From: Christopher R Volpe Newsgroups: alt.humor.best-of-usenet Subject: [sci.physics.relativity] Re: What did I... Just Say? Date: 1 Apr 1997 18:28:21 GMT Subject: Re: What did I... Just Say? From: Anthony Potts Newsgroups: sci.physics.relativity Larry Richardson wrote: > It's been obvious for some time that Henry has already made up his mind > what is "true" and is now engaged in the process of selectively > embracing those "facts" that will support his position while > rationalizing or ignoring those that would cast doubt upon it - Henry is > just more subtle and resourceful than some of the other naysayers that > have been doing the same thing for a much longer time. > > LR > I believe that there are certain things that you aren't allowed to do without the requisite training and/or experience. Flying a commercial aeroplane springs to mind, as does operating on sick animals. I am starting to think that the same should be true for pontificating at great length about the new physics that someone has just discovered. The problem is, of course, that the world is full of stupid people. Literally crammed full of them. Now, whilst falling well short of genius level does not and should not preclude someone from fitting a new washing machine or operating a checkout in a supermarket, I think it's time to realise that you do actually have to be clever to understand the workings of the physical universe. Basically, we are getting a lot of people who aren't too bright trying their hand at a subject which requires decent mental ability. The problem is, of course, that whilst people don't mind admitting that they can't run a sub ten second 100 metres, they just can't seem to accept that they are never going to be a rocket scientist, and so they mistakenly believe that they have what it takes to understand physics. Please people, unless youare academically clever, unless you actually have the pieces of paper to prove it, unless people other than yourself have commented on your mental brilliance (and preferably offered you large sums of money for the processing power of your mind), don't mess with physics. You are only going to confuse yourself. Now, whilst people will start to howl and complain that I am being elitist, think on this for a while. You wouldn't let some random person fly you to your holiday destination just because he claimed that he knew better than the commercial pilots (in fact, if he claimed that, you most certainly wouldn't let him near the cockpit), so why should society let people loose with physics. Ideas are, after all, more dangerous than weapons. We don't let our enemies have weapons if we can help it, so why let them have ideas? Fellow scientists, I beseech you to join with me in this, my greatest campaign to date. Shut the stupid people up. Stop them talking rubbish day after day. Make a university degree the minimum requirement for access to the net, and save our children's brains from being turned to mush by the rantings of the imbeciles. Thank you. Anthony Potts CERN, Geneva