Category Archives: Better Up Against It

At times you just have to take the high road when you are up against it

Drink Driving, Shame, or a True Realisation?

Posted on by
Reply

It became obvious to me when the ABC decided to report on my recent conviction for drink driving that I will be subjected to some changes in my life.

The obvious one of not being able to drive is initially the penalty that I will bear in addition to the $1100.00 fine.  These are practical and financial matters that all of us must deal with in a myriad of areas and ways in navigating a more and more complex world.

The ‘splashing’ of my name, my crime, my personal life and health challenges was a little more than I expected.  Especially considering the ABC saw fit to include it on the national reporting site.  It was a surprise when a friend called me from Queensland to say they saw it on the ABC.

Well, here is the thing for all to see. (click here)

I made a serious mistake, and there is no clever sentence structure, legal nuance, or carefully chosen word that makes that any less true.

There is no “yes, but…” sentence here. There is no “but.” There is only the bad decision and the consequences that follow it.

The reading was low range. That is largely irrelevant in the bigger picture, because low range still means over the limit, and over the limit still means I made the wrong call. I have spent a lifetime telling people that the small decisions are often the dangerous ones, because they are the easiest to justify to yourself in the moment.

What has surprised me is not the penalty, and not even the inconvenience of losing my licence, although I will admit that will test my patience and my planning and lead to many, many frustrations.  Frustrations which I hope will become indelible in my future thinking and decision making. What has surprised me is how quickly my mistake of some three years ago, became newsworthy today.

The uncomfortable truth sitting at the centre of all of this, is not if I acknowledge my mistake, my crime, ignorance, any remorse, shame or guilt I may feel, but, how can this be weaponised for greater entertainment and outrage.

I have seen the consequences of poor decisions on the road, and perhaps I will now further bear the poor decisions of those who subscribe to this entertainment and outrage.

I do not expect a free pass. If anything, it makes the mistake harder to accept, because I cannot pretend I did not understand the risk and the greater consequences coming my way.

Australia loves a ‘hero’ whether in combat, on the sporting field or the neighbour pulling a cat from a burning building.  But Australia, particularly our paid Merchants of Misery, the Media, love nothing more than tearing someone down, particularly when they are vulnerable, when they are down, when they really need a mate more than an attack.  But, the world has, and is changing, Australia has, and is changing.  

When the Queensberry Rules are thrown out the window in the Mixed Martial Arts ring, and when it becomes okay when someone is down, to give them a kicking and a few late punches, to finish them off, it time to review the rules.  Perhaps it is time to walk that mile in another’s shoes, to look in the mirror and be grateful, be thankful that by luck and perhaps the grace of a higher power, there go I. 

This is not written for sympathy. I am not interested in that. This is simply me putting my hand up and saying that I got this wrong, and that matters.

There is one thing that I have always managed through great adversity; it is much like what training does for the pugilist, it gets me down to my fighting weight.

(NOT written by AI – © Ian Schlein)

Run – Hide – Fight – The ‘Active Shooter Strategy’

Posted on by
Reply

The ‘Run – Hide – Fight – Active Shooter Strategy’ is actually taught in schools in the United States. As you can see at the bottom of the poster on the left, it is from a school in Pennsylvania US and is on the schools’ main web page!

I always thought this was sad and tragic?

After the sadness created through the tragedy that happened in Bondi in the last week with 15 people murdered by terrorists,

I think it is time we have a look at our ‘mindset.’

And, I’ll try and do it quickly and with just the basic info? There is a lot of movies that make survival look like its the tough who survive. But, in reality it is the smart, with a whole lot of luck.

I often ‘test’ people and say “What is the First Rule of Survival?’ (I wrote a post about all the rules if you want to have a look – click here)

And, I usually get some good answers, find water, find shelter etc etc. But, like a lot of things, the first rule is obvious and people go “Oh Yeah’ when I tell them but people don’t follow it. Most people don’t think it will happen to them, and when it does it’s often, too late?

The first rule of survival is ”DON’T GET IN A SURVIVAL SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE.”

