John Boyd, Lazerpig, and the Cult of Personality

Just one point needs to be made on this video, where is the hard proof of his claims? Show one piece of evidence, o right, he can't

The Dunning-Kruger effect says "Don't bother, Gregg, he won't understand anyway".

I reckon there's nothing wrong with making a measured and reasonable response video which states your position on the matter, as long as it's tight, to-the-point, and not whiny. A lot of yt creators seem to forget about that last bit, but I doubt this will be an issue for Greg. :) 5 minutes max, lay it down, job done. In any case, it will generate engagement for the channel, although I fully understand that Greg is not in the business of making response videos.

90% of people are … mediocre. Don’t fight the statistics Greg, just keep doing what you do best in that 10% league.

Seriously Greg, it's not worth the effort. If they are making negative comments without even bothering to watch your excellent video, then they are hardly likely to watch your response and understand the subtleties of the discussion. One of the many things that I love about your videos is that they are focused on real stuff, rather than internet "fluff".

If it really bothers you just block those people and move on without them in your life.

@LC214 is right. Don't waste your time on them. They are not your audience. And surprising as it may be to you most of us don't read all of your comments on each video. So we never knew they were saying anything until you mentioned it.

I am willing to bet that for the vast majority of those new comments on your video, those people have never even heard the name John Boyd before Lazerpig's video. I would not waste your time on them, but it is your channel and I will continue to support regardless of what you choose to do.

Unless it's something directed at your character or the ethicacy of your work, I wouldn't bother. It tends to be childish people looking to goad a response for their own "got the expert" moment, regardless of them having gotten the topic to begin with.

the guys a funny shitposter, but he didnt go after you. fan will always be stupid.

Ignore them. People that misbehave iwill continue to misbehave. Not worth your time.

Don’t wrestle with pigs you only get dirty and the pigs like it.

Don't bother "responding" as this only lowers yourself to their level.

Just chiming in to say that you and Lazerpig are currently the only two creators that I support on Patreon! The two of you operate in very different spaces- your content tends to pursue objective, knowable truth, whereas his presents opinion and context on things that at their core have no single truth to be found. So his theses tend to be a bit looser and spicier, which i suppose can attract the wrong crowd.

Greg you are correct the videos themselves are not contradictory, they are addressing two different things. Trying to respond to everyone of these types of videos ends up putting you in an endless "whack a mole" scenario. I get your motivation to respond, I'd be annoyed too if people came on to the channel commenting without even watching the vid. This issue with this particular group, the acolytes of Lazerpig, don't know what the hell they are talking about, and neither does Lazerpig on this subject. He refers to himself as a "historian", yet his arguments are fundamentally flawed. When it comes to missiles vs guns in Vietnam he only gets half the equation right. He clearly has never read the Ault Report. I could go on and on, but I was not impressed at all with his critiques. People teaching OODA tend to over complicate it, but that does not refute its validity, especially for aerial combat. Lazerpig's insertion of politics into an apolitical discussion also hurt his credibility. I really like that I have no clue about your politics Greg and your aim to keep it off your channel. Lazerpig also has FAR too much faith in his belief that the Military, and the Pentagon specifically are strict meritocracy, and the best really are at the top, or that they occupy the exact office they are best suited for. This is a good joke, its not true even in the slightest for nearly any organization. See Robin Old's criticisms of the Pentagon and USAF establishment thinking at the time. The reality is maverick type personalities of Olds or Boyd are highly valuable. Sometimes the guy causing all sorts of headaches for the establishment is correct. Greg your content is simply the best out there on the subjects you cover. Your approach to analysis is spot on, never cherry picking to suit an argument. Responses in general can be warranted, and I think your response of Atomic bomb carrying Lancasters by Mark Felton was warranted and well executed. It provided value to the aviation and history communities. Your channel is so many levels above and beyond, responding here would be a waste of your valuable time.

What do you hope to achieve with a response video, and how likely do you think you are to achieve your goals? I suspect your goals are educational. Laserpig’s videos aren’t bad, in my opinion, but they’re rather clickbait-y, and that tends to attract people whose interest in the topic is superficial. So I’m not sure how much success your response video would have in meeting your goals. Just my two cents.

