When sceptics fight back

[uk_dave]

Conspiracy theories predate the internet but the web has provided a fast, accessible platform for groups to unite, gather research and disseminate information without even meeting or leaving their houses.

While many people find harmless fun, others believe there is a darker truth - that conspiracy theories are rewriting history, warping the present and altering the future. Enough is enough they say - it's time to fight back.

Isolated sceptics

Enter the sceptics with the gathering of The Amazing Meeting (TAM) in London, the first of the conferences outside the US. A fundraising offshoot of the non-profit James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), TAM London saw scientists, writers and comedians target conspiracy theories - and their close cousins pseudoscience and medical quackery - in front of an audience loosely allied by their desire for more rational, critical thinking.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8291688.stm

Yay!!

[coalesce]

Great article. I sent the link to three other people.

Michael

[JAStewart]

Yeah its fantastic! I opened it and read "conspiracy theorists" and though 'oh balls, are they calling CTers sceptics again...' and then read through! Posted a comment on it.

[Hokulele]

Nice.

[Architect]

This must be what Especially was complaining about......

;)

[scissorhands]

Excellent that JREF gets a mention and that these debates becomes a bit more public.

[Jontg]

(Leads the masses in shirtless chanting, spear-waving, saber-rattling, and other assorted penis dance.)

[Trojan_Jockey]

And now, an insightful and considered take on the sceptic meeting..

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85345

[Drudgewire]

And now, an insightful and considered take on the sceptic meeting..

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85345


Which in turn links to the Prison Planet response:

BBC Attack Piece Promotes Cottage Industry Of Debunkers (http://www.prisonplanet.com/bbc-attack-piece-promotes-cottage-industry-of-debunkers.html)


The BBC report on JREF brazenly lumps in questions over the 9/11 attacks with moon landing conspiracies and individuals who claim to have paranormal spoon-bending powers.


Well, if the lump fits. http://www.lethalwrestling.com/upload/smug.gif

[rjh01]

Which in turn links to the Prison Planet response:

BBC Attack Piece Promotes Cottage Industry Of Debunkers (http://www.prisonplanet.com/bbc-attack-piece-promotes-cottage-industry-of-debunkers.html)





Well, if the lump fits. http://www.lethalwrestling.com/upload/smug.gif

Looks like the onion may have competition from the Prison Planet.

How do you "debunk legitimate questions" as per the link? The article has several other gems.

[JoeyDonuts]

I was hoping this thread would provide me a pretext to give Alex Jones a flying double boot to the head from a running start.

*sulk*

Can I at least tai-otoshi John Edwards so hard his parents get a concussion?

[MetalliSociety]

Great to see JREF getting some recognition in the mainstream. I wonder if any video will be made available of the Amazing Meeting.

[Cuddles]

The weird thing about that article is the focus on conspiracy theories. No-one at TAM actually talked about them. Jon Ronson made fun of Alex Jones a bit, but his talk was mainly about The Men Who Stare at Goats and the story behind it. I don't think anyone else mentioned conspiracies at all. It's nice to see the JREF get a bit of publicity, but it would be a lot nicer if the publicity was a bit more focussed on what actually happened.

[Perfume V]

I wonder if journalists are happier focusing on the conspiracy-busting side of skepticism because it doesn't implicate them. I mean, by and large journalists seem to understand that dabbling in conspiracy theory is the sort of thing that marks one as 'unserious', but when it comes to vaccine hysteria, nutritionism, homeopathy, astrology etc. I can't think of a British news source that hasn't pushed one of these things at some point or other.

[Horatius]

I wonder if journalists are happier focusing on the conspiracy-busting side of skepticism because it doesn't implicate them. ... but when it comes to vaccine hysteria, nutritionism, homeopathy, astrology etc. I can't think of a British news source that hasn't pushed one of these things at some point or other.


I suspect it's because the CTs do implicate them, that they can see how much BS they are.

With the other woo topics, you'd need some sort of technical knowledge to see that they are nonsense, so the largely non-technical journalists just go with the angle that sells papers.

With CTs, they understand how things like erroneous reports get made, so when they see someone like Alex Jones harping on about such anomalies as being "proof" of some nefarious plot, the journalists know right away that he's a nutter, and react accordingly.

[Standard Dude]

Interesting to to see that in Prison Planet land Randi is apparently dead.

The amazing Randi was a magician who debunked true frauds when alive. I don’t recall him ever trying to reinforce false arguments about political events. Sounds like his foundation has been taken over by limey intel operatives.

:confused:

[Furcifer]

And now, an insightful and considered take on the sceptic meeting..

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85345

Stop with the Icke already. My faith in humanity dies a little with every link. Stupidity has a name, and it's name is Icke.