fbpx
  • Latest
  • Trending
Imposters To The Left Of Me, Idiots To My Right

Imposters To The Left Of Me,
Idiots To My Right

2 years ago
The Death of Privacy In America

The Death of Privacy In America

3 weeks ago
America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

3 weeks ago
Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

3 months ago
When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

3 months ago
Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

3 months ago
A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

3 months ago
Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

5 months ago
There’s Something About Mary

There’s Something About Mary

6 months ago
End Of An Era

End Of An Era

7 months ago
The Shocking Kindness Of Ted Lasso

The Shocking Kindness Of Ted Lasso

8 months ago
Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

8 months ago
Mary, Covered In Roses

Mary, Covered In Roses

12 months ago
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Register
60 °f
Middle Township
61 ° Thu
68 ° Fri
68 ° Sat
66 ° Sun
The Standard
  • Home
    • All
    • Business
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Immigration
    • Justice
    • Letters
    • Local
    • Media
    • Military
    • National
    • New Jersey
    • Opinion
    • Politics
    • Satire
    The Death of Privacy In America

    The Death of Privacy In America

    America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

    America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

    Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

    Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

    When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

    When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

    Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

    Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

    A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

    A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

    Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

    Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

    There’s Something About Mary

    There’s Something About Mary

    End Of An Era

    End Of An Era

    Trending Tags

    • Politics
      The Death of Privacy In America

      The Death of Privacy In America

      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

      Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

      Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

      End Of An Era

      End Of An Era

      Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

      Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

      Rep Jeff Van Drew Calls For Fencing To Be Removed Despite Threats To Capitol

      Rep Jeff Van Drew Calls For Fencing To Be Removed Despite Threats To Capitol

      Democrats Look To Regain A Foothold in Middle Township With Quanette Vasser-McNeal

      Democrats Look To Regain A Foothold in Middle Township With Quanette Vasser-McNeal

      Trending Tags

      • politics
    • Justice
      There’s Something About Mary

      There’s Something About Mary

      Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

      Police Detectives Charged With Lying About Bar Fight In North Wildwood

      Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

      Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

      South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

      South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

      New Jersey Man Steals Police Car, Fatally Shot After Chase

      New Jersey Man Steals Police Car, Fatally Shot After Chase

      “This Political Climate Got My Brother Killed”: Officer Brian Sicknick Died Defending the Capitol. His Family Waits for Answers.

      “This Political Climate Got My Brother Killed”: Officer Brian Sicknick Died Defending the Capitol. His Family Waits for Answers.

      Florida Man Who Went Viral For Stealing Podium Identified

      Florida Man Who Went Viral For Stealing Podium Identified

      Defund The Police Was A Raging Success And Everyone Missed It

      Defund The Police Was A Raging Success And Everyone Missed It

      Non-Violence Isn’t A Just Moral Imperative, It’s A Superior Strategy

      Non-Violence Isn’t A Just Moral Imperative, It’s A Superior Strategy

      The Future Of The Supreme Court

      The Future Of The Supreme Court

      Trending Tags

      • Justice
    • Business
      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

      Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

      Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

      Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

      The Power Of The People

      The Power Of The People

      Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

      Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

      It’s Not The End Of The World, But You Can See It From Here

      It’s Not The End Of The World, But You Can See It From Here

      You Are Not Welcome Here

      You Are Not Welcome Here

      Trending Tags

      • Environment
        Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

        Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

        New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

        New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

        Jackson Park Project A Threat To Clean Water

        Jackson Park Project A Threat To Clean Water

        Fixin Things Till They’re Broke

        Fixin Things Till They’re Broke

        Trending Tags

        • Education
          Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

          Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

          A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

          A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

          Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

          Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

          Gold, Lies, And Genocide In The New World

          Gold, Lies, And Genocide In The New World

          Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

          Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

          The Covid Kids Are Alright

          The Covid Kids Are Alright

          The Problem With The Pledge Of Allegiance

          The Problem With The Pledge Of Allegiance

          A Boat Full Of Holes

          A Boat Full Of Holes

          Why I Don’t Worry About My Kids Falling Behind

          Why I Don’t Worry About My Kids Falling Behind

          Any Plan To Reopen Schools This Fall Is Irresponsible And Negligent

          Any Plan To Reopen Schools This Fall Is Irresponsible And Negligent

          Trending Tags

          • Education
        • Housing
          There’s Something About Mary

          There’s Something About Mary

          Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

          Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

          Mary, Covered In Roses

          Mary, Covered In Roses

          Code Blue Is No April Fool’s Joke

          Code Blue Is No April Fool’s Joke

          Let the Voters Decide

          Cape May’s Untouchables

          The Cost Of Homelessness in Cape May County

          The Cost Of Homelessness in Cape May County

          The Myth Of American Justice: Falling Through The Cracks Part Two

          Falling Through The Cracks: Part One

          Falling Through The Cracks: Part One

          Invisible Walls

          Invisible Walls

        • Culture
          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

          There’s Something About Mary

          There’s Something About Mary

          The Shocking Kindness Of Ted Lasso

          The Shocking Kindness Of Ted Lasso

          What Your Ring Tone Says About You

          What Your Ring Tone Says About You

          Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

          Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

          A View Of Goshen In Winter

          A View Of Goshen In Winter

          New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

          New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

          Peepers And Pizza: Spring Comes To New Jersey

          Peepers And Pizza: Spring Comes To New Jersey

          The Power Of The People

          The Power Of The People

          Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

          Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

          Trending Tags

          • Sports

            Trending Tags

            • Health
              America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

              America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

              Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

              Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

              There’s Something About Mary

              There’s Something About Mary

              Mary, Covered In Roses

              Mary, Covered In Roses

              Autism Awareness Day

              Autism Awareness Day

              Code Blue Is No April Fool’s Joke

              Code Blue Is No April Fool’s Joke

              You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated, Now What?

              You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated, Now What?

              The Disney Queue Of Vaccinations

              The Disney Queue Of Vaccinations

              It’s Going To Get Worse

              It’s Going To Get Worse

              Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

              Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

              Trending Tags

              • Healthcare
            • Opinion
              The Death of Privacy In America

              The Death of Privacy In America

              Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

              Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

              South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

              South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

              We Need Amy Kennedy Now

              An Open Letter To Congressman Van Drew

              Donald Trump Must Be Held To Account For His Crimes

              Donald Trump Must Be Held
              To Account For His Crimes

              All Our Sons

              All Our Sons

              It’s Not Enough For Joe Biden To Simply Be Human

              It’s Not Enough For Joe Biden
              To Simply Be Human

              We Have To Stop Trusting Our Leaders To Do The Right Thing

              We Have To Stop Trusting Our Leaders To Do The Right Thing

              The Godless Piety Of American Idealism As Reality Television

              The Godless Piety Of American Idealism As Reality Television

              Why We Can’t Talk About It

              Why We Can’t Talk About It

              Trending Tags

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Home
                • All
                • Business
                • Culture
                • Education
                • Environment
                • Health
                • Housing
                • Immigration
                • Justice
                • Letters
                • Local
                • Media
                • Military
                • National
                • New Jersey
                • Opinion
                • Politics
                • Satire
                The Death of Privacy In America

                The Death of Privacy In America

                America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

                Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

                There’s Something About Mary

                There’s Something About Mary

                End Of An Era

                End Of An Era

                Trending Tags

                • Politics
                  The Death of Privacy In America

                  The Death of Privacy In America

                  America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                  America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                  Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                  Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                  Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                  A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                  A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                  End Of An Era

                  End Of An Era

                  Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

                  Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

                  Rep Jeff Van Drew Calls For Fencing To Be Removed Despite Threats To Capitol

                  Rep Jeff Van Drew Calls For Fencing To Be Removed Despite Threats To Capitol

                  Democrats Look To Regain A Foothold in Middle Township With Quanette Vasser-McNeal

                  Democrats Look To Regain A Foothold in Middle Township With Quanette Vasser-McNeal

                  Trending Tags

                  • politics
                • Justice
                  There’s Something About Mary

                  There’s Something About Mary

                  Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

                  Police Detectives Charged With Lying About Bar Fight In North Wildwood

                  Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

                  Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

                  South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

                  South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

                  New Jersey Man Steals Police Car, Fatally Shot After Chase

                  New Jersey Man Steals Police Car, Fatally Shot After Chase

                  “This Political Climate Got My Brother Killed”: Officer Brian Sicknick Died Defending the Capitol. His Family Waits for Answers.

