one of my pet peeves

I just don't understand people who, with little practical experience, feel the need to extrapolate their tiny universe into a macro application. It seems like too many people just have to act as if their tiny amount of experience confers on them the status of expert and that they have just as much right to chime in with their opinion regardless of who they are interacting with.

It is epidemic in sports, and very much so in martial art. I remember an internet arguement where a guy who had been training (on his own, with no guiding coach) for about a year, thought he stood on the same level as someone (one of my best friends) who not only had an ungodly amount of experience and individual performance, but who also coached (successfully) professional fighters. Yet, in the other guy's mind, his tiny bit of knowledge was just as valid as my friend's. Another time, another internet debate involved another one of my best friends and someone else discussing empty hand knife defense. The debate revolved around a supposed medical chart that laid out set bleed times that would lead to death. The other guy, with no medical training, was insisting on the fact that this mythical table existed and had even seen it. My buddy, because of his background, knew it was a myth. He asked to be sent a copy. That was over a year and a half ago, and still no copy has been produced. The other guy assumed because he had heard about this fantasy, he had the same level of expertise as someone who actually had the knowledge.

Imagine this scenario. A doctor says he has to perform emergency surgery to save a patient. Someone in the waiting room says "hey, I have seen every episode of House and Gray's Anatomy, plus I once had stitches in my hand, and I think the patient doesn't need surgery". That person would be looked at like he was from Mars. Yet, that EXACT scenario in martial arts plays out everyday on the internet!

So, the next time you feel like commenting on something, do a quick mental check to make sure you should. There is an old saying that goes something like this:

"better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are an idiot, instead of opening your mouth and removing all doubt"