Just by reading this post you have exponentially increased your chances of survival in numerous situations. Firstly, by the ones you avoid and perhaps having a little more thought before saying ‘Hey, hold my beer, watch this’ or heading off into the bush, or out in the boat, by getting a fire extinguisher and first aid kit for your car, having a fire evacuation plan for your home, etc etc

The ‘Active Shooter’ scenario is just something we hope will not happen again, but….?

One simulation study using agent-based modelling (look this up – it’s really interesting for working out probabilities?) suggested a survival probability of over 92% for individuals who focused solely on running away, compared to only about 5% for those who solely hid.

Most people will ‘hide’ where they first become aware they are in danger. Under a table, lying down on the ground. These ‘hiding places’ often don’t provide cover or concealment.

’Cover’ is behind something that will protect you from gunfire. ‘Concealment’ is something that will ‘hide’ you but wont stop gunfire. Cover and concealment is the answer; but in the moment how do I find that!?

You find it because you know it before the danger arrives by being ‘situationally aware.’

There is not one cop I know who doesn’t think about ‘what if there is a hold up’ every time they walk into a bank?

When you are ‘aware’ of what is happening, if you are in danger, particularly an active shooter situation, you have to ‘respond, not ‘react.’ A ‘reaction’ may actually put you in more danger. By having a route of escape that does not put you in more danger than hiding you are ‘responding’ and making a conscious decision. Remember there is ‘cover’ that will protect you from gun fire and there is ‘concealment’ which means that you can’t be seen but your ‘concealment’ probably wont stop a bullet. You will need, cover, concealment and a route of escape.

I think we’ve all done it. Walked around in a day dream or our head in our phone. I think we’ve all nearly ran over someone who just stepped off the kerb without looking. Situational Awareness is not walking around ‘ALWAYS READY!!!’, it’s just not walking around oblivious.

Also, often when a lot of people run away from danger you have the real possibility of creating a ‘mob stampede’ in which people get injured or killed by the crowd and not the threat. In these situations is not about being the ‘coward’ who ran away, or the ‘hero’ who stayed and fought, it’s about working together and helping each other. Make that your catch phrase if you are in one of these situations. Yell it out “Work together, help each other.” Humans are best when they do that.

I hope you never have to use the information I shared here, other than to stop yourself getting run over, and perhaps see the world a little clearer. And, mostly, not get in a survival situation in the first place.

We Are Australian — Not Because We Wave Flags and sing the national Anthem, but, because… “I am, YOU are, WE are Australian”

Posted on by
Reply

(Note to reader – no pictures this time as I just had to write and post?! – Sorry about the typo’s and spelling errors!)

“If guns kill people, pencils misspell words, cars drink drive, cutlery makes us fat, lighters set bushfires.”


Yesterday. many people were murdered. Australians were murdered and our guests, in Sydney, in Bondi…”

These words, remind us of something important. It isn’t objects, or sensationalised video future of Australians doing what they do, that define tragedy or its cause.

It isn’t simplistic slogans and thoughts. It isn’t panic or division, it’s the human condition, greed, creed, ideology, doctrine, the raw unfortunateness of madness.

And with the promise of more laws slapping on bans, we’re again being told to be afraid and divided instead, from our mates.

Australians don’t scare easy. That’s not in our DNA. From the Dreamtime to the prison ships, from the diggers at Gallipoli to the stories our bush poets wrote that inspired generations, songwriters have sung, what makes us Australian isn’t fear, it’s resilience and looking after each other.

The Seekers got one thing right in We Are Australian.

“We are one, but we are many… We share a dream and sing with one voice: I am, you are, we are Australian.”

That dream isn’t a political slogan. It’s about community, shared struggle, shared strength.

That’s the same spirit John Williamson captured in True Blue, the idea of being fair dinkum, genuine, authentic, and loyal to your mates. True blue isn’t about exclusion or fear. It’s about being good people who look out for one another, stand up when times are tough, and don’t hide behind catchy headlines or fear mongering.

And, Redgum’s I Was Only Nineteen ,haunting ballad about the cost of war, about men in suits sending our young to die in countries they’ve never heard of, in wars they dont understand.

