Friday, May 16, 2008

Institute of Expertology

This guys are the cat's meow for sure. I have not been able to stop thinking about them or their Institute since last Friday. Literally, I have thought about it everyday, multiple times.

n May 2 Christopher Cerf and Victor Namasky appeared on the Bill Moyers show discussing their Institute of Expertology.http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05022008/profile3.html

Cerf and Namasky aim to show how hollow media and administration officials' statements are when they speak about matters such as the Iraq invasion. Newscasters like Bill O'Reilly making constant statements like "The war will be over in a week. No questions." Where the hell does he get off saying that? What is his evidence? What does he know about Iraq? War? The Middle East? Oh wait, he has an ex generals turned private security contractor that will make millions on the war and that the Defense Dept hired to sell the war to the media? Perfect. Bush saying "I don't think there will be any casualties." Cerf and Namasky don't just call out out only Republicans and conservatives though, that call out everyone, and that is why they are the most important men alive in my opinion.

(My greatest friend ever Andrea, who knows more about the Middle East than anyone alive and actually is an expert (and therefore would not be in Cerf and Namasky's book) said that our blog should be all about 'calling people out.' That is my goal - to debunk stereotypes and call people out for saying ignorant unresearched comments about Middle East, Arabs, and Islam when they know nothing. Therefore I feel a special bond with Cerf and Namaksy, I wish they felt that bond with me but I doubt it. (But don't worry, I am going to write to them, and then hopefully through my constant pestering they will realize we share the same vision. That sounds a little stalker, I didn't mean it like that. )

Cerf and Namasky call people about about the most important and worst decision the US ever made: Invading Iraq. Their books, Mission Accomplished: How We Won the War in Iraq as well as The Experts Speak: The Definitive Compendium on Authoritative Misinformation http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mission+accomplished+cerf, for one show that we went to war based on fake experts' opinions. They are books of endless quotations from Government officials, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Perle, Wolfowitz, and media analysts who frequently threw on their expert costumes leading up to the war.

This is their Institute: http://instituteofexpertology.wordpress.com/.

I am sending an application in IMMEDIATELY.

Also, the name cracks me up. I mean I know the whole idea is not a total joke, but it just does such a good job of playing the experts' game. I mean I can actually see Bill O'Reilly thinking it real and wanting to be a member.

1 comment:

Chris Cerf said...

Dear Christine!

One of "the most important men alive!" My gosh, no one has even come close to saying THAT about me before! Victor and I are deeply honored by your post and, contrary to what you might think, we DO feel we share a bond with you! No need to send in a membership application to the Institute of Expertology -- your excellent efforts on behalf of "debunking stereotypes" (not to mention your very kind words!) qualify you automatically as an Institute fellow. Welcome! -- Chris Cerf