“Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!” - or why you might still want to listen to the experts…

One of the most excitingly neo-luddite statements to come out of this abominable Brexit debate was Gollum’s, I mean Michael Gove’s, recent pronouncement that “people in this country [that being the UK] have had enough of experts”. What’s wrong with that? Well, in fairness one might surmise that Rock’n’Roll Finance would be sympathetic to a little anti-authoritarian, anti-establishment swagger. Why not, right? Especially, if those pesky experts pronounce in near unheard of unison that your position is utter tosh! Never mind if they are right…

The problem here, is that the thrust of the argument is really a direct assault on _reason_! It’s basically saying: ‘Don’t listen to that laborious and complex line of argument that refutes what I’m saying, because I promise you unlimited free ice-cream!’ Not accepting a rational or empirical arguments because you don’t like them doesn’t really make you a buccaneering rebel. It makes you the pawn of whoever told to walk away from the argument and listen to mood music instead! By rejecting an ‘expert’s’ reasoned argument you are not sticking it to the man, but you are making yourself an idiot. You don’t like an expert opinion? Attack the premise! Challenge the chain of evidence! Review the data! Muster a counterargument! Above all, ENGAGE! 

Exchanging information and views in open debate is a fabulous way to make things work. To arrive a better solution a problem. 

Be the show! - Getting your inner nerd on is very rock'n'roll!

Of course, what really is infuriating about ‘experts’ is that their relevance is often a reminder that the problems they look at (their area of ‘expertise’ - get it?!?!) are complex. Getting to grips with complex problems or issues requires that one has to spend an inordinately large amount of time and effort trying to understand them and untangle them. Sadly that means you might find yourself on the blackfoot when dealing with a subject that requires more than just casual attention to fully appreciate. As it happens, these days that more often than not means just about everything worth thinking about in the first place. Does that make you angry? Do you feel marginalised because somebody might be better placed to make a judgement call on an issue that you? Well, then get yourself to the library, online, into a debating club or whatever else and buff up your kung-fu! In the words of the might Rob Flynn: 

The more the sense of ignorance

The more intense is the pain

Fix it! Get yourself educated! Don’t reject the ‘expert’, learn how to beat them! That, is Rock’n’Roll! That is when you can properly say "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!"

*Please crank up the volume*