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David Klinghoffer: Tone deaf does not mean harmless

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For whatever reason, I have been receiving a spate of journal articles written by high-maintenance academic welfare recipients on how to Really Fix the people who doubt Darwin.

David Klinghoffer, editor at Evolution News and Views, noticed something I wrote here at UD and offers:

Skeptics are now social deviants. The journal Sociological Perspectives offers this from Joshua C. Tom of the University of Virginia:

Scientific communities maintain respected authority on matters related to the natural world; however, there are instances where significant portions of the population hold beliefs contrary to the scientific consensus. These beliefs have generally been studied as the product of scientific illiteracy. This project reframes the issue as one of social deviance from the consensus of scientific communities.

That kind of talk rings a bell. Where from? Right, as Wikipedia reminds us, besides Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals, the Nazis targeted practitioners of social deviance: “‘Social deviants’ — prostitutes, vagrants, alcoholics, drug addicts, open dissidents, pacifists, draft resisters and common criminals — were also imprisoned in concentration camps.”

Or how about this from an article for Nautilus by Brian Gallagher that we discussed here already. Denyse notes their headline, which I hadn’t really thought about till she brought it up: “How to Weed Creationism Out of Schools.” More.

The main thing to see is that these Darwin people are not kidding. They are backing a bad, out-of-date cause, they are fresh out of worthwhile ideas (if they ever had any), and they are thriving in an increasingly authoritarian academic environment.*

For a mediocrity who has starved and toiled and racked up debt for a decade or so just to put letters after his name, fronting Correct Views, the temptation to start a persecution must be overwhelming.

So he deserves some pity. But just a little. Miserable people can be dangerous.

The rest of us need to connect with the real world. Press on.

* Today, social justice is a well-to-do young perp putting an old lady prof in the hospital. And it’ll get worse, be sure. That tat-sleeved SJW  swinging the bicycle chain is just waiting his chance.

See also: A few of the Tales of the Tone Deaf:

How to weed creationism out of schools

Doubt of science authorities as social deviance

More tone-deafness: How to force Darwinism down people’s throats

and

Science denial?: What planet are some people living on?

Comments
So criticism of Darwinbots is intimidated NAZI style out of our lives? I suppose IDists could except this, or: as opposed to the scientists you don't like, and believe have a free ride on the tax payer, what you could do is set up the, 'David Klinghoffer School of Information.' How would this school operate? This school believes that the freedom to criticise all aspects of science is fundamental to the progress of knowledge and education. It believes controversies must be openly discussed, and debated. It believes knowledge is a public good, which should be robustly challenged in all spheres of society; Except at 'evolutionnews.org', where no one can respond. There is a word for demanding everyone follow your advice, teachings, pronouncements, and then doing the exact opposite; the word escapes me at the moment.rvb8
July 18, 2017
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For a mediocrity who has starved and toiled and racked up debt for a decade or so just to put letters after his name, fronting Correct Views, the temptation to start a persecution must be overwhelming.
I thought these "mediocrities" were swimming in money fleeced from the public, living in luxury homes, driving luxury cars and flying in private jets. Oh, sorry, my bad, I was confusing them with evangelical prosperity gospelers.Seversky
July 18, 2017
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