Cecil does know what he's talking about. The Straight Dope is a website based on people submitting questions to Cecil who, in turn, does the research and presents the findings for you along with some of his trademark witticism. It's been a wildly successful website.
The readers know the premise - that Cecil, not an expert but definitely a pretty smart guy - is doing the work for you. And given the wealth of information presented in such a digestible form, I'd say that's fighting ignorance indeed.
The Straight Dope is a website based on people submitting questions to Cecil who, in turn, does the research and presents the findings for you along with some of his trademark witticism. It's been a wildly successful website.
That's exactly my point: he did a little research, found one primary source upon which to rely, and then proceeds to disagree with that source, based solely (as far as I can tell) on his opinion. Why wouldn't I just listen to that source directly, which is based on actual expertise?
And its success is completely irrelevant to whether he knows what he's talking about.
The readers know the premise - that Cecil, not an expert but definitely a pretty smart guy - is doing the work for you. And given the wealth of information presented in such a digestible form, I'd say that's fighting ignorance indeed.