The Spinning of Expertise or Prettying up the Pig:
Reputation Management, Series #2
by
John Daab Ph.D., for Fine Art Registry®
Background
In a recent article regarding reputation management it was noted that in the face of a calamitous event, (indicating that the subject "corporation" was acting in a malfeasant manner), corporations often resort to putting lipstick on the corporation pig. This process is in response to a past event. Set forth below, we focus on prettying up the pig beforehand.
Definitions
Spin
"In public relations, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure. While traditional public relations may also rely on creative presentation of the facts (also known as "spin") often, though not always, implies disingenuous, deceptive and/or highly manipulative tactics."(1)
Expertise
An expert is someone who exhibits a certain ability or skill in a reliable fashion and is judged by his peers as having this technique. The skill or ability is demonstrated through knowledge or practice in a given domain. Thus, one could say that Joe is an auto expert mechanic because he graduated from a mechanics school, and that he has demonstrated rightly the nature of auto problems and how to correct them; or Frank is an expert in art appraisal because his opinions of value are based on education, experience, training, and are reliable. If either Joe or Frank's decisions or conclusions were wrong, in many cases their expertise would be significantly questioned. Expertise is an ability to judge or decide rightly and reliably. Thus, the components of expertise or the expert's ability are knowledge, training, known skill, reliability in application, acceptance by peer review, and a specific domain of carrying out the skill. Complementing and certifying expertise often takes place via a document from a learned society of other practitioners or experts indicating that the person considered as an expert or having expertise has in fact undertaken and completed a given field of study. What is important to note here is that expertise arises not from one given factor but many.
Introduction
Over the last few years Fine Art Registry® has been involved with the issue of expertise on various levels, and in different capacities. Experts have been retained to offer their expertise in fingerprint verification and the ascertainment of authentic art from thousands of various works submitted by those who sadly mistook the real from the questionable. The experts chosen by FAR® had years of training, experience, schooling, and were looked upon by their peers as satisfying the standards of expertise both academically and legally. Those not chosen by FAR usually had a trail of failed escapades, or misapplication of what would be considered experience or training. Some had no experience except that to which they apologize for, or took an approach totally in contradiction to the standards laid down by the organizations sponsoring their expertise. The focus of this article is to outline the nature of questionable expertise, or the absence of expertise.
Six Fallacies Grounding Misplaced Expertness
Spinning the Questionable Doctorate
Those wishing to pass themselves off as experts often resort to securing or associating a doctorate as part of their educational background. Genuinely earned doctorates are not at issue but those which have taken a path of questionable authenticity are. The most insidious is the diploma mill Ph.D. whereby one provides money to the mill and receives the shiny credential in two weeks. Here, no courses, study, accomplishments, or project completion tie into the bogus degree. The degree is borne out of the money paid to the mill.
Doctoral studies is another tag seemingly establishing that the person was or is involved in the pursuit of the doctorate. Unpeeling the doctoral studies onion reveals that the individual is not involved in an actual doctoral program but is merely taking graduate courses. Taking graduate level or doctoral level courses does not infer that one is involved in a doctoral program. More importantly taking the courses does not infer completing and passing the courses or program. Doctoral studies involvement entails that one is first accepted as a doctoral student.
The "All But Dissertation" designation (ABD) seems to indicate that there is a standard degree indicating such an academic level. There is, but it is extraordinarily rare and seldom used. Anyone using it should note that it is not a degree but just a statement of fact or commonality indicating program level achievement. It really means that the individual completed the coursework prior to those activities and processes involved in the actual dissertation.
Another disingenuous doctorate is the honorary doctorate. It is usually awarded to an individual associated with a college as a donor, politician, or celebrity. Other times achievement in a given field bestows the honorary degree. The degree has not been earned in any shape or fashion by coursework, or project word, and is in many cases surrounded by issues and problems to such an extent that the college awarding it ultimately takes it back. Such degrees almost never infer expertise or accomplishment following laid out standards and regulations. More importantly the protocol of use demands that those individuals wishing to use the designation "Dr." in front of their name add a note that the degree is of honorary status. The first reaction by the receiver to anyone using the designation Dr. without such a note is that the announcer is a charlatan or not socialized in the academic world.
Expertise by Association
Many claiming expert status use prior work history as evidence for their claim. The "worked in an antique store" background seems to be a prevalent foundation to be able to assert expertise in the art world. Unless there is solid evidence supporting this claim such as work and school or intensive involvement with a given activity the association between a place or thing (art, antiques) and an expertise is without warrant. The very wealthy and socially connected connoisseurs often preach that their expertise or connoisseurship arises from the fact that they grew up amongst great works of art. They know authentic art because they lived in the midst of it. This two step tap dance fails to recognize that the association means nothing and more importantly being able to know authentic art from non-authentic art does not follow since there is no evidence that the associative art was authentic.
The Fallacy of Division
The fallacy of division notes that it does not follow that descriptors or identifiers of the whole necessarily apply to the parts. Attorneys may be expert and licensed to practice law, but their expertise is found in their specialty--real estate, corporate, or estate law, for example. The same applies to medical doctors. They are experts in general but not experts in specific parts of the medical field, such as surgery, neurology, and psychiatry. Therefore, a person who is an expert investigator in tracking down stolen items does not infer that he or she has expert status in other criminal acts, murder, embezzlement, and art fraud.
The Fallacy of Composition
The fallacy of composition reveals the opposite of the fallacy of division: what can be said about the parts of an assertion does not lead to statements about the whole of an assertion. Just because Joe is an expert in Ford mechanical issues does not mean that Joe is expert in all mechanical issues; just because Frank is an expert in the forensics of questioned documents does not make Frank an expert in all forensic science. Merely because one part of the authentication paradigm rules in favor of a particular work such as the determination and verification of adequate provenance, it does not follow that the (whole) work is authentic.
Celebrity status
One of the greatest spin processes establishing expertise is that because someone is a celebrity, whether an actor, sports figure, or newscaster, he or she also is an expert in nutrition, specific prescription drugs or politics. The public forgets to look at the celebrity in terms of where the expertise arises. In fact, merely because "X" is a great baseball player, nothing follows from this sports expertise allowing the celebrity to speak on other topics. He or she may express opinions based on their given expertise but no further.
Celebrity Manufacture
Better than taking the celebrity status out for a spin is creating the celebrity. A recent example is the case of the government worker turned Lone Ranger. Here we have a bureaucrat doing what he or she does on a daily basis and the spinners add information turning the bureaucrat into not only a celebrity via association with escapades unwarranted by any factual basis, but a Hollywood icon. The reason for the celebrity creation is to gain greater revenue through the sales of the book about the new celebrity. Wagging the Dog, please take a bow.
Summary
For some of us the association with hype, and spin and our integrity seems a non-issue. Buying the diploma mill doctorate or practicing putting lipstick on the pig does not seem to be ethically or morally askew. Having the mass media create a new image from nothing is fine also. If accepting this false image as good, one must question the level of integrity the newly created celebrity entity lives by. If the so called celebrity is willing to live as a gussied up pig, then questions concerning authenticity of the self or entity would seem academic. More significantly it raises a more telling issue of knowing what authenticity is. If authenticity is not understood, than any notion of a capability of authenticating does not follow. In essence if the painted up pig either does not understand authenticity or does not care about it, it follows that expertise in authenticity is without standing.
1. Safire, William. "The Spinner Spun," New York Times. December 22, 1996.
— by John Daab Ph.D.
| October 8, 2010
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