Yesterday I turned on the television hoping to find some para-tainment program to calm that positively thrilling feeling of folding and putting away the clean laundry. Stumbled on some kind of show to do with aliens, but don't recall what it was. I think it was on the H2 (History channel 2) but not sure. The date was fairly recent; from this year.
Talk was of ancient aliens, and skeptics were giving their two cents, Michael Shermer being one of them. Now, one can have any opinion they care to about the ancient alien theory or anything at all to do with UFOs, ET, aliens, but you do not get to say "This is the way it is."
So, Shermer is almost angry, stating that there is "absolutely no evidence" (paraphrasing) of alien intervention/interference. None. No evidence. "Pulling things in from here and there and everywhere to make up an ancient alien theory." (paraphrasing.) Well, "pulling things in from here, there..." does not make something untrue or invalid by that action alone. And those seemingly random unconnected things, which I assume Shermer was insinuating they were and therefore, invalid, does indeed make a pattern. The point is, Shermer, like all skeptoids, confuse evidence with proof. There is a massive heaping pile of evidence. Anyone who still chooses to say otherwise is either lying outright, or truly ignorant. The issue isn't the "lack" of evidence, it's how one interprets that evidence.
The second ridiculous thing Shermer said was that "There is no proof aliens are here, have been here..none. Because it didn't happen. It couldn't happen." (paraphrasing.) Now, that's pretty astounding actually. How does he know? He doesn't, of course. Granted, most of us don't, but at least those that say otherwise have directly experienced something -- non-human entities, weird creatures, reptilians, just for starters -- and have a lot more to stand on than Shermer's opinion on the subject.
Why shows continue to have sketpoids on I'm not sure. Producers will tell you it's part of the need for balance and fairness, which is untrue, given the producers own agendas in twisting the topics to where they want them to go. If anything, it's simply action -- the battle between skeptoid debunker and "believer" as entertainment. More "excitement" equals more ratings.
2 comments:
He's a betrayed fundamentalist desperately seeking an upgraded fundamentalism. He's yet to find that fundy is what fundy does... embracing denialism and falling short... would that he might, oh, I don't know... consume fecal matter and expire, eh?
http://www.nicap.org/papers/zeiler2.htm
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