Reading Laterally-Expert or Crank?
As a woman, I’ve always been interested in women’s issues. Recently, Trump’s comments regarding the side effects of Tylenol on pregnant women and children have been a hot topic online. While reading the relevant tweets, this woman’s lengthy comment caught my attention. Her passionate reaction to US Senator Elizabeth Warren’s comments made me wonder: Is she an expert? Or simply someone with opinions on certain matters? According to the textbook’s “lateral reading” method, we can’t judge her based on this emotional tweet alone. We must step back and investigate her background through lateral reading.
I first investigated her account identity. I tried searching for “WakeBroad” or “@WakeBroad” on Google or Twitter. I looked at the account’s profile, historical tweets, and what other accounts followed or mentioned it. Unfortunately, the search results were all “wakebroad” (commercial). Clearly, it’s an anonymous account, despite the blue verification symbol. Her profile has a profile picture, but I doubt its authenticity. Her profile is typical sloganeering. She doesn’t mention any professional qualifications or affiliations.
Her tweets are almost entirely focused on specific political positions, primarily expressing anger, sarcasm, and spreading conspiracy theories, lacking rational, fact-based discussion. I can find no evidence that she is an expert in public health, medicine, political science, or any related fields (e.g., academic position, published research papers, or experience with reputable institutions).
Based on the applied evaluation criteria (process, goal, expertise),
Expertise: Very low or zero. There is no evidence of expertise on the topic discussed. Her comments are typical of an amateur’s perspective.
Process: None. Her tweets demonstrate no fact-checking, evidence citation, or rational argumentation. They are simply an outpouring of emotion and ideology.
Goal: Political advocacy and incitement, not education or public information.
Thus, I have some confidence that this woman is not an expert, but simply someone with a strongly held opinion.
