Ignorant experts
a column by Chris Jungle

There are many times in life when we listen to people who have no idea what they are talking about. I've sat in the assistant principal's office listening to a man tell me about the dangers of students violating the dress code. Preachers have told me the dangers of rock music without listening to any of it. Now, the President of the United States is telling parents the dangers of smoking marijuana.

By his own admission, President Clinton put marijuana smoke in his mouth a couple times, but he never inhaled. He said "when I was 22 years old in England, and I thought there were no consequences, I tried marijuana a couple times, but if I had known then what I know now, I would not have done it." My question for the president is, "What do you actually know now?" The consequences he is talking about are political consequences, and not health, social, or spiritual.

It surprises me that no one went up to him and said, "You don't know what you're talking about there, bucko." I'm not saying there aren't dangers or negative results from doing too much of a drug. I'm just saying that the president is in no position to explain them. If a person came up to you and told you the dangers and consequences of alcohol, you would hope that person's experience consisted of more than just putting a shot of whiskey in their mouth a couple times and spitting it out. These "I've never done drugs but I've seen the tragedies on TV." experts need to realize that sitting in a room with drug users doesn't make them knowledgeable about narcotics.

In fact, there is another group of drug experts who need to be put in their place. Those are the people who do a drug to such an excessive extent that they ruin their lives. These are the people who end up going on the elementary school tours telling kids not to be like them. Of course kids shouldn't be like those people. Those people have no self control over anything, and drugs are only part of their problem.

What this country needs as experts are the people who actively use a drug and still have control over the rest of their lives. We need more people who drink in moderation to go out and show people how to do it. The cocaine users who didn't lose their wife, car, kids, house, etc., because of their habit could show others how to control themselves. People who use speed can explain to others how there is a time and place for their drug use. Moderation is a word that is often said and rarely taught to others and that needs to change.

Much of this country has a "black and white" attitude when it comes to drug use. People who don't do anything are revered while users are shunned. Well, every pot user doesn't buy a VW bus and wait for the H.O.R.D.E tour, every cocaine user doesn't lose their great job and house and wife, and every heroin user doesn't die. All drugs have the same variety of users as alcohol. Some are light users doing it sparingly. Some are consistent users but in only mild doses. There are moderate to heavy users who can still cope with the world. And yes, there are those who lose all of their soul for one more hit.

President Clinton can explain to me what he knows about economics, debating, public speaking, and international relations. He has both knowledge and experience in all of these categories, but just because the man is the Leader of the Free World does not mean that he is the Keeper of Knowledge on Everything. There is a lot to be said for a president (or any person for that matter) who is willing to admit ignorance of a certain topic. Showing ignorance is a weakness, but admitting it is a strength.

The more the President and politicians in general keep babbling on about their "expert" knowledge on everything, the more I feel I have the right to tell people about the plan the North Koreans have to continue to build their nuclear arsenal to the point where they can threaten South Korea into becoming united again, sparking a domino effect of side taking, building up to the inevitable World War III, and in one big ball of raging fire, the human race will cease to exist. At least, that's what the article I read told me. That makes me an expert, right?

Chris Jungle has poked a vein with a syringe full of heroin but never injected. He is available for public speaking events at one hundred dollars an hour.

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