Odd Ramblings :: Misconceptions
"Ignorance is bliss" -- Thomas Gray
Certainly, no project is without its share of problems. Perhaps the biggest hurdle I've had to overcome with building a nuclear fusor is that people don't believe me, or people think I'm insane---or both. It's all too common that I'll tell someone that I'm interested in nuclear physics at my age, the result being them shrugging me off or talking me down.
It wouldn't bother me so much if the people who held the world's purse strings weren't that sort.
A lot of the appall and (suggested) glitz that surrounds my project comes from misconceptions---almost all of it spread by an incomplete, yet what people tend to believe is conclusive, knowledge. The end result is nothing less than them proceeding to make a mockery of those who really know what they're talking about and those who get their hands dirty. And even within those circles where such knowledge is their day-to-day business, some things never live down their aura of being incredibly hard to reach---if not impossible--- such things as cold fusion have had their research funding cut off or actively denied due to one or two amazingly exaggerated failures in their past.
And even then, people still make assumptions about things they shouldn't. That nuclear fusion requires a multibillion dollar budget, or that it requires stories and stories of equipment dedicated to the task---surely by those standards what I'm trying to do is tantamount to nothing more than crackpottery, and there's no telling what I'll say next. In those people's minds, I've already been branded a crackpot and laughed at.
This is all good and fine with me, but let's get to the point: why do people pass judgement on things so easily?
The endless unbidden segues of people's derision aren't confined to laymen faced with nuclear physics, either. They pervade the streets, and indeed, a lot of people say things that they probably shouldn't when involved in conversation---even some of the most trivial conversations I've overheard are pretty ridiculous when you look at their base; pop culture is perhaps the most poignant example. People will go on and on about various stars' lives, considering their minor details about marriages and childbirth, to the point of insanity. What makes these people so special? While they may have money, yes, and while they may have done some good things in their field of excellence, surely there isn't reason to go about discussing who's-dating-who as a matter of serious interest.
Perhaps the allure of observing their lives is because they think it's so interesting and flawless; that stars live lives without any problems of serious magnitude. But then again, that's another misconception--they have as many problems as anyone else does, guaranteed. (It raises the question as to why people don't look at their lives in awe, eh?)
But onto another field full of misconception landmines---the computer industry. There are more misconceptions in this industry than anyone could ever dream to count, just due to all the jargon and incredible speed at which the market moves. People don't care to research their terms before passing judgement, and that has seriously hurt some proceedings over time.
Case in point: Senator Ted Stevens' speech on Net Neutrality. Many people have, no doubt, discussed his description of the Internet---that it is "a series of tubes," and that one is capable of sending an "internet."
Just the use of such terminology and the inappropriate analogies he made tipped me off to the fact that he didn't really know what he was talking about---or if he did, he was doing an awful job of presenting his knowledge; that would be something that one would expect a Senator to be resonably competant at. Not only did he not end at the bad analogues, but he proceeded to delve into a long discussion about how net neutrality would be an issue that could be solved only by listening to his advice; indeed the tone he spoke with seemed nigh well authoritative, if not condescending. He was really in quite a rant in those moments.
How could he talk like that---on such a big issue that deals with millions of peoples' welfare---if he didn't know the truth of the matter himself?
Just as Thomas Gray put it, ignorance is bliss---but only in totality. All to often people catch wind of some piece of evidence, and then pass it off as if they were experts in the field themselves. I'll admit that people don't--and can't--know every single thing about a subject, that encyclopaedic knowledge is pretty impossible to attain for most people. At the very least, though, people should read as much as they can and resist passing judgement on a topic.
While ignorance can be hurtful, partial knowledge can only be more so.