of bad shit going on in Trumpland that you don't have to be an expert to recognize. Massive conflicts of interest? Pathological use of untruth? Orwellian Newspeak at the CDC? And that's just a few.
We don't have poli-sci degrees, honors or otherwise, and we can tell that it's bad to tell the CDC it can't use the words "science-based" or "evidence-based." Bad and wrong and fucking stupid.
But, as T.M.S. Morello points out, he has one of these anyway. So screw you, davez67, for assuming a massive untruth about a musician, simply because he is a musician.
Now here's where some more stupid enters the fray. See, some people learn a little bit about basic logic--fallacies and whatnot--and think that they know a lot. So they start tossing around things that sound correct to them (and others with equal or lesser understanding than them), but are actually, well, not. And a couple of Smart Guys™ in the comments decided to do just that. "Look how smart I think I am!"
User "PrinceOfSpace" comments
Except the claim was never about his opinions per se. It was always and only about his credentials. Davez67 assumed, and claimed, that Tom (we've run out of ways to refer to "Meat Swinger") had no credentials, no authority, no bona fides, to back up his very nuanced political stance of "Fuck Trump." He assumed very incorrectly, and Tom pointed that out to him.
Here's what PrinceOfSpace thinks happened.
If you don't have as much knowledge as you think you do, I can see where you'd make that mistake. But here's what really happened.
When someone's only claim is that you have no authority in Area X, but you actually do, there's no need to defend, with reason and evidence, the particular belief they think you shouldn't be holding. You just need to point out that yes, you do have authority in Area X, and they are therefore rekt AF.
Had davez67 replied, voicing reasons why he thought "Fuck Trump" was wrong and/or stupid, then Tom could have gotten into the reasons for his beliefs, and hopefully he wouldn't have just reiterated his authority. Had that happened, he would have been absolutely guilty of what PrinceOfSpace only thought he was guilty of: proclaiming his correctness merely by virtue of his own person authority.
As it is, PrinceOfSpace has been yet another victim of Messrs. Dunning and Kruger.
Necessary Endnote
Everyone thinks they know more than they do about some subjects. It's not a failing so much as it is part of the human condition. The goal of a post like this is not to call PrinceOfSpace stupid (though I guess we kinda did), but to show why he was wrong, and, in so doing, remind you, dear reader, that we are all of us wrong just like that from time to time. Be humble. Try not to assume you know more than you do, and when (not if) you end up overestimating your own competence, take it in stride and learn from it. Become better. Don't dig in your heels.
And if you think we're ever speaking out of turn, confident in something you don't think we know as much about as we think we do, by all means call us out. But be ready to back yourself up.
As Mr. Swinger rightly points out, though, there's a lot of bad shit going on in Trumpland that you don't have to be an expert to recognize. Massive conflicts of interest? Pathological use of untruth? Orwellian Newspeak at the CDC? And that's just a few.
We don't have poli-sci degrees, honors or otherwise, and we can tell that it's bad to tell the CDC it can't use the words "science-based" or "evidence-based." Bad and wrong and fucking stupid.
But, as T.M.S. Morello points out, he has one of these anyway. So screw you, davez67, for assuming a massive untruth about a musician, simply because he is a musician.
Now here's where some more stupid enters the fray. See, some people learn a little bit about basic logic--fallacies and whatnot--and think that they know a lot. So they start tossing around things that sound correct to them (and others with equal or lesser understanding than them), but are actually, well, not. And a couple of Smart Guys™ in the comments decided to do just that. "Look how smart I think I am!"
User "PrinceOfSpace" comments
Unpopular puffin: this was an ignorant and arrogant statement based on no facts, arguments or logic. Simply “i have this pedigree” statementThis sounds right if you have only a rudimentary understanding of logical fallacies. It seems, at first blush, that Meatington Swingerberg may be committing the appeal to personal authority fallacy, when you go "Well, I'm an expert so I'm right and shut your idiot mouth." (You know, more or less.) I mean, he just threw his credentials in that dude's face! What an arrogant prick, shutting down debate over his political views by appealing to his honors degree in political science!
Except the claim was never about his opinions per se. It was always and only about his credentials. Davez67 assumed, and claimed, that Tom (we've run out of ways to refer to "Meat Swinger") had no credentials, no authority, no bona fides, to back up his very nuanced political stance of "Fuck Trump." He assumed very incorrectly, and Tom pointed that out to him.
Here's what PrinceOfSpace thinks happened.
davez67
Your political opinion that Trump is to be fucked is wrong!
Tom Morello
Well I'm an honors graduate in political science from Harvard and I invented ways to make a guitar sound like a turntable, so you are the one who is to be fucked!
If you don't have as much knowledge as you think you do, I can see where you'd make that mistake. But here's what really happened.
davez67
You don't even know what you're talking about, politically speaking. You're just an ignorant musician.
Tom Morello
Actually, I'm really, really not and I really, really do. And I was in Guitar Hero 3. So there.
When someone's only claim is that you have no authority in Area X, but you actually do, there's no need to defend, with reason and evidence, the particular belief they think you shouldn't be holding. You just need to point out that yes, you do have authority in Area X, and they are therefore rekt AF.
Had davez67 replied, voicing reasons why he thought "Fuck Trump" was wrong and/or stupid, then Tom could have gotten into the reasons for his beliefs, and hopefully he wouldn't have just reiterated his authority. Had that happened, he would have been absolutely guilty of what PrinceOfSpace only thought he was guilty of: proclaiming his correctness merely by virtue of his own person authority.
As it is, PrinceOfSpace has been yet another victim of Messrs. Dunning and Kruger.
Necessary Endnote
Everyone thinks they know more than they do about some subjects. It's not a failing so much as it is part of the human condition. The goal of a post like this is not to call PrinceOfSpace stupid (though I guess we kinda did), but to show why he was wrong, and, in so doing, remind you, dear reader, that we are all of us wrong just like that from time to time. Be humble. Try not to assume you know more than you do, and when (not if) you end up overestimating your own competence, take it in stride and learn from it. Become better. Don't dig in your heels.
And if you think we're ever speaking out of turn, confident in something you don't think we know as much about as we think we do, by all means call us out. But be ready to back yourself up.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Drop us a note, bub!