"We cannot cave in to the current trend"
I realized tonight, I have had a long-standing interest in trickery and fraud-- really, the the art of the confidence man in general. The sheer balls required, the observational skills, the quick-thinking, the risk tolerance, it's a fascinating mix of human characteristics and, for better or for worse, here's the thought that really interests me-- that seeing a truly talented fraud artist at work is a very good way to, if you suspend judgment, simply observe a whole collection of uniquely human talents, to gain insight on the human experience, and to reveal human character. There's just something so interesting about the professional liar to me. Not a compulsive liar, someone who does it for PROFIT.
Now, to unite that interest with another passion of mine, rationality and atheism, it should come as no surprise that the idea of the faith healer and, in general, frauds of the paranormal variety, are the most fascinating. People like Peter Popoff are to me both terrifying and fascinating. I can think of no other response to them. Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9w7jHYriFo
Obviously, no one will ever make Popoff's mistake again, and the jig is certainly much more elaborate today, but the truly noteworthy thing to keep in mind is that when you watch someone doing this, you're watching a self-confident, incredibly talented liar at work. And when they're good, their mastery of the art of deception and ability to keep it going on-the-go, in front of such a huge audience, it's nothing short of remarkable. The thing with Uri Geller is pretty fascinating too, and the thing at the end with the sleight-of-hand is eye opening as well, but for me what really sends chills down my spine is Peter Popoff's sheer mastery of his craft. He claims to hear God talking-- as you'll see, I don't want to ruin the surprise, but he is truly a master at creating the effect. The first video of him, pay attention, you have no insight into the secret, and look how compelling he is. He has not read this ahead of time, about these people-- when he starts the sermon, he knows nothing about any of them. This is true. Then, when you see what's going on, you'll see what an incredibly confident multitasker he had to be, and to be smooth, never reveal his craft. If he said one wrong thing, he looks like an idiot, in front of all those people. And night in, night out, he has enough confidence to walk out there and walk this tightrope again. For millions and millions a year-- just a cold-blooded thief!
The thing with Uri Geller, especially when he is on the Johnny Carson show-- to me, the exposure of fraudulent claims in general, in the name of reason and rationality, is a kind of modern-day heroics, and James Randi, consequently, to me has one of the most honorable professions on Earth. The encouragement of reason and the debunking of paranormal bullshit and such is just so very much inline with everything that the modern, morally conscious person should stand for.
It also bears repeating, and this part isn't funny, that in any reasonable incarnation of society, that had its priorities in order, if someone said this, shouted this at you:
"You've got cancer of the stomach? Are you ready for God to burn that cancer out? Here it goes in the Mighty...
Devil back off...
BACK OFF DEVIL!
Hallelujah!"
And if that person convinced you that they were being honest, and that the cancer was gone, and you went home and stopped taking your medicine, that that person would be in prison. Even if you didn't pay them, even if they didn't earn any money from that, they would be in prison for doing completely unnecessary harm to another human being.
What that person is doing is evil, and when the church prevents condom use in Africa because it is against their definition of sinful activity, when the church agitates against the introduction of the HPV vaccine because it thinks that the threat of HPV, and of subsequent cervical cancer, is an effective sexual deterrent, and therefore that the HPV vaccine would encourage promiscuity and thus sinful behavior-- they are showing that they are willing to let people (just women, in this case) die to preserve a non-rational, non-falsifiable paranormal doctrine, and that's evil. They'd rather let people die than let them "sin," or engage in behavior that is wrong according to their divine holy books, and that is not just crazy, it's evil and should not be tolerated. I have a book that's 2000 years old that came not from a rational process, nor from experience or experimentation, no it was DELIVERED FROM THE GODS, and it says that sex is bad, and I have political power, so I am going to do everything I can to prevent the introduction of a vaccine that would help to prevent cervical cancer, which (unnecessarily) kills 230,000 women a year
There's a name for that-- when the deaths of large numbers of a certain kind of people die are justified by vicious, irrational ideology-- it's called genocide.
Here's a great starting point: what is the rationale for blanket religious tolerance? Is it deserved? Would the world be a better place if we were a little less tolerant of irrational faith? Here's my question-- does the respect that we have for people's right to their zealotry extend to the point that we will prop up their right to prevent the alleviation of harm and suffering? If it does, we should be ashamed of ourselves. There's absolutely no justifiable reason why evangelism, the spread of what robust, rigorous scientific inquiry has demonstrated to be irrational bullshit, should be not only legal, but explicitly protected by law. And I agree with Dawkins-- "child abuse" is the proper term for indoctrinating children into a religion before they're old enough to think for themselves, and before they are exposed to a variety of cultures, peoples, and ideas. Why is this:
"Hi, I'm 10, I really like Dora the explorer, and I really love Jesus!"
any less ridiculous to say than this?
"Hi, I'm 10, I really like Dora the explorer, and I'm an existentialist!"
and even, strangely, this seems to make people uncomfortable:
"Hi, I'm 10, I really like Dora the explorer, and I'm a devil-worshipper!"
"The church says one must be faithful in marriage and save oneself for marriage," said Senegal Bishop Alexandre Mbengue. "We cannot cave in to the current trend."
