‘Experts’

[Siderite]

It looks like the ‘experts’ were right in their assessment of the Nicola Bulley case and the ‘common sense’ brigade of armchair detectives who know much better were wrong. The police have found a body in the river. I am sure we will get loads of mea culpas from the critics, given the infallibility of their ‘common sense’ failed them and given they slam the authorities for failure (often with merit) I am sure they will oblige.

Oh, wait, it will all be ‘fishy’ and a conspiracy; it cannot be that the armchair experts are wrong. That’s for the ‘experts’ who train for the jobs they do, unlike Nige from The Pig & Whistle or Gerald on the golf course, with his tweed trousers, who ramble there knowingly from the flawless background of intuition and suspicion.

There is an annoying trend where people who actually train for a specialist role, in science, law or whatever, gets dismissed as snobbish know-nothings who are in it for money, while anyone can know or do better with their ‘common sense’. Of course it is possible for those who haven’t trained at a role to have good knowledge, but those who do use their critical thinking and learning. Too often people just think they can waltz into a topic and be treated as something akin to an expert when they can’t be bothered to learn or use thinking. Anything against their opinion has to be due to an agenda, because God forbid them being wrong; that would be elitism. They say we should always question experts as an excuse. It is imperative that we do, experts aren’t always right, but we should also question those questioning experts. There are far more times when they’re wrong.

When it comes to sleuthing in crimes it can have worrying consequences, as we have seen with Nicola Bulley. Vultures sniffing round, would-be Sherlock Holmes wandering and potentially disrupting a crime scene (assuming it was one). It has happened a lot, especially with the advent of true crime podcasts taking off and they often hinder. It turns out simplistic reliance on the ‘common sense’ of mankind isn’t as good as actual expertise. Once again, I am not saying only experts can have this, but those who aren’t experts help by thinking and working, not just using their ‘common sense’ and intuition as they like to think.

Anyway, this bizarre news story may have an answer now with Bulley’s body being found. It’s a sad day for her family and friends, but I guess having closure will help more than being clueless.

[Siderite]

I should also add that I was confused by it and was sceptical of the river claim. There is nothing wrong with that. What I have issue with here is the arrogant talk of doing a better job, when we didn’t know as much as the police, didn’t know the entire focus of their investigation and were certain. Many were talking as if their knowledge was infallible, to the point they were blaming people for murder.

The case was odd, and many things were suspicious, but the evidence wasn’t there for any hypothesis from the amateur. Yet they were speaking as if it was unquestionable for whatever pet theory they had.

[Deereyme66]

Good points Siderite. This dismissal of experts is way too prevalent nowadays. Just to add on this topic, I don’t think there was any need whatsoever for the police to highlight her struggling with the menopause and alcohol. They were supposed to be investigating a missing person not writing a piece for Women’s Own. Any wonder their ŕeputation is so low?

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Siderite

[Siderite]

I agree.

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