You're deliberately misunderstanding me, which is typical. My point is that progressives who have years of experience working on these issues should have more weight, all other things being equal, than those who do not.
For example, all other things being equal, my opinion should have more weight on the question of the political impact of the fight over the Hagel nomination than the opinion of Jim Devine, because I have worked on these issues since 1983, and Jim Devine has not. On Sat, Jan 12, 2013 at 11:34 AM, Jim Devine <[email protected]> wrote: > Robert Naiman wrote: >> Well, my main point is that people who know more should have more >> weight than people who know less; in particular, people who have >> worked on an issue more should have more weight than people who have >> worked on it less. > > So the opinions of the person who has been managing the Union Carbide > India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal for years should have more > weight than those who suddenly become interested in the issue because > a bunch of methyl isocyanate gas came into their houses and kill their > loved ones? > > But in the story of the emperor's new clothes, the statement of the > kid who yells "the emperor has no clothes" deserves more attention > than those of the faux-tailors who say that "only really smart and > noble people can see these beautiful robes." > > In fact, it's wrong to put more weight on _anyone's_ opinion (except > mine, natch). That's a recipe for group-think and/or > leadership-worship. Someone's opinion deserves more weight depending > on its amount of factual content and logical acumen, not to mention > the completeness of their analysis (not leaving key questions out). > And someone who presents facts, logic, and complete analysis in one > context may not do so in another. > -- > Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your > own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l -- Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org [email protected] _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
