Okay, so maybe this post isn't about a crazy thing that has occurred in Louisiana, but I want this post to get a bit more views than what something like it would normally see.
I've been pondering a bit lately about what exactly the purpose of an internet forum, such as Bayoushooter, is and how it can shape peoples' views and mindset. Of course, a lot of our users join to buy or sell items, but the ones who choose to stay are likely those who are either really bored and have literally nothing else to do, or are who are passionate or somewhat passionate about firearms, shooting sports, or the legal rights related to firearm ownership. Generally, those who fall into the latter category are going to be the ones who their friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances label as 'the guy who knows about guns.' Growing up, I always knew that my dad and step-dad were gun-guys. A lot of their friends were gun-guys. People who hung around with them who weren't as passionate about guns would always come to them for firearm advice. This is a very common thing and I imagine that many of you fall into the category of the person who can supply advice about these things to others.
With that in mind, looking back at my childhood, I grew up knowing that revolvers were better than semi-automatics. I knew that all of the cool guys carried in the small of their back or in shoulder-holsters (with Walther's, while sipping martinis that were shaken, and never stirred). I knew that all men had a 'truck gun.' I knew that 45s had more 'stopping power' than 9mm, 380, 22lr, and etc. I knew that manual safeties were important on carry pistols. I also knew that one hit from a shotgun is all it took to win a gunfight (and of course that it blew people backward at least 30 feet). Fast forward a good 20 years, or so, and I know that I really didn't know anything. I still don't know nearly as much as I'd like to, especially about the AR or AK platforms, but I strive to learn more every day.
There is a study/theory that has been brought up a few times on here and in various firearm communities that I think deserves more light: The Dunning-Kruger Effect. In summary, it is a "cognitive bias whereby people who are incompetent at something are unable to recognize their own incompetence." Further, "not only do they fail to recognize their incompetence, they're also likely to feel confident that they actually are competent." In layman's terms, you simply do not know what you do not know. (Link here for quote and more information ...it's a cool study.) Applied to firearms, the legalities surrounding firearms, and the topics that often come up when discussing firearms (gear, medical, tactics, training, and etc), a lot of people who are looked upon as 'gun guys' by their peers fall into scope of the Dunning-Kruger effect in that they think they know a lot more than they actually do, because of the slight pedestal that they are placed on.
While in graduate school I focused heavily on management consulting/process improvements and now work in a similar role. Two common topics that come up are 'industry best practices' and 'challenging the status quo.' All of the Fortune 500 companies pay consulting firms collective billions of dollars to help them shift their process towards heavily researched industry best practices and to help them improve everything that they do (challenging their current processes). Why? Because incremental improvement yields higher returns
to shareholders or minimizes risk weights. In short, incremental improvement = more money. When consultants come in and look at processes or their related procedures, the first question that they ask is 'Why are you doing this process this way?' More often than not, the answer is 'because this is how it's always been done' or because 'this is how ABC does it.' These two answers pop up a lot on this forum whenever individuals are challenged on why they do something. Time and time again, I see people state that they do something because it "works for them."
Not everyone may follow my mantra of constantly striving to do better at everything in life, and that's totally understandable. Life is busy and devoting time to improving aspects of one's self is a tough commitment. What's important for everyone to understand is that what "works for you" doesn't mean it is "the right way," "the better way," or "the best way." In the topic of firearms, there generally isn't a "right way" to most things, but there is often a better way. There are a lot of people, groups, agencies, and companies who rely on firearms, pertinent gear, and tactics to protect themselves, their loved ones, their clients, or society. These groups collectively have a lot of time and resources and collectively have developed "best practices," as mentioned above. Individuals, unlike companies who can rely on consultants or industry research to learn these best practices, have a disadvantage of discovering and learning these best practices. Often these best-practices are retained bu "top-tier operators," and don't make their way down to the everyday armed citizen. Relating to my first paragraph of this post, this is something that I believe forums and communities like BayouShooter can help with. We can help spread the best practices and challenge the status quo. We can help lessen the spread of bad information and educate our peers on more correct ways to do things.
I recently received a PM from an unnamed user on the forum, below:
What this shows is that people come here and learn things. We can all do our part to help them by challenging our beliefs before posting them. If you do something, but you don't have an explanation for why you do it, it's probably best that you don't post it. Again, something that "works for you," likely isn't a "best practice" and there is probably a better way.
Additionally, I urge everyone to take formal classes from instructors. Take classes from different instructors. In class, challenge the instructor if something they are stating seems stupid or unjustifiable. There is no grading system for what makes someone a good instructor, and really, at the end of the day, if they are 'reputable', you will probably take something good away from the class. If they seem like they are doing unsafe or stupid things, you can always walk away and ask for your money back. They may oblige or they might not.
Finally, we can all do our part by challenging information that we see/hear (on the internet and in-person). If someone is doing or saying something that seems like it might not be the best idea, call them out. If all that someone can say to justify their position is that it "works for them," it probably isn't a best-practice. We can all work together to help spread good information and slow the spread of bad information.
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TLDR: You don't know what you don't know. If the only reason you do something is because it "works for you," there is probably a better way that has been researched by people who rely upon the "better/best way." Challenge yourself and your peers to question why you do things and try to improve yourself in everything that you do in life. And please, don't leave unsecured weapons in places that aren't fortified or within your immediate control (ie, don't leave guns in your vehicles).
I'd love to discuss below (to keep this thread bumped up).