                  “This Political Climate Got My Brother Killed”: Officer Brian Sicknick Died Defending the Capitol. His Family Waits for Answers.

                  Florida Man Who Went Viral For Stealing Podium Identified

                  Florida Man Who Went Viral For Stealing Podium Identified

                  Defund The Police Was A Raging Success And Everyone Missed It

                  Defund The Police Was A Raging Success And Everyone Missed It

                  Non-Violence Isn’t A Just Moral Imperative, It’s A Superior Strategy

                  Non-Violence Isn’t A Just Moral Imperative, It’s A Superior Strategy

                  The Future Of The Supreme Court

                  The Future Of The Supreme Court

                  Trending Tags

                  • Justice
                • Business
                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

                  Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

                  Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

                  Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

                  The Power Of The People

                  The Power Of The People

                  Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

                  Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

                  It’s Not The End Of The World, But You Can See It From Here

                  It’s Not The End Of The World, But You Can See It From Here

                  You Are Not Welcome Here

                  You Are Not Welcome Here

                  Trending Tags

                  • Environment
                    Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

                    Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

                    New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

                    New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

                    Jackson Park Project A Threat To Clean Water

                    Jackson Park Project A Threat To Clean Water

                    Fixin Things Till They’re Broke

                    Fixin Things Till They’re Broke

                    Trending Tags

                    • Education
                      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                      Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

                      Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

                      Gold, Lies, And Genocide In The New World

                      Gold, Lies, And Genocide In The New World

                      Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

                      Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

                      The Covid Kids Are Alright

                      The Covid Kids Are Alright

                      The Problem With The Pledge Of Allegiance

                      The Problem With The Pledge Of Allegiance

                      A Boat Full Of Holes

                      A Boat Full Of Holes

                      Why I Don’t Worry About My Kids Falling Behind

                      Why I Don’t Worry About My Kids Falling Behind

                      Any Plan To Reopen Schools This Fall Is Irresponsible And Negligent

                      Any Plan To Reopen Schools This Fall Is Irresponsible And Negligent

                      Trending Tags

                      • Education
                    • Housing
                      There’s Something About Mary

                      There’s Something About Mary

                      Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

                      Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

                      Mary, Covered In Roses

                      Mary, Covered In Roses

                      Code Blue Is No April Fool’s Joke

                      Code Blue Is No April Fool’s Joke

                      Let the Voters Decide

                      Cape May’s Untouchables

                      The Cost Of Homelessness in Cape May County

                      The Cost Of Homelessness in Cape May County

                      The Myth Of American Justice: Falling Through The Cracks Part Two

                      Falling Through The Cracks: Part One

                      Falling Through The Cracks: Part One

                      Invisible Walls

                      Invisible Walls

                    • Culture
                      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                      There’s Something About Mary

                      There’s Something About Mary

                      The Shocking Kindness Of Ted Lasso

                      The Shocking Kindness Of Ted Lasso

                      What Your Ring Tone Says About You

                      What Your Ring Tone Says About You

                      Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

                      Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

                      A View Of Goshen In Winter

                      A View Of Goshen In Winter

                      New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

                      New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

                      Peepers And Pizza: Spring Comes To New Jersey

                      Peepers And Pizza: Spring Comes To New Jersey

                      The Power Of The People

                      The Power Of The People

                      Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

                      Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

                      Trending Tags

                      • Sports

                        Trending Tags

                        • Health
                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

                          Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

                          There’s Something About Mary

                          There’s Something About Mary

                          Mary, Covered In Roses

                          Mary, Covered In Roses

                          Autism Awareness Day

                          Autism Awareness Day

                          Code Blue Is No April Fool’s Joke

                          Code Blue Is No April Fool’s Joke

                          You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated, Now What?

