The arrogance of Western society

[Hughsie]

Does anyone else find the breath-taking arrogance of the average Westerner scary sometimes? I admit that I'm probably nearly as guilty as anyone, most of us here probably are.

The examples of this are everywhere.

We probably all know someone who claims that if they were in charge they could end the current economic issue. Think about what these people are saying, they are saying that they know better than every economist out there, that they could single handedly solve a problem affecting most of the globe.

I know someone who went to the doctors and got what sounded like an unusual diagnoses. Most of our mutual friends talked at length about how incompetent the doctor must be. A few even said she shouldn't take the medication she was prescribed as it was clearly the wrong diagnoses. This is a bunch of people with no medical knowledge or experience suddenly claiming to know more about medicine than a fucking GP! Claiming to be able to make a better diagnoses of a patient without any sort of examination than a GP who has looked into the issue at length.

We probably all know someone who's claimed that defence policy isn't as good as it should be, or maybe they claim that the approach in Afghanistan and Iraq was completely wrong and they could have handled it much better. They honestly believe that without any military training or experience, or even access to the documents on the issue, that they could do a better job than someone with 40 years of experience and access to all the documents pertaining to the conflict!

Sports come into this as well. We've all heard sports fans rant on about how their particular team's manager has got all the tactical decisions wrong in a match. That they know better than the guy who is paid six-figures a week to do his job. They don't even realise how ludicrous it sounds.

Anyone else find this sort of thing scary (and down fight frustrating)? And does anyone have any ideas as to what may cause such an overly inflated ego in practically entire populations?

[Kayenneh]

1st world problems, when you don't have decent problems, make your own silly ones

But the thing with GPs, I have had that frustration and for a good reason. When I was fifteen I realized that I probably had migraine and that it needed to be checked out. I went to my GP, explained my symptoms and all she did was prescribe a NSAID, that gave me side-effects but no pain relief. Two years later when I started working and we had a GP in the private sector (as opposed to mine, who worked in the municipal sector), she took me seriously and gave me straight away a prescription for the migraine medicine I still use today and two weeks later I was diagnosed by a neurologist. My GP did fuck up, for two years I went through unnecessary pain, just because she didn't take me seriously.

[cratehorus]

Sports come into this as well. We've all heard sports fans rant on about how their particular team's manager has got all the tactical decisions wrong in a match. That they know better than the guy who is paid six-figures a week to do his job. They don't even realise how ludicrous it sounds.

This might have more to do with what you're calling "arrogance", sports aren't important, so it easy too say "I don't play sports because I have more important things too do. So that's why I am not a coach, It doesn't however mean, that I don't know how, to do the coach's job better than him."

because we give so much authority to, such a stupid, worthless, job as "sport's coach", we have skewed views on authority


....I blame cricket

[Ryantology]

Is this opposed to the average person simply deferring to higher authority in all matters?

Screw that.

[cratehorus]

Is this opposed to the average person simply deferring to higher authority in all matters?

Screw that.

Let's say, for some strange reason, at one point in your life, you NEEDED to know something really complicated about, The Star Wars movies.

Nobody could really blame you for not spending all your life learning all the details about Star Wars.

And if you were a Star wars expert you certainly wouldn't appreciate someone telling you the "real" reason capt picard kicked luke skywalker down a mountain on the death star.....when he's neever even seen the fucking movie much less wasted his whole life studying the movies over and over. Just because he happens to need the information at the moment.......too win a bet, let's say

[Brian37]

1st world problems, when you don't have decent problems, make your own silly ones

Not sure what you mean by this, so correct me if I am wrong.

I do agree that people make hay over very stupid superflous crap, such as their sports team losing or complaining about higher taxes when they own two mansions and a leer jet.

But when it comes to quality of life I think it is a horrible idea to compair the conditions of the poor in America to the conditions of the poor in Somolia.

When you start doing that it allows the top to make an an argument for entire economy race to the bottom.

