When We Can’t Trust our Experts
CNN recently posted an article about the head of a prominent cancer research institute issuing a warning to his faculty and staff to limit cell phone use because of potential cancer risk.
So? Does this mean that we should start limiting our cell phone use as this expert who should know best says? One of the problems in American society is that we don’t trust our experts enough. Even though we have among the best engineers, scientists, and thinkers in the world, Americans tend to give equal credence to both real experts (PhDs, researchers in the field) and individuals who simply appear with the real experts on “panel discussions” on T.V. (who range from religious fanatics to average joes who simply declared themselves experts).
However, this ridiculous fearmongering makes it almost understandable to me why Americans have this chronic mistrust of people with fancy titles and degrees. Although no other cancer institute or respectable doctor has declared anything of the sort, Dr. Ronald B. Herberman and his compatriot, Dr. Devra Lee Davis has taken it upon themselves to inform the public about the dangers of cell phones. (more…)
Posted on July 28th, 2008
Filed under: Science & Tech, Society by James Wang
The “Wisdom” of the Protesters
This is a repost of an article I originally posted in the notes section of Facebook.
One of the reasons I’m usually quite disdainful and hostile towards most grassroots protesters is they have a nasty tendency to make whatever they are trying to protest against worse rather than better. Movements with a leader and an overarching strategy, like those led by Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, that’s one thing. The recent Beijing protests are an example of another.
I’ve seen an outpouring of utter ignorance by ideologues who have no idea what they are doing or what they are talking about. Take the head of Darfur Now! who wrote an opinion piece for CNN—she was wondering why there wasn’t a global “raising of voices” against China for all of its sins. Though she sounded somewhat dismissive of the Chinese people themselves (in a patronizing, dare I say, racist way?) I still think she was mainly referring to the Chinese people themselves. Ironically, in the same article, she was praising the attempt of protesters to storm a little disabled Chinese girl in a wheelchair and douse the Olympic torch she was carrying at the time.
Perhaps I might suggest that this particular event might be part of why there isn’t more outrage in China? (more…)
Posted on July 1st, 2008
Filed under: Politics by James Wang