                          You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated, Now What?

                          The Disney Queue Of Vaccinations

                          The Disney Queue Of Vaccinations

                          It’s Going To Get Worse

                          It’s Going To Get Worse

                          Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

                          Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

                          Trending Tags

                          • Healthcare
                        • Opinion
                          The Death of Privacy In America

                          The Death of Privacy In America

                          Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

                          Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

                          South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

                          South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

                          We Need Amy Kennedy Now

                          An Open Letter To Congressman Van Drew

                          Donald Trump Must Be Held To Account For His Crimes

                          Donald Trump Must Be Held
                          To Account For His Crimes

                          All Our Sons

                          All Our Sons

                          It’s Not Enough For Joe Biden To Simply Be Human

                          It’s Not Enough For Joe Biden
                          To Simply Be Human

                          We Have To Stop Trusting Our Leaders To Do The Right Thing

                          We Have To Stop Trusting Our Leaders To Do The Right Thing

                          The Godless Piety Of American Idealism As Reality Television

                          The Godless Piety Of American Idealism As Reality Television

                          Why We Can’t Talk About It

                          Why We Can’t Talk About It

                          Trending Tags

                          • About
                          • Privacy
                          • Subscribe
                          • Contact
                          No Result
                          View All Result
                          The Standard
                          No Result
                          View All Result
                          Home Culture

                          Imposters To The Left Of Me,
                          Idiots To My Right

                          byDavid Todd McCarty
                          2 years ago
                          inCulture, Opinion, Politics
                          Reading Time: 11 mins read
                          168
                          0
                          Imposters To The Left Of Me, Idiots To My Right

                          Photo by ali barzegarahmadi on Unsplash

                          141
                          SHARES
                          199
                          VIEWS
                          Share on FacebookShare on TwitterEmail this story!

                          The demise of expertise, the democratization of information, the glorification of amateurism, and the death of debate in America.

                          By David Todd McCarty | Monday, August 3, 2020


                          There was a time when most of society existed in a state of ignorant bliss. Most people were generalists and common knowledge was fairly universal and passed on easily from one person to another. If you were a farmer, you learned farming from your father and the other farmers in your village. Everyone was working with the same body of knowledge, and generally speaking, any innovation was widely shared. The same held true for cooks, blacksmiths and shepherds. 

                          There were those who had higher knowledge, who were formally educated, who could read and write, held other specialized gifts like healers or storytellers, or were otherwise separated from the common man in clear and obvious ways. Expert knowledge was not merely something to be sought, but a gift from the gods. Leaders were more often born, not made.

                          Consequently, everyone did not expect to have higher knowledge. We weren’t caught up in the notion of fairness or equality. It would not have occurred to us to believe that everyone was equal, because it was often quite evident that we were not. There were elements of class, wealth, education and station that helped to maintain a civil society.

                          “It’s half an inch of water, and you think you’re gonna drown
                          That’s the way that the world goes ‘round”

                          John Prine

                          It was no small thing that in the early days of civilization, without your tribe, village or community, there was little purpose or meaning in life. In fact, the ability to sustain life was widely seen as completely integral to the value of the group. You protected each other from wild animals and other tribes. You divided the workload and shared in the harvest. Every person was valuable so those that operated outside of norms, were typically elevated. There is some evidence that many of those who ended up as shaman and healers, we would today describe as being on the autism spectrum. They have different abilities and noticed things others did not. They were not discarded, they were celebrated. 

                          It’s a pervasive myth in American society that our country was built on the idea that everyone is equal, when in fact it merely proposed the idea of treating everyone equally under the law. Even so, they were really only talking about white men with money, so you sort of have to question the whole idea that they were all that terribly virtuous, let alone infallible.

                          Today we find ourselves at a crossroads in this grand experiment with democracy here in America, where we seem incapable of working together or agreeing on much of anything. We are not split by ethnicity, religion, geography, language or any of the other things that typically tear a country apart. It is tribal no doubt, but they are tribes of our own choosing, self-assigned and determined based on a whole range of factors that have little to do with genealogy or class.

