Ever known someone who has all the answers to every specialised topic because they always have a friend, distant relative, or friend of a distant relative who is a professional in the field?

This is what happened when News.com.au ran an article about a deformed goat born in a small African village that locals branded as half human, half goat.

Local officials ruled the creature a product of bestiality.

What ensued in the reader comments rivalled the article content in comical value.

"Firstly, my wife has a PhD in genetics and developmental biology, so I am clearly the most qualified to provide input on this," announced Ben from Brisbane.

Who needs a degree anymore? As long as you know someone else who knows, then you must know, too!

Needless to say there was some impressive backlash directed toward Ben and his shared qualification with his wife.

What goes on inside the head of someone who has to source references from acquaintances, most of whom we have never heard of before, in order to win every debate or discussion they engage in? Is it a fear of losing? Fear of learning something new? Or do these people actually believe their own lies?

I mean, I actually believe that Ben from Brisbane's wife does actually have the PhD he mentions, but what makes him believe he has the right to stake claim to his wife's qualifications?

Some other examples of cases like this I have experienced are when arguing about the rules of darts with a man who responds with an expression of seriousness, "No, my uncle is a professional darts player".

And on a farm when a cat was attacked by a dog, one person made decisions regarding the animal's medical treatment based on the fact that his girlfriend used to work at a pet store...