I enjoy almost any headline that ends with the words "experts say." Rising gas prices hard on commuters, experts say. No perfect gift for everyone, experts say. Experts: they're smart!
My local paper recently ran an article with tips from local experts on saving money: do full loads of laundry, lower the thermostat, turn off lights. Ordinary people could never figure out even a handful of these things on their own, experts say.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Experts say
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comments: 10
I sense a hint of sarcasm in your post. But the truth is, leading thinkers say that those who listen to the advice of experts lead happier, more productive lives.
Yes, just a slight dusting.
Who do leading thinkers listen to? The experts themselves? Or the pre-eminent voices?
Fish-onaries?
: )
For the context, see here:
The Offishial Fish-Joke Post
Okay, fine, but as somebody who is at a university where they light up like candles when my name appears 'above the fold' talking to the press, I'm crying foul. I will spend an HOUR talking to a reporter, trying to give them nuanced ideas about complex urban issues, and I will open the newspaper the next day to read a one-line summary of our conversation that says "University X professor says pins can sometimes be pointy."
The Onion has constantly mocked this, with experts on bong-smoking roommates or "boastful walking styles". But one of my favorites is when exasperated experts tell everyone (who has consistently ignored their advice) to shove it:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29351
What you fail to grasp is that readers respond favorably to articles with titles that end in "Experts Say," experts say.
Chaser, I've also found myself in that position (opining, for instance, that Emily Dickinson's a great poet).
Oscar, thanks for the link. I guess I can accuse The Onion of what Thomas Merton called "anticipatory plagiarism" (discovering that someone else has already thought up what you've thought up).
Babbsela, that's very funny. Thank you.
Oops — it was Robert K. Merton, not Thomas Merton.
Oops again — it appears to have been Winston Churchill.
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