F. Scott Peck, MD, (1996). “The road less travelled, and beyond,” opens with a discussion of peoples’ willingness to think. The rest of the book discusses ways in which disordered thinking causes them and others problems. Affecting the way someone else thinks requires a willingness tolerate misperceptions initially encountered. Then the work of understanding the misperception and finding a way introduce a structured approach to allow an ‘other’ concept beyond the one(s) one holds as their perception of the way the world works. If someone does not want to accept an idea, they will not. I am deeply in awe of Greg’s video essays detailing development of a concept that makes an aspect of aircraft performance more efficient. The presentations provide me with information and details I would not have known to consider. The library of topics I can review keeps my Patreon enthusiasm for Greg’s efforts. Lastly, when one writes an essay, those who read it will have comments. The comments can be useful and not. Disparaging comments only serve the disparager. I am in agreement with those above who make the august proposal to not expend precious energy in response to criticism. Unless, as in the case of Greg’s essay about the Lancaster and atomic bomb, there could be another essay that would further describe important aspects.

Hi Gort, I'm not defending Boyd's work in those areas, I'm defending the points I made in my video, which these people didn't even watch. There is no question that Boyd's work on tactics were well received in the USAF, his aerial attack study and other works were effectively doctrine for a couple decades. As for just how much he did in regards to work on the F-15 and 16, I don't know and I don't really get into that. My video was all about his tactics and thoughts on air combat, it's up to the viewer to decide if they were valid or not. As for the political stuff, I didn't really touch on that, I usually don't.

I suggest you have no need to respond Greg. Lazerpig may broach hyperbole, but his recent video on the subject of Boyd, Sprey, and the reformers is correct. Too many have been suckered into those myths and you will just get more muddied if you look like you are defending them.

This highlights the problem with social media, it tends to dehumanize others and people will behave in ways they never would in normal human society, as great as the internet is for information, it also has a very bad side effect I think, especially for the younger generations who didn't experience life before the internet, but I would say there's nothing wrong with responding to unwarranted criticism.

Ignore them. Lazerpig's content is geared towards non-aviation types and I've seen him make a ton of just stupid assertions about things in general I ain't sure he can really be trusted when it comes to aircraft. Just don't get dragged down by them

Greg is absolutely right in saying that the videos aren't really contradictory. As a fan of both Greg and Lazerpig, I appreciate the aims of what both videos are trying to accomplish. That being said, I too think it'd be a waste of time for either party to fued over this because of a vocal minority of simping fandoms.

I am kind of the camp that says hold back and don't wallow in the sty. But you have my support either way!

Greg, I much rather you work on your amazing videos, but if you believe the record needs to be correct please do so. Thanks for all the great content. Eagerly await your next contribution to knowledge. Thank you.

That's a shame. I also watch Lazerpig, so I know he's asked his followers in his videos not to do stuff like this a couple times. But people will be people, I guess.

There is a saying about arguing with a pig that comes to mind.

Send it 💥

Do it!

Greg, please don't give this another thought. You're good with us!

Greg, it's unfortunate for the history books, this time period (, hopefully less than a decade, even though it's starting to look like it) will be known for "ANGERTAINMENT" and knee jerk commentary from spoon fed selective information. The Twitter 120character effect if you will. Probably a good idea to do a tempered response, similar to the confusion in the video comments type you have done. Basically it's what is going on, though they haven't really watched it. A healthy thing to keep in mind... This same group I wouldn't expect to actually sit and read the 5 books I ordered from Amazon, with around 2300 pages between them. The Hornfischer "Tin Can Sailors" was available as a graphic novel and I almost mistakenly ordered it because it had more orders this year than the original wordy version. Glad I read what I was spending on wasn't cartoonish. Context within a shorter attention span to grab and hold them would be advised, doubting they would even read this far down my response as an intended example. Fantastic work, and again thank you for all you do.

Greg, I echo Michael Bleyle above. Controversy will drive eyeballs your way, but I don’t think that’s what has motivated you thus far. I love your approach and hope you double down on what is making your videos timeless resources. Youtube comment threads are a cesspool and no one that matters is taking them seriously.

There's a reason why Boyd is a big name. The entire reason Aldrin made it to the moon was because of a paper he wrote, despite not having status as a test pilot. Academic work that is groundbreaking matters, even when the broken ground seems obvious. I think the OODA loop is the dumbest thing, yet guys seem to put alot of credence into what I see as no more than "don't lose your SA" and I assume there must be a reason for it. I say go for it with a response video, assuming that this fellow doesn't live off buzz from response videos.

The amount of people who comment on YouTube videos without watching them is staggering.

Greg, the online world is a bigger collection of fools than even the real world. You can't waste your time responding to them. You've made your choices about video format and content, and seem to be content with the audience you've attracted. My advice is to keep putting your energies into that - I think you'll be happier and so will those of us who value your work.

I don't even know who John Boyd is. Based on that description, I don't think I want to know.