4eyedDawg retweetledi
RE: Credentialism
I despise credentialism and believe it is a disease that is eating away at the soul of the USA in the same way that matters of class and nobility have festered in countries like England for centuries.
I define “credentialism” as follows:
A individual’s unwarranted belief that one is morally, physically and/or intellectually superior to others based solely on something written on a piece of paper (diplomas, resumes, etc.).
When I speak on credentialism, I often have red herrings thrown in my face in a attempt to refute my position, so let me please make clear that there are two things that are NOT “credentialism”:
1. Indicators of basic competency are not credentialism. Certain fields require certain credentials to be trusted for a minimum level of competence. I WANT my dentist to have a DDS or a DMD. I WANT the guy servicing my A/C unit to have an HVAC certificate. I WANT my Army Infantry platoon sergeant to be a Ranger school graduate. These are all indicators of a basic level of competency in a chosen field, and a functioning society cannot exist without them.
2. Statements of lived experience are not credentialism. A survivor of a Nazi death camp possesses valuable views on the Holocaust that others do not. An experienced EMT has valuable views on the consequences of fentanyl addiction that others do not. An Olympic gold medal champion understands the discipline of athletic training better than most. When such people cite their lived experience to back up a claim directly related to that experience, this is not the same as credentialism.
Credentialism eats away at our nation when presented as follows:
-When a credential is presented as a marker of all-around intellectual, physical and/or moral superiority.
-When like credentials are dismissed based on an unwarranted sense of superiority; i.e., a mistaken belief that a degree from Yale is somehow superior to a degree from Clemson.
-When credentials are used as an unjust gating item to dismiss an otherwise highly qualified individual.
-Credentials as exclusionary clubs—“Sorry dear, he’s not one of our kind.”
-A mistaken belief that only one with a certain credential can understand certain things when knowledge about those things is generally available to all.
-Dunning-Kruger credentialism: “Because I have credentials in one area, this makes me an expert in areas for which I have no credentials.”
Put simply, credentialism is snobbery, and snobbery is antithetical to the American way of life. In America each of us can rise and fall on our own two feet based on what we demonstrate as INDIVIDUALS in our actual deeds, accomplishments and failures, and mere pieces of worthless paper do not change that.
One last thing: nothing is more cowardly and despicable than the credentialist who trumpets their own credentials while dismissing the credentials they lack as being irrelevant. If one wants to commit the sin of credentialism, one also needs to accept that the credentials they lack are a mark against them, using their own standard. People who engage in such a practice are morally bankrupt, insecure, sniveling weasels.
This was on my mind.
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