[ale] a specter is haunting our school systems!

[Charles Shapiro]

It's human nature: the less competent we are at something, the more we
over-estimate our competence.

http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp7761121.pdf (pdf file)

-- CHS


2008/12/11 Michael B. Trausch <mike at trausch.us>

> On Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:06:21 -0500
> Jim Philips <philips_jim at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> > I don't have any trouble believing it. The frightening thing is this
> > combination, which is dangerous wherever it occurs:
> >
> > 1. someone eager to enforce the law
> > 2. at the same time, clueless as to what the law really is
> > 3. in a position of authority
> >
> > This teacher might have taken some time to understand the situation
> > before expressing herself so forcefully. But apparently that kind of
> > self doubt is not natural for her. She might also have limited
> > herself to putting a check on things that interfere with her
> > classroom activities. But she didn't. I thought the blogger's
> > response was excellent and restrained.
>
> I have known _many_ people to have such misconceptions, telling me that
> the software is absolutely illegal.  Such people usually cite
> Microsoft's "Genuine Software" campaign, which has radio and billboard
> advertisements that say things like "Acme, Inc. got computer viruses
> because they were using software obtained for free [alluding to
> privacy, but vague enough for people to understand what Microsoft
> wanted to say].  Are _you_ using Microsoft Genuine Software?"
>
> What's even more sad than that, though, is that one can even point
> these people to copyright law---on government web sites---and point out
> the licenses which govern things from books to CDs to proprietary
> software to Free Software, and they will *still* hold their assertions
> to be true.  They will tell you that since you were able to provide the
> information that it _must_ be false, that the government web site must
> _obviously_ be a fake, and more.  They are incapable of seeing how very
> wrong they are when they make assertions without having any absolute
> knowledge of the way things work, because most people operate at this
> very high-level view of "you get what you pay for," and of course if
> you didn't pay for it all you're going to get is trouble.
>
> Even sadder than that, is that such rampant ignorance is easily found
> _everywhere_.  A few days ago I was out and gave a random someone a
> copy of Ubuntu, and 'twas turned down because I am clearly not a
> software vendor and the software was being given away, which
> _obviously_ meant that it was against the law.
>
> One reason I won't try to advocate to people in positions of power,
> for sure.  The last thing I need is for some ignorant officer to arrest
> me.  If I were alone in the world, I wouldn't mind it, because I'd have
> the time to make an example of them.  I'd *love* to do so.  Then again,
> I am just a jaded twentysomething who has lost his faith in the ability
> of the mass population to be smart, or at least able to think for
> themselves.
>
>        --- Mike
>
> --
> My sigfile ran away and is on hiatus.
> http://www.trausch.us/
>
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