Is it just me or is everyone on social media an expert...in everything. Experts have always been a mixed bag, with some of them hoping to help large amounts of people while others hope to use their expertise to further dubious causes. It is perfectly fine not to blindly trust whoever claims to be an expert in any subject; however, there comes a point where the questioning can turn into unwarranted interrogation. Not every expert is a scam artist; many of them have valuable information for us, but many people in this country and around the world have grown so paranoid that they automatically disagree with anything that comes out of a professional's mouth. But this creates the obvious problem of how to get your information if you do not trust any sources as being reliable. In order to replace these reliable sources people basically make up whatever they hell they like. This is why amateurs all over the world are now regarded as authorities by massive swaths of people. These amateur experts have built massive followings on social media, giving them the appearance of professionalism without the hard work or experience that actually goes in to expertise. You will often hear these people refer to themselves as "independent researchers"; hold on a minute, we all know that most people do not like to do research so why the hell is Uncle Cletus all of a sudden interested in brushing up on some Ayn Rand or Aldous Huxley. What gives? An organized attack on reliable sources of information by the far right have destroyed all trust in expertise, while at the same time elevating the intellectual laziness that goes along with being a high school drop out. Mediocrity, not greatness or excellence, is admired by the right; they see it as a badge of honor to think less, not more. The right has rebranded this form of willing stupidity as a kind of badge of honor. Their research is done in gun shops and first person shooter video games. Their debates are nothing more than insulting rhetoric. Their strategy for a better world is genocide and brute force. Dressing up this rabid violence and vitriol as a form independent thinking is far more appealing to people than throwing up Nazi signs and planning coups. So the rise of the amateur expert is simply a disguise for the greater rebellion that is being organized by the right. It is a distraction so well organized that anyone who calls it out is seen as an instigator, an obstacle to some unity that the left fantasizes about, a unity that will never come until leftists are not longer allowed to speak, and perhaps even breathe. Ignorant people believe that there is some value to this sort of rhetoric, that claiming to know things when you do not is somehow admirable. I fervently disagree with this notion. The problem with lies is that you can never really tell when a person is lying or just gullible. Up until this point, we have assumed gullibility in evil people; we have been assuming that the rise of the alt-right and the proliferation of their ideology was because of ignorance. But ignorance is not a choice. Ignorance just happens to people through not fault of their own. But if the problem was solely ignorance than why are schools not helping? Why are the endless streams of public service announcements failing to inform the populous in a timely fashion? The problem is not ignorance; the problem is ideology. These people know what they are doing. They know that they are misinforming large amounts of people. That is the point, to destabilize the nation so that they can take power. So whenever you see some amateur expert pop up on quora or twitter when you are trying to have a civil discussion, hit the mute button or block them. Do not give them the opportunity to spread lies to your friends or loved ones. Or, if you are against censorship like I am, simply shame and mock them until they stop their nonsense. Both techniques are effective, unlike the so called research of Uncle Cletus.