Sunday, December 30, 2012

My Gun Control Idea

So here's my unattainable thought for how to get rid of a lot of assault rifles (which is a huge problem in the US).

Let's put human greed to work.

1. Make their sale illegal.

2. Offer a generous bounty on their return (more than their original cost.)

3. Don't require proof of ownership at the turn in.

My thought is that eventually outlaws will start stealing each other's rifles and turning them in.
There will be a slow attrition.  If it slows, raise the bounty.

Police and military ones would be specially marked so they can be spotted at turn in.


Sunday, December 09, 2012

That Word "Expert"

So I've been noticing over time that when I hear the word "expert" my skeptic filters instantly engage.

Not so much when watching TV, but more in person.

The word itself tells me nearly nothing about the person being described.  It tells me a lot about the person speaking.  It usually means that the speaker doesn't understand the subject that they are saying the other person is an "expert" at.  What they are in a sense saying is that "This person I am calling an expert knows way more about subject X than I do."

Also, the more a person knows about a subject the less they would say the word expert (if ever).  I am an IT person with 18 years of experience.  I am not an expert at all.  I am a generalist, but someone describing me might use other vocabulary.

One way to learn more about the "expert" knows to have the speaker tell you more.  "Could you describe what this person helped you do?"  Or just let them talk.  There is information in the details, but you have to go through a lot of superfluous words first.