These songs, these Australian anthems, remind us that mate ship isn’t rhetorical, it’s lived in hardship, fire, drought, flood and blood and memory. That song isn’t an anthem about politics, it’s about people.

We are better than fear and division, and what God your pray to.

We don’t need more bans, more fear, more “solutions” that really just divide us and strip away liberty. We need mates ship, empathy and mostly we need to look after each other, especially when the world feels mad, and bad and poor and always on the brink of war.

Australian’s don’t bend easily, . We don’t roll over when someone tells us to be scared or to choose sides. That’s not who Australians are.

And speaking of being ripped off, let’s talk resources, how then ‘popular’ elite that govern us have decided what happens to what we all own.

We are a resource-rich nation, really rich. But, most of the massive profits from our minerals, gas and coal don’t actually make their way back into the community that owns those resources. According to my research, mining taxes and royalties combined make up only about five cents of every dollar of government revenue, despite mining being one of the most profitable sectors. Much of that revenue goes overseas, or into corporate structures designed to minimise tax, sometimes illegally, but most often legally because the system lets them. Many gas fields and resources are exported royalty-free or pay minimal tax, leaving the public, the owners of those resources, with far less than they should receive.

We need to ask, if these companies are digging up our land, exporting our resources and enriching shareholders overseas, why are we not seeing a fair share of that wealth reflected in better hospitals, better schools, better regional services, better support for veterans and struggling communities.

That’s not sovereign wealth. That’s selling the farm and being told we’re lucky they bought it.

Our leaders aren’t always the best qualified, so they hire consultants, for billions, YES billions of dollars, and tell politicians what they want to hear.

Let’s be real. Big politics is often about big egos and small accountability. Hire a consultant and get the answers you want, in black and white, from the experts.

We deserve better, NO we need to start demanding better.. We deserve leaders with backbone, vision, and real understanding of public good over private profit.

So what do we do?

We lean into what makes us Australian. Mateship, you help a mate when he’s in a fight. A fair go, we give it, and we expect it back. Resilience, we don’t cower, we stand up. Truth, we call out bullshit when we see it.

We remember the stories, the songs, the history, the shared struggles. That’s what being Australian really means, not fear, not division, not spin and sensational headlines.

We are better than our fear. We are better than the cheap narratives sold to us to distract us. We are still the people who sing I Am Australian and mean it, because we understand it’s about people, not slogans.

And, this is not a call to ‘action.’
This is a call ‘‘thought.’
It is a call to ‘truth.’
It is a call to “not only some mates looking after some of us, but, all of us looking out for all our mates.’

And, as our mates have lost their lives in the last day or so, we saw when the fighting gets tough and Australian is not who you want to have that fight with. We’d rather have a beer, a chat and sort it out that way. But, somehow we got into a struggle where a bloke born in this country, and his Dad, somehow!!!!, thought it was okay to kill his fellow Australians.

My heart breaks, for those murdered, those injured and those that this day will now define them. But, my heart rejoices in seeing the spirit of Australians in this tragedy, helping their mates, running towards danger for their mates, protecting there mates with their own bodies, getting together and saying we will not live in fear…. And making the ultimate sacrifice because:

No one has greater love than to lay down his life for his friends,”

I am in shock still, I wonder, why we have come to this. My Dad was a Truckee, my Mum a primary school teacher, and we didn’t have much. But, we were happy, and we had our community, a diverse group of countries we were born in and came here from, religions, skin colour, languages spoken at home, sexual orientation, men and women, gays and straights, but, we knew one thing, if they called we went, and if I called I knew they would come.

Because, that’s what Australian’s do.

The only ‘pub test’ was after, wether you were having a soft drink or ‘necking a beer’, because we did it together.

Thanks mate….

PS: When I was writing this I was flicking through all the news stories (with fucking tears in my eyes!) and then I came across the show ‘Love Island Australia’ being aired at the same time…. There is a fair chance we may already be fucked!!!!!!

Random Policing or Tyranny?

Posted on by
Reply

I read the news paper the other day (I scold myself again for wasting the money….) and found the below article hidden in subtext after the winner of a game show and the elections and ramblings of overseas political incomprehensibility.

