# Surprise! "Watcher of Evening News" does not = "Most Informed Person Alive" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 5, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510 "2001-10-05T03:24:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Limerick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Limerick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limerick)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510/1 "2001-10-05T03:24:07Z")
This is a public service announcement. Just because you watch a ten second blip about something on the news _does not_ mean that you are an expert on that subject. If all you know about a topic is something that you learned while listening to one of Bush’s “life is a snowflake” speeches, then please do not attempt to portray yourself as someone who knows what the hell they are talking about. If you are talking to someone who _is_ an expert in the field (any field), please feel free to challenge what they say. Ask all the thoughtful questions you want. But for love of all that’s good and pure, DON’T argue with simple scientific fact by uttering the words, “but USA Today said…” Get the fuck out of my face and go read a book. Thanks so much. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510/2 "2001-10-05T04:13:34Z")
It had a good beat and you could dance to it. I give it an **8**. BTW, what are you, some kind of sadist? Telling Gollum to “go read a book”? Shame on you, don’t you know it _hurts_ us, precious, ow ow ow, it _hurts_ us, just to read USA Today? Sadist. ---
**Author:** ![Limerick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Limerick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limerick)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510/3 "2001-10-05T04:27:18Z")
Hey, I’m not trying to say I’m more intelligent than the rest of the world-- I like the brief version of most news myself. I’m just saying don’t look at a pretty picture of a space shuttle and then tell NASA engineers they don’t know what they’re talking about. Look at the pretty picture and then go back to clipping your toe nails, because you still don’t know jack about space shuttles. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510/4 "2001-10-05T12:34:42Z")
On the other hand, if you don’t read newspapers or watch the news, or do anything to actively pursue information on current affairs, then don’t engage me in a debate about politics, taxes or the WTC event because I’m not going to believe the facts and figures you’re sprouting. I’m going to think you made them up. Like when you said there were 100,000 thousand dead in the WTC. A ten second blip still gives you a better grounding than figures made up on the fly. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510/5 "2001-10-05T12:39:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Limerick \* > I’m just saying don’t look at a pretty picture of a space shuttle and then tell NASA engineers they don’t know what they’re talking about. Look at the pretty picture and then go back to clipping your toe nails, because you still don’t know jack about space shuttles. So many good sig opportunities these days … anyway. To add to the list: getting an email saying “X” does not make X true. Just because the email says that Nostradamus predicted the WTC attacks doesn’t make it true any more than me emailing you to say I am Pol Pot makes **that** true. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510/6 "2001-10-05T12:50:31Z")
There once was a guy named Pol Pot Who thought he knew a hell of a lot After reading the USA Today Informed theories he would spray That were about as truthful as s’not. ---
**Author:** ![Limerick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Limerick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limerick)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510/7 "2001-10-05T15:38:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cazzle \* > \*\* > > A ten second blip still gives you a better grounding than figures made up on the fly. \*\* I agree, I agree, just recognize the limitations of your knowledge, and then I won’t feel the need to punch you in the nose. I mean, ok, you can get a pretty decent picture about the types of things you mentioned from the news. I guess what’s really been pissing me off lately has been people’s positions on scientific subjects that they really don’t understand. ---
**Author:** ![Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misery_Loves_Co)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510/8 "2001-10-05T17:06:27Z")
HEAR HEAR!!! Yes, the 10 second blip, the minor article in the back of newsweek, the extra-credit class you had 10 years ago _do_ make you _marginally_ more qualified to discuss various topics, but they do **not** make you an authority, and your POV is by it’s nature less valid than that of someone who studies it/lives it/is it. Just to shove my way onto the soapbox :D, it extends to other things besides politics and current events, like, oh, say, the arts and music. The trick is to recognize when someone IS more knowledgeable than you are, and to accept that you don’t know what the ::checks forum:: fuck you’re talking about relative them. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprise-watcher-of-evening-news-does-not-most-informed-person-alive/85510/9 "2001-10-05T21:46:07Z")
Obviously not. It’s religiously listening to Morning Edition and All Things Considered that makes you the Most Informed Person Alive. [ul][list][list][list][list][list][list][list] Signed, Podkayne, Most Informed Person Alive, and NPR Junkie [/ul][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] [sub](Oh, yeah, gimmie some uh that Noah Adams action, baby.)[/sub] ;)–if you didn’t suss that out on your own.