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
m...@nyu.edu
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