Screenshot

The article just reminded me of a conversation I had in the mid 1990’s…..

As a bit of history first. I graduated as a Police Officer in 1980.

Drink driving in those days meant that you were not allowed to drive drunk. We often pulled over a driver a bit after midnight (the pubs ALL closed at midnight) and had the following conversation:

“Hey mate where you off too?”
“Just going home”
“Where you coming from”
“Just been down the pub.”
“You had a few?”
“Yeah but I’m okay…”
“Okay mate take it easy, be careful.”
“Yes sir, can I go?”
“Yes mate…..”

Then a short time later ‘The Limit’ came in at 0.08 which nobody really knew what it meant. It became illegal to drive above the limit of alcohol in the blood, whatever that meant. But, the Government put advertisements on TV and it was a catchy phrase, and maybe it was a song something like “Four Men and Women Two” which turned out to be pretty wrong! Who knew?

Drivers then had to ‘blow in the bag’ (some of you will recognise the ‘altho-test’ in the above photo – no fancy electronics!!!) to show us they we sober. Sorry not sober, or too drunk to drive, but, ‘under the limit’ of 0.08. By the way it was still illegal to drive drunk!

Setting up the bag was a nightmare, breaking off the ends of little glass tubes filled with crystals, then connecting it to a bag and a mouth piece (with bare hands…). Then going through the legal jargon of saying blow until the bag is full. Then if the crystals changed colour above a little red line it meant you went over the limit, which was bad.

But, we didn’t do too many, as you had to be observed committing a traffic offence or driving in a manner which indicated your driving was impaired. This had to be see before the Police could pull you over a get you to ‘blow in the bag.’

Okay, later they brought in electronic breatherlsisers and legislation that gave Police the power to take your car and cancel your license on the side of the road. But, before that they did something else which, brings me to the point of my ramblings.

They (the infamous ‘they’, normally meaning the government or big business…) brought in:

RANDOM BREATH TESTING!!!!!!!

Wow! Randomly Policing the public just in case they were committing a crime with no indication that they have ever committed a crime, might commit a crime, let alone are committing a crime…. it’s all ‘random’ ….. dare I say ‘just in’ case Policing?

It was strange, as this is the main point of my story. When they brought in this ‘random policing model’ I was a Detective and studying to be qualified as a Sergeant. It was an era of enlightenment when Policing studies were aligned with TAFE and University Courses and qualifications actually meant something.

I went along to TAFE as a 30’s something fifteen year ‘veteran’ in the Police with the other students in the class being adolescents and kids all around 18 years old, which was a lot of fun. It came to a bit of a head in class discussions when we were doing something relating to random breath testing and drink driving.

I saw an opportunity to cause trouble, never an opportunity I would let pass by and spoke against the principle of random breath testing. Remember everyone was there just to get qualified in something and each 45 minute lecture in Adelaide TAFE was attended just so you could get a basic pass and get on with life.

I realised something while being the ‘devils advocate’ in this lecture it all came down to one question. I asked that question….

DO YOU BELIEVE IN RANDON BREATH TESTING …. AND IF SO, WHY?

Oh yeah, they were all for it. IT Stopped dangerous people on the road, saved lives, lowered traffic injuries and deaths. Unfortunately, experience tells us other than complete tyranny, enforcement has never actually ‘stopped’ a destructive community behaviour or crime problem. I love the story of alcohol prohibition in the US, it worked so well, it created “Organised Crime!”

Now, I want you to imagine you are at home one night with your family just finished tea and taking your positions to watch “Farmer Wants a Wife” or some other inane TV show designed to make you dumber. There is a knock on the door: the family all look at each other in surprise “Oh, I wonder who that could be?” We hear Dad open the front door and a measured and authoritarian voice is heard to say:

“Good evening sir”
Dad: “Hello Officer how can I help you?”
“We are conducting random house searches for drugs and stolen proptery… blah, blah, blah…

Okay, you say not probable, but, I say inevitable…?

