Academics and the Media

[@Julian_The_Apostate]

Art commission is the same way, lots of people take low rates because there's not an established idea of what the value for non tangible resources is. My old art teacher told me basically the same thing that you said in this video " it only took me 30 minutes to draw this because I put in 25 years of practice to get that good at drawing, pay me"

[@SoulSoundMuisc]

As someone who occasionally buys commissioned works of art, I completely understand this point of view and act accordingly. It is a very specialized skill. One I do not possess. It takes years and years of work to get good at. I am a contractor, I have a specialized set of skills myself honed and perfected over years of practice. If my work takes less time than someone else's, I still expected to get paid the same... or more.

[@cahallo5964]

Yeah but the issue here is that that tought is insanely popular and standards are increasingly lowering due to people with no criteria at all buying from bad artists which they deem good.

[@Julian_The_Apostate]

@@cahallo5964 In a general cultural sense, yes I suppose that's true. Or at least, I agree. But in a purely financial sense, luxury goods like paintings are worth as much as someone is willing to pay and that's it. There's not really any other way to quantify it. Scholarly advice can be seen in a similar way, like how much knowledge they have, how much they're willing to help you. It's hard to put a hard number on it.

[@victorkreig6089]

You know what, nobody ever seems to comment on your dome toppers. Today's hat is quite nice Always a pleasure doctor

[@GrimDarkHalfOff]

Good for you. Stay strong! Your work is appreciated and you shouldn’t be pushed around.

[@Scareth]

You're always so modest, Jackson. You deserve to be able to do what you love and be paid fairly and enough so that you can also lead a comfortable life for yourself!

[@stevengentry9396]

Good video. It seems like, in our media heavy times, the very idea of expertise has been devalued. Someone reads a 200 page book and a couple of Wkipedia articles on a subject and suddenly they're "correcting" people with actual doctorates.

[@blakewinter1657]

I suspect the problem is older than that. For all of its positive aspects, Americans have long had a somewhat ambivalent view of expertise.

[@JacobJRRWT]

I have to say I am guilty of subconsciously blaming you for the weird things I've seen in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla - after I learned you consulted on it! I never thought about how they may have you on for consultation, but then continue on and do inaccurate/strange things. Appreciate your work, love your books. Keep it up!

[@eagleowl7513]

What you say at 10:27-10:41 is exactly the problem. Academics spend years upon years studying with very little guarantee that they will cash out on these studies. Desperation kicks in and that's what many take advantage of to offer ridiculously low payment. And I would think it's also that adjuncts are treated so awfully by the various institutions that they also begin to internalize a feeling of worthlessness. All while seeing that friends your age from the university have been working for over a decade and have a more or less stable career. Debt doesn't help with the desperation either.

[@Tina06019]

I have been following your channel since 2016, and I was worried for you when you left the University of Colorado, although it was frankly none of my business. I am glad you have been able to make a living with your new ventures.

[@dvolsung1527]

Embellishing or "correcting" is a huge issue when media shares the knowledge that was shared with them. This has had some serious consequences in public health. As for the non-experts who think they have an expert handle on material. A lot of the times they misunderstand the complexities of a topic because we've mastered our ability to present the knowledge in an easily digestible format. So they take that surface level understanding and run with it, but without knowing the actual meat of a topic, they simply cannot reason out nuance or understand how their knowledge fits or doesn't fit into different situations. It's very frustrating especially when they don't want to hear it. Anyway, sorry for the novel, good video! Really touched a nerve.

[@matthewb2768]

I distinctly remember listening to a ttrpg podcast one day where the subject Norse magic and religion was the topic of the episode. They had a guy who's credential was " is a Heathen ". He went on and on about how much of an expert he was and how while he didnt have a degree in it he " basically had the equivalent of a PhD ". He then went on to mispronounce 'Thingveller' and several other terms 🙄

[@silverwolfe3636]

I had to keep rewinding because I kept getting distracted thinking of all the trout in that lake!

[@jasperowens]

The anaconda one almost made me choke on my coffee from laughing. People are crazy. Why is it so hard for most to be honest and genuine?

[@JRLesPaul]

I have learned a great deal from your videos and books, and want to learn more. I've been enamored of Nordic culture and mythology since I was a child, and have spent my life studying. I often cringe at some of the misconceptions and half truths in movies and TV. The media often lies and embelishes/misinterprets. Such a shame. I've taken much of what you've taught and done further research. I would love to learn more, such as a current Nordic language that closely resembles ancient Norse. So much to learn. Thank you for your efforts, Jackson.

[@DinosaurNeil]

It's both comforting and frustrating to hear that more professions have to deal with type of stuff. I'm a graphic designer by trade so there can be quite a bit of subjective wiggle room in what is good/bad, right/wrong but I often see clients thinking they are "experts". What you said about taking 20 years of knowledge so you can answer something in five minutes really hits home as well. I like to answer those kinds requests and questions with a link to my university's application page.

[@MuricaTurkey]

I've encountered this with people, even in my own life, trying to warp what I've said, or try to one up me (when it's not even a competition- it's supposed to be a conversation between friends/family) about the subject I studied: Crime. Sure, sure. I only seriously studied it for 5 years. But your favorite movie is "Silence of the Lambs", so clearly you're the expert, Aunt Betty 🙄 😋 I'm raising my kids right now (and caring for my eldest who experiences significant physical and mental disabilities, fulltime), so I haven't worked in the field, or consulted. I can only imagine what it's like to have media people tweak or not present your words accurately. It must be really awful. 😔 I'm glad though that you have made so many great, informative videos! We can get the words straight from the horse's (er, cowboy's?) mouth!

