Mike P wrote: I do believe 26 children and adults died that day... Actually it was 28.
On Mar 12, 2013, at 10:21 PM, "Mike Palij" <[email protected]> wrote: > On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:37:48 -0700, Beth Benoit wrote: >> Sadly, here's what may be the latest in the conspiracy theorist scenario - >> this from a tenured professor at a taxpayer-funded university, Florida >> Atlantic University: >> http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/15/newtown-harassed-by-conspiracy-theorists/?hpt=ac_t5 > > You know, when I want good factual information, Anderson Cooper is > not the first source I think of. I mean, I enjoy seeing Kathy Griffith try > to have sex with him on international TV on New Years Eve (and his > coyish evasions) but he is not what I would call a hard news kind of > guy. > > That being said, there is the issue of what the hell is James Tracy doing. > It would be helpful to get some information about him that will provide > some insight and isn't put out to pander for ratings. > > First, here's Tracy's faculty webpage: > http://www.fau.edu/scms/tracy.php > Nothing obviously crazy here though I'd admit that he seems to have > some odd interests in the field of communication but, what the hell, > I've know academics who spent most of their time studying earthworms. > > Second, he teaches a course on the "Culture of Conspiracy" and one > can access his syllabus from the FAU website here: > www.fau.edu/academic/registrar/UUPCinfo/...12/MMC4643syll.doc > > Here's the course description: > > |COURSE DESCRIPTION > |Whether grounded in fact, delusion, or a combination thereof, > |"conspiracy theories" are prevalent element of public discourse. > |Such narratives often serve to demarcate official and alternate > |interpretations and rationales for momentous public events--what > |scholar Peter Dale Scott terms "deep events"--political assassinations, > |terror attacks, economic crises, and preludes to war. These mediated > |narratives further illuminate the discursive hegemony playing out in the > |public realm between dominant political and cultural institutions, such > |as commercial news media, and the intelligence gathering collectives > |of internet-powered citizen journalists and social movements. Culture > |of Conspiracy provides a novel examination of how and why certain > |historical and current events have been reinterpreted, and what this > |suggests for national and international journalism and discourse on > |the political. > > Okay, it's a little weird but then again I'm not in communications and > it may make more sense then a course on post-modern theory. > Cleary, Tracy takes conspiracy theories seriously but whether > he is delusional or holds irrational beliefs does not seem evident. > I suggest that one use the "Bem Standard", that is, if a world famous > social psychologist can seriously believe in PSI and paranormal > phenomena at an Ivy League school, then one needs to ask whether > another academic's beliefs and interest as crazy/weird/out of touch > with reality as is Bem. YMMV. > > Third, apparently people got really excited when he wrote some things > on his blog. It would be useful to read what he wrote. After a little > search, I found his blog: > http://memoryholeblog.com/ > > Now, to tell the truth, I have no interest in reading what Tracy has > written. The Newtown massacre is not something that I want to get > into an academic argument about, at least not until we get more > information about what happened. I do believe 26 children and > adults died that day and I find claim to the contrary absurd and > insensitive. It is comparable to what the holocaust deniers do, > what the "9/11 was an inside job" people do, and, going way back, > what people who dispute the single gun theory of JFK's assassination. > If Tracy wants to grab this tiger by the tail, then he should know what > the possible consequences are. If people start calling him "Dick" Tracy, > he should probably be aware the people are not comparing him to > the cartoon detective but his insensitivity to people's pain. > >> My TIPS query (and I'm not sure we've ever addressed this) is: What >> GIVES with conspiracy theorists? > > I don't know. Perhaps Scott Lilienfeld knows. Remember "When > Prophecy Fails"? See: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Prophecy_Fails > Remember the world was going to end in 2012? Well, only Mitt > Romney's did. > NOTE: Does anyone see a resemblance between Scott L. and Chris > Green? Except that Chris has more hair. > >> Especially those with apparent credentials, >> such as those of James Tracy. What might be the motivation? > > See Daryl Bem. Why does he believe in PSI? Why did Fisher > believe in eugenics? Why do so many people hate null hypothesis > testing? NOTE: okay, I'm kidding with the last one. > >> What might be underlying problems - if any - for these people? >> Just need for attention? BIRGing? > > Okay, I admit, I had to look up BIRGing. For other ignorant slobs > like myself, see: > http://www.units.muohio.edu/psybersite/fans/bc.shtml > > Bottom line: we need a whole lot more information about these people > to understand why they believe these things, especially when they really, > really believe in these weird things and are not just acting like trolls. > I don't envy the people at FAU who are going to look into this. Then > again, I think that Tracy should not be surprised by what happens to > him for acting like a dumbass. > >> Obviously, there's always the possibility that conspiracy theorists are >> correct. (Naturally, that's their belief.) > > Yeah, that's the ticket. Of course, when there is a ton of contrary evidence > that is simply ignored or dismissed (e.g., how old the earth is, global > warming, etc.), one has to have some really good up their sleeve to > finesse the situation. Or one can just believe in what they want to believe. > Like, in the spirit of the upcoming holidays, the Easter bunny and the > Hare Club for Men. > > -Mike Palij > New York University > [email protected] > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443341&n=T&l=tips&o=24299 > or send a blank email to > leave-24299-177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=24300 or send a blank email to leave-24300-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