                          We are currently drowning in tribalism however—an insurmountable challenge to get beyond the boundaries of our self-constrained worlds—and we place the blame for this inability to engage in an informed debate of ideas, squarely within the polarization of our current political environment. 

                          At first glance, we seem unable to exchange ideas or even to disagree with any level of decorum because we are so entrenched in our own ideology, so firm in our beliefs, that we are unable to hear the other person, or so goes the popular wisdom. But I think the poverty of our discourse has less to do with polarization and more to do with depth. It’s not how far apart we are, but how deep we are capable of going, that keeps us from connecting.

                          It’s far too dismissive and egocentric to assume that people you disagree with are stupid, especially if you count yourself among the few who are not. But it’s a bit more reasonable to assume that even a well-informed person’s understanding of current events, is in reality, only about half an inch deep.

                          In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias in which people with low abilities, constantly overestimate their ability. They not only fail to understand their lack of ability, they tend to overinflated their own superiority. Without the self-awareness to practically identify their position against any sort of standard, people with low abilities cannot objectively evaluate their competence or incompetence. It is the cognitive bias of illusionary superiority.

                          “If you’re incompetent, you can’t know you’re incompetent,” explained Dunning-Kruger. “The skills you need to produce a right answer are exactly the skills you need to recognize what a right answer is.”

                          Conspiracy theories are formed and followed by those incompetent people willing to dismiss the expertise of highly-qualified people, and instead attribute to these experts a wicked desire to lie and take advantage of the masses, in order to compensate for their own lack of understanding of the world around them. Incompetent people believe that if they find something difficult to understand, then everyone finds it difficult. If they don’t know it, no one knows it. So they distrust governments, institutions, experts, and smart people in general. They put their trust in common sense rather than scholarly learning, in their gut over science. 

                          Far too many people you come across in life rely on knowledge they’ve picked up, regardless of its source and despite any vetting for accuracy, based on how it fits in with their own world view. Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that confirms or supports one’s prior beliefs or values. Confirmation biases contribute to overconfidence in personal beliefs and can maintain or strengthen beliefs in the face of contrary evidence.

                          Apophenia is a psychological term for the tendency to mistakenly perceive connections and meaning between unrelated things. It is most often associated with schizophrenics and degenerate gamblers. 

                          In the former, is may be defined as seeing connections accompanied by a specific feeling of abnormal meaningfulness. Delusional thoughts that are self-referential, and over-interpreted. If you think John Lennon or Justin Timberlake are singing about you, or that bits and pieces of the nightly newscast are speaking directly to you, you might be suffering from apophenia, on your way to full-fledged schizophrenia of course, But it can be much less fantastic and still be just as delusional. 

                          If you examine the rationalization of gamblers, you will find that apophenia presents itself as a propensity to seek patterns in random information. A common example is to conclude that if a particular event occurs more frequently than normal in the past, it is less likely to occur in the future. 

                          For instance, you may believe that a particular roll of the dice is likely to happen because it hasn’t happened recently, which seems logically practical, if not statistically relevant. This is erroneous thinking, having been well-established that the probability of such future events does not depend on what has happened in the past.

                          Taking all this into account, while your average American may have a broad understanding of civics, government, criminal and civic law, public policy and history, it tends to be about a half-inch deep. Add to this shallow knowledge, the propensity to trust your own instincts and reject expertise, and your own tendency to make associations that fit emotionally if not logically, and a media environment built for sound bites not in-depth reporting, and the result is a whole cadre of people who you can’t possibly have a debate of ideas of with.

                          It’s a bit like water-skiing on the surface of the ocean and assuming you have a good idea of what’s going on beneath you. You may think you can see for miles, and have a grand understanding of the scope of the problem, but have no idea what lies just below the surface, and so can’t imagine the dangers that exist in reality.

                          The internet has been a wonderful innovation for the democratization of information. It has given nearly everyone on the planet access to information previously only accessible to intellectuals, scholars and experts. Where there were once gatekeepers to the library of the world’s knowledge, now anyone with a smartphone can look up anything and discover an official looking post filled with unvetted misinformation and lies. Where we once relied a few trusted institutions to disseminate information about our world via newspapers, radio stations and television news programs, we now have every idiot with a blog and a Twitter account spreading their own cockamamy theories to the world. When everyone is an expert, no one is an expert. 

