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All those of you who are making analogies, consider this one: Famous biologist, who wrote several groundbreaking papers in her field, who spent her whole life in the lab and the field and the college classroom, finding that, because academia is ruthless and unrelenting, that the singleminded pursuit of her research was incompatible with a normal life and that her marriage failed and children were out of the question, that all she has now is her work and her cat, goes to a dinner party.
She's asked the question, "What do you do?" She doesn't expect anyone to be in awe of her (that would be embarrassing), or even understand what she's done. But she dreads answering, because the rest of the evening is filled with really stupid questions and comments, people insisting that evolution is just a theory and that there HAS to be a master designer, people who took biology in high school and thought it was easy and how scientists studying the effects of cow flatulence on global warming are wasting taxpayer money, and how they read a book about how vaccinations cause autism, and finally, a ten-minute lecture on an outdated theory that was taught in the speaker's daughter's high school biology class. Biologist explains that actually, this isn't true, and gets a pitying smile. Biologist is polite and encouraging through all these conversations. She goes home with a massive headache.
These people have not studied biology. They may have taken a class in biology, but they have not studied biology.
Yeah, after reading Sey's article and seeing a lot of these comments, I can sympathize. (I'm not a biologist, but I know how frustrating social interactions can be for experts when they encounter people who think their tiny bit of knowledge and experience qualifies them to hold forth on all kinds of subjects they really don't understand.)
The elite are different from you and me. Get over yourselves, and have a little respect, and maybe people like Sey, who sounds like she's outwardly a good sort, will be able to kill off their "inner jerks."
