Pet Peeve #2

I wasn't going to do another pet peeve for a while, but when I read a op-ed piece by Walter Williams today, it got me going. In his article "Dispelling the poverty myths" he uses the line"It doesn't take rocket science to figure out why people are poor in one decade are not poor one or two decades later."

Now, saying "It doesn't take rocket science.." or "It doesn't take a rocket scientist.." is usually a put-down of another person or group (see Ground Rule #6). The funny thing is this quote never comes from a real rocket scientist - because they know real rocket science is easy compared to dealing with people and their human attributes. When someone uses that phrase, they are saying "I am superior because I understand something you don't."

Ironically, if it were rocket science, there are three possibilities:
1. If we can put a man on the moon, we have the technology to do anything,
2. If we have the technology but can't do something, then it must be because of lack of money, or
3. We have the technology and the money, but we don't have the enthusiasm to do it.

If it is # 3, then it has nothing to do with the knowledge or science, but rather psychology.

So to be properly correct, maybe by saying "It's not rocket science," you are actually admitting that is is tougher than it looks, and you don't understand why other people don't see things the way you do.