                          There is a small, unassuming sign on the road in the Nubra Valley of northern Ladakh, India that reads simply “Experts Expect the Unexpected.” What is interesting about this sign is less about what is says about the knowledge of the expert, and more about what it says about the rest of us. The reason an event is unexpected is because we lack the specialized knowledge or experience to recognize what would be obvious to another. We can’t see the patterns or don’t understand the causation that would be self-evident to someone who could. 

                          In a world of uncertainty, expectation is an event that is considered the most likely to happen. If something happens that is not at all expected, it is a surprise. The child and the idiot, are constantly surprised by the simplest things, because they have so few expectations.

                          An expectation, which is a belief that is centered on the future, may or may not be realistic. To the uninitiated, the result of a less advantageous result than expected is disappointment, while the result of an unexpected outcome is surprise. The expert is never surprised by the thing they expected to happen.

                          The flip side of Dunning-Kruger effect is known as the Imposter Syndrome, which is a psychological pattern in which one doubts one’s accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” This is most common among highly accomplished individuals, especially ones who have the knowledge, experience and expertise to understand the value of their particular talent or set of skills. The irony of these cognitive biases, is that those suffering DK are supremely overconfident, while those suffering from IS can be terribly insecure.

                          This is a classic mismatch. You have one person, we will call Keisha, trying discuss a topic that may be quite complex and highly nuanced, with a lot of grey areas that would lead any reasonable person to tread lightly and so may not feel entirely confident. Keisha is talking to Joe who knows a bunch of talking points he’s heard on television, with no context or evidence to back up his claims, and most likely a false premise that has long been disproven by experts in the field. On top of it all, Joe bounces from one talking point to another, as if this somehow creates a logical and cohesive argument, which it does not.

                          Keisha is unable to follow the logic of Joe’s argument, because there is none, so she tries to explain to Joe that his premise is faulty, so his argument is not logical, but before she can get to the point, Joe moves onto a completely divergent argument that might makes he clear he doesn’t understand the difference between correlation and causation. 

                          Keisha is left with the unfortunate choice of arguing with a fool, or simply listening politely. Taking her silence as defeat, Joe is convinced he’s won the argument. With his dizzying intellect and ability to pull out of his ass, not just one argument, but a string of them, he has in his mind, won the battle of wits.

                          No real information was exchanged. Joe has parroted things he’s heard, mixed with some of his own ideas, in a word salad representing a false premise built on an illogical fantasy. To use a sports analogy Joe might understand, he is not trying to explain the finer points of baseball, or give you his ideas on the inefficacy of the designated hitter, he is taking one play from a highlight reel of the 1986 Super Bowl, and using it to explain why the New York Yankees are more like to win games because they have better looking uniforms than the Pittsburgh Penguins.*

                          Joe’s confirmation bias also allows him to dismiss anything Keisha has to say as part of a subversive Marxist plot to undermine Christianity, propagated by the liberal media out to destroy America and confiscate his guns. This is a hard argument to combat when you’re trying to discuss whether or not to open schools in the middle of a pandemic, and not whether the illuminati is operating a chain of pedophilia-driven, pizza parlors. 

                          Keisha walks away shaking her head and Joe high fives his buddy Frank who considers Joe the “political” one in the group. Everyone is actually a bit dumber for having had the conversation. Joe is even more convinced of the efficacy his own insane ideas and Keisha is hesitant to bother having another conversation with Joe ever again. Maybe worse, Keisha wonders if she is wrong, not in what she knows, but in how she is trying to present her ideas.

                          The problem isn’t with how Keisha is presenting her ideas, any more than the Democratic Party has a problem with their messaging. The problem is the chasm between shallow knowledge and in-depth analysis, between catch-phrases and nuanced policy initiatives, between campaigning and governing, between glitz and substance.