But, can you not apply your reasoning for agreeing with random breath testing to this ‘random house searching’. Are they not justified on the same principles?

By allowing the Police to randomly ‘police’ us we are handing over our ‘right’ to go about our business peacefully without interference from an over controlling or oppressive regime. We are handing over all our rights to not be considered ‘possibly guilty until proven innocent.’ That is really the crux of the matter. Your presumption of innocence is surrendered by any form of random policing.

Oh, I hear you say again but that will never happen in Australia!

Well, you mean like, when you are randomly stopped in your car, and the Police have the power of ‘judge, jury and executioner’ when they cancel your licence on the spot and impound your car…. but, aren’t you innocent so why the ‘roadside penalty’ when Court, like a real Court, could be months away. Just point out to me in these situations where is your ‘presumption of innocence.’

Well, sorry too late….. ask those in Port Augusta if they enjoyed tyranny. (PS: The statistics they quote in the article below don’t mean anything?)

Doctor, Doctor…. I’m not paying your “Gap”

Posted on by
Reply

I am a member of a few retired Police Officer and Detective groups which I read and try to constructively contribute to. Many have had real hard times and there is a lot of bitterness, anger and recriminations and allegations about their times of service.

Just lately, while I have been while reading through the posts and comments, I find that they no longer resonate with how I actually see the world.

The bitterness so often displayed, I do not think, is genuinely and objectively looking how we were lucky enough to be able to be make it to a point were we could join ‘retired groups.’ Lots of my mates didn’t make it.

I recently bastardised this quote:

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”

I did this bastardisation when I wrote to a SurgeonSo, Doctor who wanted to charge me a $900.00 gap for a minor medical procedure.  The gap was waives as was that of the anaesthetist.

Please feel free to further bastardise it and be proud of your service and draw its true value to the attention of others in an honourable way…. (Names and a few details changed to be it anonymous – well except for me!

Dear Practice Manager,

Thanks for the email and all the information.

I just had a moment when I received all the information.

I could immediately see that Surgeon XP was a true professional and cared about his patients. I was very impressed by his mentoring of young overseas surgeons, one of whom I met. I am sure all is truely earned by him.

Yes, there is a ‘but’ or I would prefer a ‘however’…..

Professor Bain advised me of the ‘gap’ or ‘out of pocket expenses’ or a new term of prepaying appointments for a year…. I was just interested in my response and feelings when actually seeing it in writing and realising that I would have to call the anaesthetist’s office to find out his/her additional cost?  I’m not going to do that; I’m a little prideful for that.

I think you and most certainly the Professor are aware that I was a retired Police Officer with 38 years experience, 28 as a Detective.

I gave my heart, soul, a marriage and literal blood, sweat and tears in the fulfilment of my oath.  I retired early on invalidity due to stress, anxiety and depression, and moved to my home country town, which I love.  I volunteer, go to Church, was elected to the local Berri Barmera Council, attend a men’s group and run ‘shed squad’ for a few blokes in my own shed on Tuesdays.

I bear no ill will to those I served, for so many years.  An occasional ‘thank you’ was all one could hope for.

I must live with the knowledge that so many slept peacefully in their beds, achieved their aspirations, goals and loves, because I was not with my family, but, one of the men and women who ran towards danger, who became rough in our attitudes and actions, ready to serve violence and take the injuries, so those who slept and rose in the safety we provided,  didn’t have to.  It was our duty, and gift.

So, I am afraid, now, no-one pays my gap. My gap is just carried by me; forever paid for by my family, friends and colleagues.

I did what my Government and community asked of me.

In my career, in those long hours, in the blood and tears, in the lonely recovery and the names I say often, as they didn’t make it…. I have asked no-one to pay my gap.

I’m afraid, that as much as I respect our medical professionals and the difficult job they do, if Surgeon X and the anaesthetist, perhaps on his asking, are not prepared to wave the ‘gap,’ a ‘gap’ incidentally that our Government has decided our medical professionals are not worth. 

Then I must with all good conscience decline the operation and thank the good Surgeon X for his time.

I live in a poor community, but will wait in line for my turn in the public system, that I suspect are finding it as difficult to fulfil their own oaths to serve and I did.

