It was a crazily jam-packed weekend for those of us at Skeptical Humanities, so this is a little late and a little short. On Saturday, Eve and I put on our thinking helmets (sometimes you just need the extra protection) and attended an event by paranormal enthusiasts. One of us will be writing about it soon, I’m sure. We were so tired at the end of the day, I think we missed our first skeptics in the pub event since…ever.
This morning, we were out again. I had been invited by the Alabama Freethought Association to talk about conspiracy theories. About 20 people showed up, and Lake Hypatia seems to be a sort of Mecca for southern atheists.
Speaking of Mecca, when we got there, an hour early (stupid time change), in one of the sitting areas on the lovely campus, we found a Koran under the bench. We pointed it out when our hosts arrived, and they brought it inside because someone might think that leaving it outside would be a desecration. That’s class, people. Learn from them.
Onto the week that was weak!
- I don’t understand Godlike Productions. The quality of what ends up there is so uneven. Take this guy, who is scared of the Illuminati, for instance. He is instantly batted down. Nonetheless, there’s a lot of batty stuff on there as well, like this one, “U.S. Justice Department Wants To Criminalize Uploading You Tube Videos“. Me no gets.
- Wow. Exopolitics just keeps delivering week after week, doesn’t it? It just might be the goofiest site out there. (Step aside, Vigilant Citizen! There’s a new playa in town!) The real controllers of the world are interdimensional beings; some are reptillian, but others are like little floaty embryo things, and they are called Archons. Actually, if you look at the image that they say shows the “Archon,” you will see what is basically a “ghost orb.” The hole in the center of the blob means that the camera is out of focus, and the light illuminating the background (underwater?) is also reflecting off of a particle in the foreground. That crazy relative of Dwight Eisenhower, who I think claims she’s been to Mars, is in on this. Thank god she’s not in the military.
- Planning a vacation? Why go to a stupid human city when you can go to an ancient alien city?
- The Marlowe-was-Shakespeare conspiracy theory is also moronic, just in case you were wondering. You also have to wonder if the author of the article is a freshman in high school, when he ends the article: “Who was the real Shakespeare? It is doubtful that we will ever know the truth.” STFU and read a book. Also, word that Shakespeare was Shakespeare has reached even Australia. Was Oxford also Jane Austen, or did he just poison her?
- Astronomers have found a massive derelict spaceship beyond Neptune, apparently. I wonder if the intergalactic clunker is from the same critters who are currently, if you haven’t noticed, waging war on Terra?
- America needs a salty man to run for president, though I may be reading that one wrong. Pat Buchanan. I’d rather move to…what’s a country I can afford to offend? Texas.
- It turns out America’s food is becoming radioactive because of the Fukushima leak. Why isn’t the lame-stream media reporting this? Is it because they do not have the vast knowledge of physics that is the exclusive domain of Internet people.
- If donate $20 to the Obama reelection campaign, you will get a “Made in the USA” mug, which is a slap in the face of the Birthers, which I approve of.
- From Canada Free Press comes the line: “As well jackbooted as any army marching through history, OWS was put in the parks to pave the last road leading to New World Order (NWO).” Oh yeah, then how do explain THIS CRAZY RANT FOUND IN SAN FRANCISCO?!
- HOT DAMN! Seattle skeptic and newlywed Paul Case stomped on a 9/11 Truther. Way to go, Case! Yer famous! Unfortunately, the Truther loser did not pay the $1000 he promised for the lesson.
- NYT book review of Eco’s new novel, The Prague Cemetery, about the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Also, The Jewish Weekly discusses the legacy of the Protocols.
- Oh, someone believing that Obama was the Antichrist opened fire on the White House this week. This stuff is real, people.
- Was George H.W. Bush in on the Kennedy assassination? Yes, just as he orchestrated the death of Mr. Hooper. Hooper knew too much.
- I’m in partial agreement with Tony Sobrado’s assessment of conspiracy theories as postmodern. But only partially. I need to think a little more about them. I suspect that the postmodernists only caught up with the wacky linguistic games that conspiracists had been playing for generations.
- The pseudoscience of 9/11 is being introduced at two universities. See if you recognize the fellow who posted this one. Heheh. Also these seem to be extracurricular events, not courses, which would be sad.
- Jewish ex-Marine describes Israeli involvement in 9/11.
- Picture of Obama with a roommate proves he’s gay. To be fair…that turtleneck…meh.
- I just want you to admire the morphed avatar on this guy’s twitter feed. That is all.
- John Paul Watson blows Skull and Bones.
Conspiracy Theory of the Week:
- Uh, anti-Iranian rhetoric demonstrates link to extraterrestrial politics. It’s ok. You can read over that a few times if it didn’t sink in the first time. It hurts when it goes into your head. You’ll get used to it. If that didn’t blow your mind enough, how about the theory that the earth is a spaceship?
That’s all for now, m’laddies. I’ve got lots more, but not a lot of time at the moment. So, keep your eyes open for more from this week in next week’s edition.
RJB
Skeptical Humanities 
Considering SOPA and PROTECT-IP, saying the DoJ is criminalizing Youtube videos is hyperbolic, but not too horribly far off.
I hear you, but hyperbole is how these sites work. Take a kernel of truth and blow it up into a popcorn ball of stupid.
RJB
The idea of “Conspiracy” thinking as post modern has existed among “Post Modern Literary Critics” for almost two decades now. THe idea is that since it “undermines” the legitimacies” of the “hegemonic” “discourses” of “rationality” and “reason” and is “transgressive” it represents a “liberating” struggle against “domination” and “repression”. Thus we get various Post Modernists who declaim about Alien Abductions and how “liberating” “trabnsgressive” such beliefs are how they struggle against the “dominant discourse” and liberate from the chains of “rationality” and “reason”.
And of course we cannot “judge” such a “discourse”because it will mean that we are accepting the “discourse” of “reason” and “rationality” and operating under its “oppressive” “hegemonic” “discourse”.
“Liberation” come from embracing paranoid delusions it seems. I note for all the gyrations about a refusal to “judge” this “discourse” clearly “judges” “rationality” and “reason” negatively and the “transgressive” irrational belief positively, because – Hey at least it’s not “rational” or “reason” based nor part of the “hegemonic”, “opprressive” [Insert negative descripers here.], “discourse”.
That these people do not seem to realize that that such irrational, cospiracy type beliefs can have negative consequences is amusing and franklt sad. Protocals of the Elders of Zion anyone? Further one would think that people getting obsessed with imaginary conspiracies and paralyzed by irrational fears would be perfectly suited and useful for oppressors.
Hell something like Alien Abduction if it was created by a government agency would be perfect for “enslaving the masses” witth mindless fear. Of course no such “conspiracy” to create the Alien Abduction phenomena exists, but the idea that people paralysed or obsessed with delusional fears are rebelling against authority in any real sense is compulsively funny.
As a side issue. The most recent Issue of Skeptical Inquirer has a article about the Shakespeare authorship “controversy”.
“Who was the real Shakespeare? It is doubtful that we will ever know the truth.” STFU and read a book.
This is the only proper response to the Shakespeare authorship question.
That’s what I thought.
You may enjoy this site debunking Alex Jones
http://www.youtube.com/AlexJonesClips
I like it. 🙂
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