# Which professions are the most openly critical of each other? Which are most protective? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338 "2020-10-19T18:13:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/21 "2020-10-20T16:51:26Z")
Some past examples of art restoration have been horrendous, whereas nowadays the general trend is to fix the problems in such a way that the restoration work is visible (using certain special techniques if need be) to make it clear what is original, and to be reversible. Also, better materials are available nowadays. Regarding the comments by IT specialists, it is worth bearing in mind that many systems get a complete rewrite after a time so that the functions are written more clearly and work better and faster. New tools and programming languages are an issue too, unless you are maintaining old COBOL programs on a mainframe. And some of them are still around. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/22 "2020-10-20T21:24:31Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I find medical doctors who practice completely the opposite. Even if it’s quite obvious that they believe a prior diagnosis or procedure was incorrect, I almost never hear anything that suggests the prior doctor did anything wrong. There are many reasons for that. First of all, the second physician will have the benefit of the work up already completed by the first one, and also information as to whether or not the recommended interventions helped. There are also many things that could contribute to a negative outcome that have nothing to do with the abilities of the first physician. Treatment choices may have been limited by insurance. The patient may have not been compliant with the recommended treatments, missed a follow up, etc. The initially recommended medicine may have had side effects the patient could not tolerate, and so on. There are many reasons any given patient’s outcome could be less than optimal, and the lack of ability of the patient’s previous physician is usually towards the bottom of the list. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/23 "2020-10-20T21:28:14Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > I agree about the code older than 6 months. It seems that my confidence in the quality of my own work follows some sort of exponential decay, with the greatest confidence in the days and weeks following writing it. I watched a show about a diamond cutter - a profession where a mistake can be extremely costly. When asked how much he learned as he went along he replied, "For the first 10 years I was terrified. For the 2nd ten years I thought I was the best diamond cutter in the world. For the 3rd ten years I realized I should have been terrified for the 2nd ten years:. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/24 "2020-10-20T21:42:57Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > There are many reasons any given patient’s outcome could be less than optimal, and the lack of ability of the patient’s previous physician is usually towards the bottom of the list. You have either been very lucky, or are very naive. ---
**Author:** ![Delayed\_Reflex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/delayed_reflex/32/3172_2.png) [@Delayed\_Reflex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delayed_Reflex)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/25 "2020-10-20T21:46:21Z")
I’m not sure if politicians count but in a way they are both - nowadays, a politician in the opposite political party can do absolutely nothing right, but politicians (especially Republicans) will bend over backwards to excuse or dismiss any wrongdoing from their own party members. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/26 "2020-10-21T02:17:46Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > You have either been very lucky, or are very naive. Clearly, the reason that mortality is close to 100% is the fault of physicians. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/27 "2020-10-21T05:58:23Z")
My dentist, who’s also a university dental instructor, says that when dental students graduate, they know _just_ enough not to kill somebody. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/28 "2020-10-21T07:08:53Z")
In my experience, nobody hates lawyers more than other lawyers. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/29 "2020-10-21T09:17:23Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Pilots. You’ll only meet one pilot competent enough to handle the airplane – the one you’re currently talking to. Upon re-reading this, I wish to clarify something. I’m referring to the pilots hanging around my local airport, and instructors hanging around the flight school. I was _not_ referring to our aviation experts on this forum. I apologize for the inadvertently broad brush. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/30 "2020-10-21T10:16:32Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Incompetent engineers go into management where they direct the competent engineers and take credit for their work. Truer words were never spoken. I’m saving this. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/31 "2020-10-21T11:14:53Z")
Translators usually work alone, often at home, and end up thinking they are the very best in the world. In my experience when they read a colleague’s translation they seldom like it and say so clearly. Often they may be right but more often than not they express a matter of taste over something quite subjective. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/32 "2020-10-22T03:01:18Z")
That’s not been my experience. I enjoy working with other lawyers on files, and the better the lawyer, the better the experience. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338/33 "2020-10-22T17:39:45Z")
Likewise. As to interpreters, I once worked on a civil trial where almost everyone involved was Romanian, or Romanian-speaking. Each side brought its own interpreter for the court. By the end of the trial, the interpreters were arguing with each other over their respective interpretations! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-professions-are-the-most-openly-critical-of-each-other-which-are-most-protective/923338.md?page=1)