I do not do this request with animosity or judgement on our good Doctors and professional health specialists and health soldiers.

I just feel that it is the principal.  

For me character, integrity and service are always a gift and not a commodity for sale.

With great kindness and respect.

Sincerely,

Ian Schlein

So, I suppose you want to know the result?

Both gaps waived.

I also send a similar letter to Jones and Partners and the ‘scanning’ mobs and have had the gap they make you pay up front refunded.

Its time we pointed out the gap we are ‘required’ to pay is for valuable and often expensive services that the Health Funds and the Government undervalue not us.

War is futile, and it is already here – the casualties lay in our streets everyday.

Posted on by
Reply

Our Government is spending millions on missiles and billions on submarines that we won’t get for 20 years. Yet no-one wants to join the Australian Defence Force (ADF) or for that matter the Police. I think the Ambo’s are faring better but spending their well trained and highly qualified working hours sitting on hospital ramps. I think the Firefighters in South Australia anyway are doing good because they look after their people..

Funny thing is that more ADF personnel, Police and Firefighters die from their own hand than the dangers of the jobs they do. They die also in spirit, destroying family units and relationships for their duty is done and the Government throws them away. Brave soldiers live on the streets after fighting for all of us.

Australians traditionally do not behave like this. We look after each other.

Our Governments are teaching us not to.

And… Governments send our resources and young men and women to die, always on foreign soil, always for a fight picked by someone else.

Honestly, fuck the war in the Middle East; it has already been going for 3000 years. Fuck the war in the Ukraine, NATO picked the fight, they can fight it.

We don’t need to keep being ‘deputised’ to fight other peoples wars.

Fuck nuclear weapons….. especially the one that will soon be dropped in either the Middle East or Ukraine.

….. and buy the way there is clean nuclear power plants that use nuclear waste, but unfortunately they don’t have a by product called plutonium which is required for nuclear weapons. Don’t believe me check out this video: Click here

Finally, as the Government is working towards us doing other peoples dirty work and getting to fight people who are mostly just like us, but perhaps not so lucky, we can go about our lives.

Going about our lives means striving for that bigger TV, that better car, both of which are probably made in a country our Government is spending billions to protect us from. And by the way of any, if our ‘enemies’ wanted to invade us, it would be over before lunch!

So, have a nice peaceful day consuming and sleep soundly in you bed tonight because no-one is dropping bombs on us,

Short Post: Biden Speech

Posted on by
2

I do go on…

So short blogs …… as I see the world….

Biden just told the world he would hand over the US Presidency to Trump peacefully and they met and had a nice chat…..

I love being wrong in my predictions…… but: I make them anyway….

Biden will be dead before Christmas (gently in his sleep?)
Kamala will be President for a bit under a month…..
Multiple assassination attempts on Trump….. they will probably get him…..
There will be a US Constitutional “Crisis”…….

….. and it goes on…. And on…. And on….. And on……

(The new civil war in USA is still not avoided…..)

War ….. in Australia

Posted on by
Reply

(See disclaimer before you attack me…)

We can stop the war in the Middle East, the Ukraine/Russia and all the wars in Africa if we……

Stop sending “War Aid”….

We can just send “Humanitarian Aid”….. to the communities and families just like us…..

Look in the ‘background’ of all the footage of these wars……. They are just people like us…. With a kitchen like us, as TV, working a mundane job, having kids, a dog….. and all the stuff we have…..

They are Doctors, garbage collectors, nurse, tradies; with kids going to school….. and then….?

While you think about this, after feeling outraged, offense, deciding your gender and the fairness of your life in Australia….

Take a break….

As you will go to bed, with no fear that someone will drop a bomb on your house tonight.

….. and mostly., we, MUST NOT GET INVOLVED!!!!!!

Dunning-Kruger Effect: Dumb People Think They Are Smart!

