White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Whom Should You Trust?

WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS VOICE. JUNE 20, 2005: A reader taken to task for questioning professionals in a recent comment responds. Here is another thoughtful "take" from Don Hughes:

Whom should you trust?

My recent comments about architects were criticized as misrepresenting the function of an architect. A comparison to doctors was made, and it was implied that I would not question the recommendations of my physician.

Actually, the first draft of my letter used a doctor instead of an architect, but it brought to mind the recent articles about Terry Schiavo and I felt that this would interfere with my point, so I changed it. But it is an interesting question, and in more general terms reduces to: How should you treat professional advice -- whether the professional is a doctor, architect, President, accountant, plumber, or hairdresser?

The choices range from ‘the professional knows best’, to ‘if you want it done right, do it yourself’. I lean towards the latter.

If the consequences of making a mistake are minimal, then by all means unquestionably accept the professional’s advice. If the mechanic says that you need new wiper blades, fine, just do it. But, if he says that your 2-year-old car needs to have the engine rebuilt, then you should ask for details.

Getting expert advice should not be used as an excuse for not taking responsibility. If the responsibility is ours, then we should fully understand the choices. And, the more important something is to us personally, the more we should question the experts. We should demand that the professionals explain the pros and cons in a manner that we can understand. We should feel free to seek alternative advice.

Would you buy a new house just based on a real-estate agent’s recommendation without looking at it first? If after moving in, you found that you did not like it, would you blame the agent? I know people who would. Life tends to push them around, and mistakes are always someone else’s fault. Personally, I would look at the house myself and make up my own mind.

A doctor may know what is normal or common for the general population, but I know what is normal for me. Just because it is a particularly bad allergy season, because there has been a recent jump in allergy and asthma complaints in other patients, my symptoms are similar to those of other allergy suffers, and, well, ‘everybody’ has it this season; I am not going to just accept a diagnosis of persistent coughing and breathing difficulties as an allergy attack when it is different from any other allergy attack that I have ever had in the past.

If a doctor told me that I needed a heart bypass I would not just say, ‘OK, when?’ I would ask about the consequences of putting it off, about angioplasty, or maybe stenting, or lifestyle changes, and I certainly would not hesitate to get a second or third opinion.

I subscribe to Consumer Reports, but do not just automatically buy their top rated choices. I frequently find that things that they have weighed heavily in their rankings are unimportant to me. But, they explain how they tested and ranked the products, so that I can decide for myself which of their recommendations to accept.

Maybe 40 stories is a reasonable height for new downtown development, but since it will be impossible to correct later if we make a mistake, and since it affects the very core of White Plains, it goes beyond discussions of carrying capacities, sight lines, impact statements, and traffic studies; and my input is just, if not more, important as that of the professionals.

Over the years, I have met a lot of people who were legislators, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, teachers, or other professionals who I thought were incompetent. It has been my experience, that you cannot learn ‘common sense’ and that money and position makes up for a lot of stupidity and evil.

We have a person like Berry Ebbers -- late of WorldCom -- who was in Fortune, Forbes, and Business Week. Who gave thousands of speeches. Who received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees, was inducted into the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame, was Alumnus of the Year, was an authority. When people listened to him speak, they seldom looked past the money. His money gave him power, made him an expert, and made his opinions count more other people’s opinions. More people should have challenged him.

Locally, we have professional accountants explaining to the Common Council that not including money from the one-shot sale city property in the budget is like not cashing a lottery ticket. We have the professionals telling us that we have no control over the new downtown Wal-Mart because it is just a new tenant in an existing location, when common sense tells us that we have a lot of leverage. Should we just give up, or should be try to open a dialogue?

In summary, we should not be intimidated by professionals. They work for us; we do not work for them. Their opinions, recommendations, and experiences are valuable resources, but not the only, or most important.

As a final thought, it is also important to question the experts that you agree with. After all, for many years everyone knew that the earth was flat, and they stuck leeches on you for everything from headaches to hemorrhoids.

...don

dhughes


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