Forget The Experts: What do YOU Think?

I’m sick and tired of reading books written by “experts”. Everywhere I turn, there’s some doctor, organization, special interest group, or guru promoting their opinions, theories, views, or experiences, and it’s becoming annoying. Walking down the aisle of my local Barnes &Noble, I’m bombarded with bold headlines proclaiming to cure my low self-esteem, take my weight off for good, teach me how to handle my kids, and how to manage my money. I’ve even foolishly bought into the hype and read the books. I followed the advice diligently. I dieted myself into a near-coma on the Zone. I seriously considered sprinting towards the white light as long as God had a Snickers. When my son yelled, “I’m taking you down, little girl!” and body-slammed his little sister, I shunned the yelling that experts so vehemently condemn and instead tried reasoning with him. I soon learned that there is no reasoning with a 4 year-old who thinks he’s The Rock. I didn’t even raise my voice when I asked my mother to please refrain from teaching my child to say, “You’re full of shit, mommy.” I’ve been brainwashed into believing that confrontation is unhealthy, and if you respond to “toxic” people calmly, they’ll suddenly turn into rational peacemakers. I didn’t even bother with financial guru’s like Suze Orman. I’m so broke I don’t have “options.” My financial options are: Pay it or don’t pay it.

Clearly, all the PH.D.-degree wielding experts are the ones full of shit. They can’t agree on anything. As soon as something becomes good for you, someone else tells you it’s not. It dawned on me one day that we don’t need advice from experts. We need advice from people like us. We need people in the trenches, struggling like us, to offer support or words of wisdom. I’ve learned that during the hardest times in my life, just listening to my friends and family explain how they overcame the obstacles in their life helped me overcome mine. During this past presidential election, my belief was reinforced. Joe the Plummer became a celebrity just by asking a simple question. I’d heard hundreds of political analysts ponder the same redistribution of wealth issue, but when a regular, everyday American brought it up, the entire country started listening. The fact is that the plethora of opinions bounced around on every major news network become so jumbled, that people stop listening. We don’t care what Anderson Cooper, Bill O’Reilly, or Chris Matthews thinks. We want to know what America thinks.

That’s where you come in. This is your chance to speak up and be heard. Let’s drown out the cacophony of expert opinions, and let the world know what we think and feel. Our goal is to give America a collective voice about everything from life to food, from parenting to politics. We want to hear your views on the issues you feel passionately about. We want to hear your advice, stories, philosophy, and beliefs. You can submit a letter on any topic of your choosing, or ask any question you need answered. Eventually, we want to compile a book with your letters. It will be a book written by everyday people, for everyday people. Of course, you may send letters and post comments anonymously, or express yourself privately, without being included in a book. We mainly just want to hear you’re thoughts, opinions, and stories. We will only publish submissions with your consent. We welcome all views, no matter your religion, political affiliation, etc. I am conservative and have lots of opinions, which I will express rather passionately at times. Don’t let this discourage those with differing views. I’m open-minded and want to hear every perspective, whether I agree with it or not. So, let this be a place to express yourself and give yourself a voice, just as loud and important as anyone else’s. This your, time. Let the world know what you think.