[@has25252]

It's difficult for almost everyone to charge a fair fee. I'm a consultant myself and it's been a struggle to charge a fair amount and feel well about it. Knowledge is valuable, charge for it. The client is paying not only for the "answer" but for your EXPERTISE and WISDOM surrounding the subject - which is hard earned. As I e told some clients, "it costs what it costs".

[@GreenLarsen]

As someone who have been quoted a few times in regards to my work within economics and statistics. Being misunderstud is, painfull. Quotes taken out of context or even worse, a "translation" of a quote, to mean something completely different then the original meaning. I remember 1 time especially, back years ago when I was younger and less carefull with my words. Where I in the quote had used a word that within my profession carried one meaning, but in "normal speak" carried a different meaning.

[@gypsydonovan]

When I was an undergrad I was so enthusiastic about certain projects and ideas, I would jump at opportunities to work for free. I had a professor pull me aside & break down what I was bringing these organizations in not just time and effort but my unique expertise and experience. He really believed I should be paid for my work when I still felt just lucky to be invited to panels or presentations. Academia leads to some strange places. I met with one person who actually charged people to be part of their project (& lots of eager young students were willing). I turned down the opportunity to pay to work & they came back with an invitation to come for free. I turned that down as well. It was an interesting site but even when they came back with a pay offer it felt wrong because I knew the money was coming from green kids who hadn’t yet had a professor tell them their time was worth money.

[@archaeodeath]

Great discussion, Jackson!

[@01coyote13]

Anacondas in ancient Scandinavia?! what do people hear when you speak?

[@RockerNate81]

It's totally possible that some Scandinavian trader acquired anaconda eggs that hatched, and was surprised at how large the hatchlings grew...right?

[@colterjohnson1525]

Just got my signed copy of Two Sagas!

[@j3tztbassman123]

An interesting and informative bit.

[@alexanderwaite9403]

Well said.

[@Levitt777]

My only other conjecture will be that there is modern mysticism with our own alphabet today... how people feel about the letter A or Z or W may lead a mystical sense based on the understanding of the relationship to that letter...( maybe a football team🤣) and that education throughout the ages was much less prolific

[@gypsydonovan]

There’s no reason to make excuses for poor reporting. Misquoting is unprofessional. If you do a write up on an expert, you take good notes & only attribute to them the things they actually said. It’s not your job to embellish or add on even if you think you’re right. You have plenty of room for your conjecture. Misrepresenting an interview subject means you’re bad at your job.

[@kevinsmith9013]

Love the channel, but could you record at a higher volume? I have to turn things up all the way just to hear some of the videos clearly. Just a friendly request.

[@EaglehawkMoonfang]

did you buy that hat at Hatman Jack's? I swear I recognize it

[@apank21]

sik wind 7:30

[@sleepywoodelf]

Would you ever write your own historical fiction? Could be another way to generate income and reach a popular audience about the topic. If it were ever adapted to film you would also know the source material was good to start, and if they consulted you, you would have more influence over the outcome.

[@badgerpa9]

Sadly some people read wikipedia and think they are an expert. Wiki is nothing more than a resource to find other resources as it is often wrong, direct quotes are not accurate and has listed many people deceased when they are not. Always look at the original authors work and verify things, double check for accuracy is skipped to often.

[@professorsogol5824]

Once more, please do something to increase the volume. I sit here with my ear a couple of cm from the speaker and can still barely hear you.

[@badraven_indieauthor]

Perhaps, in order to make an educated opinion, one should do some research. Not just the Norse language, by the time in which those people lived. It is better to ask questions than to be arrogant. We're all here to learn. Just my humble opinion. By the way, no Anacondas in Asgard? lol

[@Scareth]

Must suck to be misinterpreted like that! Having words put into your mouth, or rather manipulating or misinterpreting the words exiting your mouth. I've seen a few times when you've been misrepresented, but I understand that you know what you're talking about, so it's probably that the people causing the misinterpretation didn't bother listening enough.

[@eastwind6820]

Film producers are cheap, cheap, cheap! They think “mundanes” will work for glory.

[@melissahdawn]

Well said. I only wish more truth was a shared concern of media and education and less catering to what grabs and keeps attention, uh, not as eloquent, here, just wanted to add that I feel like Capitalism plays too big of a role in both.

[@argophontes]

Exactly. The obsession with "what sells" over "what's true" is definitely a big part of the issue, regardless of what people with 𝘣𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦 definitions of capitalism might claim.

[@Tina06019]

@@dmitrykazakov2829 The US labor movement and unions were much stronger in the 1940s through the 1980s than they are now. Businesses were better regulated, and the balance between labor & capital was more even at that time. I believe President Reagan thought he was doing good things for America, but his program of excessive deregulation, especially of the financial markets, did huge harm to our country. Some things are better now, and some things are worse. We can all just keep on trying to be decent people & responsible citizens, and do our best.

[@frankmarshall3313]

You needn't be offensive and dismissive of those among us who do believe that the Runes are more than an alphabet and do attribute mystical meaning to them.