I've been pondering a bit lately about what exactly the purpose of an internet forum, such as Bayoushooter, is and how it can shape peoples' views and mindset. Of course, a lot of our users join to buy or sell items, but the ones who choose to stay are likely those who are either really bored and have literally nothing else to do, or are who are passionate or somewhat passionate about firearms, shooting sports, or the legal rights related to firearm ownership. Generally, those who fall into the latter category are going to be the ones who their friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances label as 'the guy who knows about guns.' Growing up, I always knew that my dad and step-dad were gun-guys. A lot of their friends were gun-guys. People who hung around with them who weren't as passionate about guns would always come to them for firearm advice. This is a very common thing and I imagine that many of you fall into the category of the person who can supply advice about these things to others.
With that in mind, looking back at my childhood, I grew up knowing that revolvers were better than semi-automatics. I knew that all of the cool guys carried in the small of their back or in shoulder-holsters (with Walther's, while sipping martinis that were shaken, and never stirred). I knew that all men had a 'truck gun.' I knew that 45s had more 'stopping power' than 9mm, 380, 22lr, and etc. I knew that manual safeties were important on carry pistols. I also knew that one hit from a shotgun is all it took to win a gunfight (and of course that it blew people backward at least 30 feet). Fast forward a good 20 years, or so, and I know that I really didn't know anything. I still don't know nearly as much as I'd like to, especially about the AR or AK platforms, but I strive to learn more every day.
There is a study/theory that has been brought up a few times on here and in various firearm communities that I think deserves more light: The Dunning-Kruger Effect. In summary, it is a "cognitive bias whereby people who are incompetent at something are unable to recognize their own incompetence." Further, "not only do they fail to recognize their incompetence, they're also likely to feel confident that they actually are competent." In layman's terms, you simply do not know what you do not know. (Link here for quote and more information ...it's a cool study.) Applied to firearms, the legalities surrounding firearms, and the topics that often come up when discussing firearms (gear, medical, tactics, training, and etc), a lot of people who are looked upon as 'gun guys' by their peers fall into scope of the Dunning-Kruger effect in that they think they know a lot more than they actually do, because of the slight pedestal that they are placed on.
While in graduate school I focused heavily on management consulting/process improvements and now work in a similar role. Two common topics that come up are 'industry best practices' and 'challenging the status quo.' All of the Fortune 500 companies pay consulting firms collective billions of dollars to help them shift their process towards heavily researched industry best practices and to help them improve everything that they do (challenging their current processes). Why? Because incremental improvement yields higher returns
to shareholders or minimizes risk weights. In short, incremental improvement = more money. When consultants come in and look at processes or their related procedures, the first question that they ask is 'Why are you doing this process this way?' More often than not, the answer is 'because this is how it's always been done' or because 'this is how ABC does it.' These two answers pop up a lot on this forum whenever individuals are challenged on why they do something. Time and time again, I see people state that they do something because it "works for them."
Not everyone may follow my mantra of constantly striving to do better at everything in life, and that's totally understandable. Life is busy and devoting time to improving aspects of one's self is a tough commitment. What's important for everyone to understand is that what "works for you" doesn't mean it is "the right way," "the better way," or "the best way." In the topic of firearms, there generally isn't a "right way" to most things, but there is often a better way. There are a lot of people, groups, agencies, and companies who rely on firearms, pertinent gear, and tactics to protect themselves, their loved ones, their clients, or society. These groups collectively have a lot of time and resources and collectively have developed "best practices," as mentioned above. Individuals, unlike companies who can rely on consultants or industry research to learn these best practices, have a disadvantage of discovering and learning these best practices. Often these best-practices are retained bu "top-tier operators," and don't make their way down to the everyday armed citizen. Relating to my first paragraph of this post, this is something that I believe forums and communities like BayouShooter can help with. We can help spread the best practices and challenge the status quo. We can help lessen the spread of bad information and educate our peers on more correct ways to do things.
I recently received a PM from an unnamed user on the forum, below:
"I would like to say thank you very much for this site and the dedication that you have towards it. My son and I are new to firearms and the legalities of ownership but I have learned quite a bit just listening in and reading bunch of posts.
There are a lot of opinions that at many times seem to differ. "
What this shows is that people come here and learn things. We can all do our part to help them by challenging our beliefs before posting them. If you do something, but you don't have an explanation for why you do it, it's probably best that you don't post it. Again, something that "works for you," likely isn't a "best practice" and there is probably a better way.
Additionally, I urge everyone to take formal classes from instructors. Take classes from different instructors. In class, challenge the instructor if something they are stating seems stupid or unjustifiable. There is no grading system for what makes someone a good instructor, and really, at the end of the day, if they are 'reputable', you will probably take something good away from the class. If they seem like they are doing unsafe or stupid things, you can always walk away and ask for your money back. They may oblige or they might not.
Finally, we can all do our part by challenging information that we see/hear (on the internet and in-person). If someone is doing or saying something that seems like it might not be the best idea, call them out. If all that someone can say to justify their position is that it "works for them," it probably isn't a best-practice. We can all work together to help spread good information and slow the spread of bad information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TLDR: You don't know what you don't know. If the only reason you do something is because it "works for you," there is probably a better way that has been researched by people who rely upon the "better/best way." Challenge yourself and your peers to question why you do things and try to improve yourself in everything that you do in life. And please, don't leave unsecured weapons in places that aren't fortified or within your immediate control (ie, don't leave guns in your vehicles).
I'd love to discuss below (to keep this thread bumped up).