The witch doctor effect: How professionals impress their clients and achieve a high status in society by developing a unique ‘professional mystique’

From time immemorial, first the witch doctors, then as societies became more specialized, the professions, masked the simplicity of their actual practices and procedures with numerous rituals and specialized words, clothing and demeanor. They also restricted entry to the professions. This has allowed them to charge more for their services than would have otherwise been the case, on a ‘free market’ basis, and permitted them to become part of the elite class of many societies. It is now time for the average citizen to demand that the vast amount of the professional knowledge-base developed over the years be delivered and explained to the public in a form conducive to personal decision-making. Then the professionals can concentrate their effort on what they do best, conducting primary research into new and promising areas of discovery in their field of specialization. The average citizen will then be in a position to use the newfound information, in dialog with the professions, to make more of his or her own decisions, thus improving the quality of life at less cost.