(explaining why condoms shouldn't be part of the fight of AIDS in Africa. This is a Bishop. What he says affects lots of people.)
"Burning this ARTHRIIIIIIIIIIIITS! Right out of your BODYYYY!"
-George
Now, to unite that interest with another passion of mine, rationality and atheism, it should come as no surprise that the idea of the faith healer and, in general, frauds of the paranormal variety, are the most fascinating. People like Peter Popoff are to me both terrifying and fascinating. I can think of no other response to them. Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9w7jHYriFo
Obviously, no one will ever make Popoff's mistake again, and the jig is certainly much more elaborate today, but the truly noteworthy thing to keep in mind is that when you watch someone doing this, you're watching a self-confident, incredibly talented liar at work. And when they're good, their mastery of the art of deception and ability to keep it going on-the-go, in front of such a huge audience, it's nothing short of remarkable. The thing with Uri Geller is pretty fascinating too, and the thing at the end with the sleight-of-hand is eye opening as well, but for me what really sends chills down my spine is Peter Popoff's sheer mastery of his craft. He claims to hear God talking-- as you'll see, I don't want to ruin the surprise, but he is truly a master at creating the effect. The first video of him, pay attention, you have no insight into the secret, and look how compelling he is. He has not read this ahead of time, about these people-- when he starts the sermon, he knows nothing about any of them. This is true. Then, when you see what's going on, you'll see what an incredibly confident multitasker he had to be, and to be smooth, never reveal his craft. If he said one wrong thing, he looks like an idiot, in front of all those people. And night in, night out, he has enough confidence to walk out there and walk this tightrope again. For millions and millions a year-- just a cold-blooded thief!
The thing with Uri Geller, especially when he is on the Johnny Carson show-- to me, the exposure of fraudulent claims in general, in the name of reason and rationality, is a kind of modern-day heroics, and James Randi, consequently, to me has one of the most honorable professions on Earth. The encouragement of reason and the debunking of paranormal bullshit and such is just so very much inline with everything that the modern, morally conscious person should stand for.
It also bears repeating, and this part isn't funny, that in any reasonable incarnation of society, that had its priorities in order, if someone said this, shouted this at you:
"You've got cancer of the stomach? Are you ready for God to burn that cancer out? Here it goes in the Mighty...
Devil back off...
BACK OFF DEVIL!
Hallelujah!"
And if that person convinced you that they were being honest, and that the cancer was gone, and you went home and stopped taking your medicine, that that person would be in prison. Even if you didn't pay them, even if they didn't earn any money from that, they would be in prison for doing completely unnecessary harm to another human being.
What that person is doing is evil, and when the church prevents condom use in Africa because it is against their definition of sinful activity, when the church agitates against the introduction of the HPV vaccine because it thinks that the threat of HPV, and of subsequent cervical cancer, is an effective sexual deterrent, and therefore that the HPV vaccine would encourage promiscuity and thus sinful behavior-- they are showing that they are willing to let people (just women, in this case) die to preserve a non-rational, non-falsifiable paranormal doctrine, and that's evil. They'd rather let people die than let them "sin," or engage in behavior that is wrong according to their divine holy books, and that is not just crazy, it's evil and should not be tolerated. I have a book that's 2000 years old that came not from a rational process, nor from experience or experimentation, no it was DELIVERED FROM THE GODS, and it says that sex is bad, and I have political power, so I am going to do everything I can to prevent the introduction of a vaccine that would help to prevent cervical cancer, which (unnecessarily) kills 230,000 women a year
There's a name for that-- when the deaths of large numbers of a certain kind of people die are justified by vicious, irrational ideology-- it's called genocide.
Here's a great starting point: what is the rationale for blanket religious tolerance? Is it deserved? Would the world be a better place if we were a little less tolerant of irrational faith? Here's my question-- does the respect that we have for people's right to their zealotry extend to the point that we will prop up their right to prevent the alleviation of harm and suffering? If it does, we should be ashamed of ourselves. There's absolutely no justifiable reason why evangelism, the spread of what robust, rigorous scientific inquiry has demonstrated to be irrational bullshit, should be not only legal, but explicitly protected by law. And I agree with Dawkins-- "child abuse" is the proper term for indoctrinating children into a religion before they're old enough to think for themselves, and before they are exposed to a variety of cultures, peoples, and ideas. Why is this:
"Hi, I'm 10, I really like Dora the explorer, and I really love Jesus!"
any less ridiculous to say than this?
"Hi, I'm 10, I really like Dora the explorer, and I'm an existentialist!"
and even, strangely, this seems to make people uncomfortable:
"Hi, I'm 10, I really like Dora the explorer, and I'm a devil-worshipper!"
"The church says one must be faithful in marriage and save oneself for marriage," said Senegal Bishop Alexandre Mbengue. "We cannot cave in to the current trend."
(explaining why condoms shouldn't be part of the fight of AIDS in Africa. This is a Bishop. What he says affects lots of people.)
"Burning this ARTHRIIIIIIIIIIIITS! Right out of your BODYYYY!"
-George
posted by George at 6:07 PM
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