Something good out of the Truth Movement...?

[tfk]

This may be the first thing that I've seen come out of the Truth Movement that looks like a whole passel of fun.

I saw a trailer for this movie & cracked up. It looks howlingly funny.

For those who remember, this is about the [CIA? NSA? DoD? Alphabet soup] group that tried to create "psychic warriors" during the crazy 70s & 80s.

My first introduction to these guys was (I believe that it was CSICOP intro) to Harold Putoff & Russell Targ & their "remote viewing". Look 'em up if you haven't heard of them before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_viewing

More recently appeared our own Gen. Albert Stubblebine, who was central to these efforts. He was famous for trying, repeatedly, painfully, repeatedly, painfully, repeatedly ... to walk thru his office wall.

Here's the trailer. It looks like a fun ride. Great cast. Heat up the popcorn...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SreufFevUSw

Gotta love the Cover art.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm21989632/tt1234548

If I were the goat, tho, I'd be pissed at 5th billing... What has Clooney done lately, anyway...?


Tom

PS. You can do a "search inside this book" for "Stubblebine" and come up with a couple of great stories.

[fourtoe]

I actually wasn't too impressed by that trailer. But it still looks like it will be funny.

[Brainster]

I don't think there's any real connection between The Men Who Stare at Goats and the TM except Stubblebine.

[tfk]

I don't think there's any real connection between The Men Who Stare at Goats and the TM except Stubblebine.

... lack of critical thinking skills ...?

... astonishing capacity for self-delusion ...?

... excessive ingestion of drugs ...?

... the single smartest character in the whole group the one with the horns) will swallow anything ...?

... it'll be in re-runs forever ...

:eye-poppi

Tom

[Arus808]

damn..two of the handsomest actors in Hollywood to boot...must see movie now...

[Edx]

This movie has everyone!

Looks so awesome!

[Thunder]

believe it or not, I think we are very lucky that the 9-11 truth movement is in the form it is.

instead of being led by sane people, who do thorough research and who have a deep respect for the scientific method, it is led by nuts and snake-oil salesmen, who believe in the stupidest of ideas and are followed by mindless drones who will do and believe what ever they are told.

[Brainache]

believe it or not, I think we are very lucky that the 9-11 truth movement is in the form it is.

instead of being led by sane people, who do thorough research and who have a deep respect for the scientific method, it is led by nuts and snake-oil salesmen, who believe in the stupidest of ideas and are followed by mindless drones who will do and believe what ever they are told.

Well, yeah, but if they were "sane people, who do thorough research and who have a deep respect for the scientific method" they wouldn't be in the Truth Movement in the first place.
So it has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with the fact that to believe the stuff that they do, they have to be either insane, a mindless drone or a conman...

[tfk]

Well, yeah, but if they were "sane people, who do thorough research and who have a deep respect for the scientific method" they wouldn't be in the Truth Movement in the first place.
So it has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with the fact that to believe the stuff that they do, they have to be either insane, a mindless drone or a conman...

Hey B,

I disagree... slightly.

Your description ("insane, a mindless drone or a conman") does apply to a bunch of them. But I don't think that it applies to most. (Unless you consider adolescent angst to be a form of insanity. Which ain't too far off...)

But there is another bunch who suffer from a much different, and much more common, form of dementia: the same one that leads one to believe in all kinds of nonsense. From psychic phenomena, to crystal therapy, levitation, alien encounters, Bermuda Triangle, to [pick your woo].

All the things that James Randi, Martin Gardiner, Michael Shermer, et al have been fighting for decades.

Most of the others have been relatively benign, except some of the medical ones (laetrile, psychic healing, etc.).

The most common 3 characteristics of those subject to that nonsense have been

a) some folks excessive need to feel "special", at any cost,

b) teenage anger & rebellion, (which includes those prolonging adolescence into their 50s), and

c) a completely dysfunctional epistemology to fight the seductive influences of a) and b) above.

Now, 9/11 has a definite dark side. You gotta be really pissed off at Mommy & Daddy to believe that a huge number of adults are willing to murder, rape & pillage their way thru just another typical work-day.

And then go home to the wife & kids like nothing special happened...

This is actually a new thought for me. I wonder if anyone has ever done any studies of simple "societal alienation" as a predictive factor in membership in conspiracy groups.

A friend of mine used to offer interesting observations about his difficulties with his teenage daughter. His comment was "Nothing says 'I hate you, Daddy' like a career in porn". He was exceedingly grateful (& crossing his fingers) that his situation hadn't degenerated that far.

Perhaps we're in a situation here that "Nothing says 'I hate you, Establishment' like '9/11 was an inside job'!"

Tom

[Pardalis]

Having Clooney in a cast gives a movie a seal of quality and fun (and there seems to be quite an ensemble in that one too).

[Brainache]

Hey B,

I disagree... slightly.

Your description ("insane, a mindless drone or a conman") does apply to a bunch of them. But I don't think that it applies to most. (Unless you consider adolescent angst to be a form of insanity. Which ain't too far off...)

But there is another bunch who suffer from a much different, and much more common, form of dementia: the same one that leads one to believe in all kinds of nonsense. From psychic phenomena, to crystal therapy, levitation, alien encounters, Bermuda Triangle, to [pick your woo].

All the things that James Randi, Martin Gardiner, Michael Shermer, et al have been fighting for decades.

Most of the others have been relatively benign, except some of the medical ones (laetrile, psychic healing, etc.).

The most common 3 characteristics of those subject to that nonsense have been

a) some folks excessive need to feel "special", at any cost,

b) teenage anger & rebellion, (which includes those prolonging adolescence into their 50s), and

c) a completely dysfunctional epistemology to fight the seductive influences of a) and b) above.

Now, 9/11 has a definite dark side. You gotta be really pissed off at Mommy & Daddy to believe that a huge number of adults are willing to murder, rape & pillage their way thru just another typical work-day.

And then go home to the wife & kids like nothing special happened...

This is actually a new thought for me. I wonder if anyone has ever done any studies of simple "societal alienation" as a predictive factor in membership in conspiracy groups.

A friend of mine used to offer interesting observations about his difficulties with his teenage daughter. His comment was "Nothing says 'I hate you, Daddy' like a career in porn". He was exceedingly grateful (& crossing his fingers) that his situation hadn't degenerated that far.

Perhaps we're in a situation here that "Nothing says 'I hate you, Establishment' like '9/11 was an inside job'!"

Tom

I agree entirely. My earlier post was just turning around what Parky said.

The whole CT mindset is just not based on thinking rationally about these issues. I think that CT irrationality might be caused by any number of factors; Education, intelligence and teen angst included.