Guru Fever: How to Know if You Are a Carrier
Feb. 10, 2009
Guru fever is a communicable affliction transmitted mainly by press releases and advertising copy written by gurus.
It is easier to diagnose in other people. Self-diagnosis is extremely rare.
I come into contact with carriers because of email. Every so often, a guru attacks me in print. Occasionally, I respond in print. Then I get emails from people saying I am an idiot, and that I had no right to attack the other fellow. I have never received such a letter that referred to the other guy's initial attack on me. When I point this out, they usually say this information is irrelevant. In short, "my guru has the right to attack anyone. No victim has the right to respond."
I can be sure that the letter-writer has lost a pile of money by following the guru's advice. He is in denial. He will not acknowledge that he trusted someone who gave him rotten advice, possibly with seemingly logical arguments. To admit this would require an admission by the letter writer that he got fooled.
The test of the affliction is this: "Can I write down my mentor's main arguments in favor of his position?" If you can't, you are probably a carrier.
The key is not who the guru is but the logic of his arguments in light of the available data. Do the arguments make sense of the data? Can you summarize both the arguments and the data? If not, then you are following him without understanding. This is extremely dangerous.
Another indicator is this. Someone has attacked your favorite analyst. Can you identify the errors of the critic in presenting his case against your favorite analyst? If not, you are a carrier. You should understand the main flaws in the critic's arguments.
Do you feel compelled to write to the analyst, begging him to respond? If so, you are a carrier.
If the critic says X, and you see that this really does undermine his target's position, it is OK to write to the analyst. He should be able to defend himself.
If the analyst has presented evidence repeatedly that the kinds of arguments the critic uses are false, but you do not recognize these arguments, you are a carrier. If the analyst is required to say, "I am answering this critic," and then repeats the same arguments he has always used, and you don't really understand these arguments, but his response comforts you, you are a carrier.
In short, if you cannot recognize the critic's arguments in relation to the analyst's arguments, then you are a carrier.
To avoid guru fever, pay attention to his arguments. Be able to summarize them to your wife. If you can't, don't take specific action based on his recommendations. Keep reading. See if his advice was on target.
In today's economy, monitor what the Federal Reserve is doing. I have set up this free department: