A Self Portrait...

19 December 2013

Ultracrepidarianism

Or the habit of speaking about something without much knowledge of the subject.There are times when ultracrepidarianism  can probably be applied to me, truth to tell there are times when  ultracrepidarianism can be applied to most if not all of us which probably goes some way to explaining why ultracrepidarianism is a word not used very often!  However on some subjects there are few more expert than li'l oul me.

What I know is that for some people opinions expressed are not so much genuine beliefs as they are salable commodities to be finessed to which ever group is required by whichever, and the market seems broad, employers. Oftentimes such opinions are expressed on sites frequented by a predominantly young audience. There is a real danger that influence gained in this way could be harmful.

It becomes a form of advertising: an apparently young, confident, successful poster/blogger will enthuse wildly over a tv show oftentimes concentrating on the lead players good looks and wonderful personality. Photographs will be posted always flattering, youthful, fun to watch.

Paganism is another money earner, never have I seen so many altars there is one for every possible occasion and often some to spare.  Each of them has its own array of essential ornaments, stones, powders etc. etc. All available at 'X' store. Spells are posted which need this and that also available at the store.

Its blatant but its also subtle since every advert is placed by an ordinary person, a real witch, genuine fan of whichever.  Some may think its harmless even funny but its not its one of the most insidious forms of advertising I've seen and for the owners of the sites it has the added and most important advantage of increasing the number of hits because each employee has more than one identity and flits between them to boost their own numbers, the apparent popularity of their poster colleagues and ultimately the popularity of the site itself. All of this makes the people involved, their opinion, their self satisfaction and their expertise not worthless but potentially dangerous. The people who do this are well aware of how damaging exposure would be to them.

You don't like that? Find your hole, by all means use both hands and a map, and shove it.

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