Posted on by
Reply

Have you ever encountered someone who seems utterly confident in their abilities despite clear evidence to the contrary? Or perhaps you’ve caught yourself feeling overly confident about something you later realized you knew very little about? Welcome to the fascinating world of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Some of you who have read my stuff before may remember another less scientifically supported syndrome that once you know it you can’t unknow it. This is the group of people who are know as “Six-Percenters.” It’s worth a read but, again I caution, that reading the below post and the Six-Percenter” post can not be unlearned and it will change the way you look at the world (go to Six-Percenter post – click here). There is a disclaimer that if you suffer from either of these two ‘syndromes or effects’ even after reading these posts you won’t necessarily realise it if you are someone who may be afflicted.

What is the Dunning-Kruger Effect?

The Dunning-Kruger effect, named after psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger, describes a cognitive bias where individuals with low ability in a particular area tend to overestimate their competence. In simpler terms, it’s when people who know the least about something mistakenly believe they know the most. This phenomenon can lead to unwarranted confidence and poor decision-making.

How Does It Work?
  1. Ignorance of Ignorance: At the heart of the Dunning-Kruger effect lies the inability of individuals to recognize their own incompetence. This lack of awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their skills or knowledge level.
  2. Overconfidence: Due to this ignorance of their own limitations, people affected by the Dunning-Kruger effect often display high levels of confidence in their abilities. They may assert their opinions strongly, even in the face of contradictory evidence.
  3. Incompetent Performance: Despite their confidence, individuals with low competence typically perform poorly when objectively assessed. Their lack of knowledge or skill becomes apparent when compared to those who are more knowledgeable in the same domain.
  4. Self-Reflection: Interestingly, those who are more competent in a given area may underestimate their abilities. This occurs because they assume others have similar knowledge or skills, leading to a modest self-assessment.
Examples in Everyday Life
  • Social Media: You might have seen individuals confidently arguing about complex topics like economics or politics, despite having little to no formal education or understanding of the subject. I just love these keyboard warriors and spend many hours agreeing with them and providing further false information!
  • At Work: Just note this is where Dunning-Kruger is a plaque. In professional settings, the Dunning-Kruger effect can manifest when employees overestimate their capabilities, leading to the dumb boss being in charge of experts and demanding the experts agree with them. This is also called Politics.
Mitigating the Effect

I had a really scientific and ‘workplace consultant’ answer for this but decided that it sounded too much like I was suffering badly from the Dunning-Kruger effect myself – which incidentally since I learned of this effect I catch myself a lot of the time falling for it.

What I do is, when I am being espoused obvious bullshit from a Dunning-Kruger ‘specialist’ is just nod my head and say ‘really,’ ‘how interesting’ and ‘I didn’t know that.’ It is also a fantastic time to practice active listening and actively observe those also listening to see who is buying the bullshit and who is not. I also encourage those other people to argue!!!

I also use this strategy with ‘bosses’ that are obviously a Dunning-Kruger suffer, which most are, as that’s how they got there! If they require you do do something really stupid, just say ‘Yes.” Mostly they don’t care if you do it, they just want to wield power over you because they believe they are smarter and will never check if you do it or not. So just don’t, they’ll never know. If the argument comes from the Dunning-Kruger subordinate, who thinks they should have your job, just asked them what they would do and then say ‘we’ll all share the responsibility’. They’ll do what you ask.

You Now Know About Six-Percenters and Dunning-Kruger, Sorry

The Dunning-Kruger effect serves as a reminder that humility and self-awareness are essential traits in navigating life’s challenges. It also important that you are not following fools into business or war!

So, next time you find yourself feeling overly confident about something, take a moment to to think about it. Are you truly as knowledgeable as you think, or could the Dunning-Kruger effect be at play? Are you the smartest person in the room, or the Six-Percenter?

The Phone Apocalypse Was Here – Thanks Optus For The Test Run

Posted on by
Reply

I’m with Optus and my phone was down, as was my Optus internet (I have a ‘backup’!) for over 12 hours. The panic was on the TV.

I thought it was fantastic! People not annoying me, no scammers or ‘comparison companies’, no scrolling… I went for a walk and didn’t need my GPS to tell me how many steps I took!

All in all Optus, thanks from me for the peace and quiet and thanks for the test run of what happens when the mobile network goes down which we now realise also effect land lines.