Yea I live in a trailer and am dirt poor and I know I have it better than say someone in Tijauanna. But that is the same bullshit scam Romney tried to pull pointing out how much he admired the Chinese workers in the sweat shop he invested in.

Romney either by lying or ignorance tried to claim they wanted to be there, and he was right, they did, but not because they wanted to be slaves working 18 hour days 6 days a week for 2 dollars a day. Nor r thought that they could climb the corporate ladder, they wanted to be there because they were desperate. And did it ever occur to Romney of course the workers would say that becuase they didnt want to lose what little they had or end up in prison.

[Kayenneh]

I never claimed that the whole of the west was rich and nice, now did I? I do not consider the US to be a 1st world country, since your government leave to many hanging and the gap between the rich and the poor is just too huge.
And why on earth shouldn't I be allowed to compare living conditions in different parts of the world? To put matters in perspective is something everyone should do. Everyone has the right to be unhappy about one's life, whether if it's about your favorite sports team losing or if you can barely find water for the day, but it's no question as to which is the more serious matter. What you, living in a trailer, Chinese sweatshop workers and Romney has to do with rich middle class liking to whine about things that really doesn't matter have to do with each other, is beyond me.
My post was merely about agreeing with Hughsie, that it is ridiculous that people sit on the sidelines claiming to have superior knowledge of thing that they aren't even schooled in. When you don't have enough to worry about in your own life, you usually make something up and start butting in in other's affairs.

[Brian37]

I never claimed that the whole of the west was rich and nice, now did I? I do not consider the US to be a 1st world country, since your government leave to many hanging and the gap between the rich and the poor is just too huge.
And why on earth shouldn't I be allowed to compare living conditions in different parts of the world? To put matters in perspective is something everyone should do. Everyone has the right to be unhappy about one's life, whether if it's about your favorite sports team losing or if you can barely find water for the day, but it's no question as to which is the more serious matter. What you, living in a trailer, Chinese sweatshop workers and Romney has to do with rich middle class liking to whine about things that really doesn't matter have to do with each other, is beyond me.
My post was merely about agreeing with Hughsie, that it is ridiculous that people sit on the sidelines claiming to have superior knowledge of thing that they aren't even schooled in. When you don't have enough to worry about in your own life, you usually make something up and start butting in in other's affairs.

Bullshit. The entire world needs MORE engaugement, not less. I agree that everyone can elevate superfulous crap and act like it is the end of the world.

But our species problem is precisely because we are self absorbed and because we think we are so different when we are not.

If we are only concerned about our own lives without being aware of global issues it sets our species up for the very tribalism all claim is the problem.

No one should advocate Orwellan 1984 crap or "Two legs good 4 legs bad" crap of Animal Farm

But it is stupid for us to simply say that what happens outside our houses or yards or fences or place of work cannot affect us as individuals, much less on a global scale.

[Kayenneh]

Bullshit. The entire world needs MORE engaugement, not less. I agree that everyone can elevate superfulous crap and act like it is the end of the world. --- If we are only concerned about our own lives without being aware of global issues it sets our species up for the very tribalism all claim is the problem.

And why on earth are you talking your frustrations out on me? I did not say less engagement, I said less engagement about things that a) people don't have knowledge of (e.g. Hughsie's example of whining about your GP with no knowledge in medicine) and b) things that truly doesn't matter (I think that sport fanaticism is taken to ridiculous levels).

But it is stupid for us to simply say that what happens outside our houses or yards or fences or place of work cannot affect us as individuals, much less on a global scale.

Yes, I agree with you on this one, so why do you get your panties in such a twist?

[Minimalist]

They honestly believe that without any military training or experience, or even access to the documents on the issue, that they could do a better job than someone with 40 years of experience and access to all the documents pertaining to the conflict!

How come those people did not use that knowledge to say "fuck this - it isn't worth going there?"