Scripted

Recently, in a social network conversation, I was told that my response was "scripted" and "liberal". I found myself plummeted back into the recent memories of the Republican propaganda machine, where good qualities were magically transformed into questionable traits. In this special take on the world, excellence in discourse is deemed "talking above the American public" and even meanness, and responses like "You Betcha" and winking is considered real American language. I guess a portion of the American public believes that international diplomacy is better done with being nice and showing a little leg? I can see that going over well in a visit to Parliament. Expertise, and heaven forbid, an advanced qualification is considered elitist in this crazy world. I wouldn't necessarily agree with that, as the US Census Bureau data for 2007 indicates that 2,496,000 Americans have doctoral degrees. Doctoral programs are very accessible to the middle class, and entrance and completion of a PhD are primarily based on hard work and commitment, NOT connections-as is implied by "elitist" (unless we start talking about the Ivy League.)

Still, should having spent at least an estimated 20,000 hours devoted towards the study of one focused topic deem you more knowledgeable than the average person and worthy of being listened to on your studied topic? Probably. In fact, it may even be considered wise to listen the thoughts of a person who has devoted their life towards the pursuit of knowledge (often without reasonable compensation, and thus, no other motivation than "to know"), of course, concerning their area of expertise. It will always disturb me to ponder how well respected the opinions of celebrities are: people who have risen to their status based primarily upon looks, connections, and acting/singing talent. I would hazard a guess that none of those qualities make celebrities any better able to logically think, weigh out risks and benefits, analyze data, manage a business, or apply both detail-driven and global perspective to decision making.

So right. Scripted. Someone told me what to say or even better, I just copied it from the internet? Wrong. How about, my answer was well thought-out and well-written, thank you very much.