                          The one aspect of the Imposter Syndrome that is most problematic is that experts, or high-ability individuals, often underestimate the difficulty of many of the tasks they consider straightforward and undemanding. Another way to think about it, is they overestimate the abilities of those with low abilities.

                          “They can’t be that stupid,” they think.

                          You don’t have to look further than our current President to see this phenomenon in practice. Donald Trump believes his gut is more valuable than anything any so-called experts have to say. He knows more about the military than the generals. He knows more about diseases than scientists. He trusts his feelings, not facts. He believes he has natural abilities.

                          He regularly refers to things he has just learned, as things he thinks most people don’t know, because he’s just learned of them. “You know,” he says, “a lot of people don’t know that.”

                          He claims that “no one understands” complex subjects, when the reality is, he doesn’t understand them. “They don’t really know what to call it,” he said about the coronavirus, months after it had been identified. 

                          He makes connections that are not there. He confuses correlation with causation. He is entirely unaware how out of depths he is, and he believes he’s killing it and honestly can’t understand why he isn’t getting more credit for his accomplishments. He is the mascot for the Deplorables of America, which is why they love him so.

                          He’s the one person that doesn’t make them feel stupid.


                          *The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The New York Yankees are a baseball team (MLB). The Pittsburg Penguins are an ice hockey team (NHL).


                          Follow David Todd McCarty on Twitter @davidtmccarty and The Standard @capemaystandard

                          Related

                          Previous Post

                          The Chilling Effect

                          Next Post

                          Your Ego Can’t Dance

                          David Todd McCarty

                          David Todd McCarty

                          David Todd McCarty is a writer, director, photographer and designer. You can follow him on Twitter @davidtmccarty.

                          Related Posts

                          The Death of Privacy In America
                          Opinion

                          The Death of Privacy In America

                          May 4, 2022
                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair
                          Politics

                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          May 3, 2022
                          Who Was Responsible For Fake News?
                          Media

                          Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                          March 9, 2022
                          When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”
                          Business

                          When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                          March 1, 2022
                          Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear
                          Education

                          Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                          February 23, 2022
                          A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards
                          Education

                          A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

                          February 23, 2022
                          Next Post
                          Your Ego Can’t Dance

                          Your Ego Can’t Dance

                          Meta

                          • Register
                          • Log in
                          • Entries feed
                          • Comments feed
                          • WordPress.org
                          • Trending
                          • Comments
                          • Latest
                          You Are Not Welcome Here

                          You Are Not Welcome Here

                          August 13, 2020
                          Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

                          Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

                          September 9, 2020
                          Trump, Chauncey Gardiner, And America’s Accidental Presidency

                          Trump, Chauncey Gardiner, And America’s Accidental Presidency

                          January 29, 2020
                          Open Letter To South Jersey Committee Chairs

                          Open Letter To South Jersey Committee Chairs

                          1
                          The Left’s Purity Dilemma, or Don’t Get Fooled Again

                          The Left’s Purity Dilemma, or Don’t Get Fooled Again

                          1
                          Let the Voters Decide

                          Let the Voters Decide

                          1
                          The Death of Privacy In America

                          The Death of Privacy In America

                          May 4, 2022
                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          May 3, 2022
                          Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                          Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                          March 9, 2022

                          ©2019 Hopping Frog Studios, LLC.

                          No Result
                          View All Result
                          • Home
                          • Politics
                          • Justice
                          • Environment
                          • Health
                          • Education
                          • Housing
                          • Business
                          • Culture
                          • Sports
                          • National
                          • Opinion
                          • Login
                          • Sign Up

                          ©2019 Hopping Frog Studios, LLC.

                          Welcome Back!

                          Sign In with Facebook
                          OR

                          Login to your account below

                          Forgotten Password? Sign Up

                          Create New Account!

                          Fill the forms below to register

                          All fields are required. Log In

                          Retrieve your password

                          Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

                          Log In
                          This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
                          Privacy & Cookies Policy

                          Privacy Overview

                          This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
                          Necessary
                          Always Enabled
                          Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
                          Non-necessary
                          Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
                          SAVE & ACCEPT