It was a test run like when the power went out in South Australia for 24 hours and people though it was the end of the world as they missed ‘The Bachelor’ and the finale of ‘Big Brother’ – they didn’t notice that the fridge was getting warm or at nighttime it got dark.

And our bigger and longer ‘test run’ of COVID when we had the ‘Toilet Paper Wars!’

In most of these test runs the first thing people called for was compensation while they caught up on TV and got a cold beer from the fridge. After a week or so most just forgot about it.

A few didn’t and there were ‘class actions’, Government Enquiries and personal injury that went on for years, but the Media (The Merchants of Misery) dropped the whole thing after a few days….. by the way is there still a war in Ukraine?

No-body stocked up on toilet paper, food, medicine, got a generator or batteries…..?

I Did Things Differently.

Me during all of these ‘disasters’ I enjoyed the silence, the solitude and watched movies, drank cold drinks and had a hearty meal.

Because I learned from the test runs and it wasn’t very hard, all I had to do was notice and take some small steps. So now if there are anymore ‘test runs’ or perhaps the ‘real thing’ I’ll be right:

  • I have 100 days of food (which doesn’t take up too much room by the way)
  • I have a 100 days of water (+) in my tanks
  • I have solar, a battery and a generator
  • I have a really cool first aid kit I made up in a big plastic tub in the pantry
  • I have a cupboard in the shed with toilet paper, paper towel, disinfectant wipes, gloves, N95 masks etc etc – just a few spares of things that I bought, all on bought when they were on special and there were lots on the shelves with my normal shop each week (plus they are just about giving away all the stuff they wrapped us off for during COVID)
  • I have a portable gas cooker (good for camping) and a BBQ with three 9kg gas bottles (2 always full)
  • I have other stuff too, which is stored right next to my gun safe (thought I’d let you know about that as well!?)

And, I have a mindset that I will not be a Victim or die one. It also helps if you are a little prepared and have a plan. Because, it has been proven that only 15% of us are natural survivors – the rest mostly wait to follow someone, or wait to be rescued, or usually just die.

…. And You Can Do Things Differently too…

So I thought I would share something with you that I have prepared. It is Copyrighted, but please feel free to share with your friends. I assure you it might just save your life one day, just click below on the blue text to read the PDF. And I am NOT trying to sell you anything!

Most of the knowledge I have in all aspects of my life I got for free, so why not give it away. What’s that called nowadays, oh yeah, ‘paying it forward’. That’s when you hand out $100 notes in the street, or pay for someones else groceries and post it on YouTube on your ‘monetise” account where you get paid for ‘clicks’ and earn $100,000!!!!

So here’s the Manifesto, just click on the blue text and it will open as a PDF….

SCHLEIN’S MANIFESTO FOR SURVIVING THE APOCALYPSE

Also, by reading this we may all work together to survive (see my previous post ‘The Revolution – Phase 1 – You can join for free’). As another little gift I’ll give you the below free list of stuff. Perhaps you have some of it already lying round. Just gather it all together, put it in one bag and put it handy; I have one in my car as do all my kid. Funny I gave them to the kids several years ago and gave them the choice of their ‘survival pack’ or $200, and they all took the pack. This little pack might help you out of a normal, or not so normal situation.

SURVIVAL BAG CHECK LIST

I know there is a lot of stuff on the internet about ‘prepping’, all you have to do is click on the link, watch a 30 minute video, before they try and sell you something! When you read ‘The Manifesto’ just remember one thing, it is those that work together that survive.

Anyway until the next ‘disaster’ like maybe Neflix, Prime and Stan all going down on the one day, I’ll be gone. I do have some upcoming posts you may like that will be published shortly. I know I have been promising this for awhile, but its a bit hot today to work outside so I’m in the office, having a cold drink and a hearty meal, but look forward to sharing with you the following posts in the near future:

“Phase 2 of The Revolution: How to NEVER pay a traffic ticket again”
(Okay you didn’t read Phase 1 and not many are following it anyway – click here to read)
“How I Gave $50 to The Bank”