Hard News: Beijing: Ignoring it is not an option
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So why its popularity here?
Because it's not just in the third world that scientists and technological practitioners treat people who are different from them badly. Tuskegee and the Unfortunate Experiment are two salient examples in living memory. I don't think it's a coincidence that interest in the paranormal rose (again) not long after science's apotheosis in the Manhattan Project. Or that Victorian paranormalism followed hot on the heels of the Enlightenment*.
That plus lasting cultural myths like "women's intuition" and postmodern stuff about different ways of knowing is a potent mix.
*I can't explain Isaac Newton, though - both a scientist and alchemist.
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I agree - although i find it hard to believe that could be applied to NZ.
See any tino rangatiratanga-type forum on the issue of vaccination.
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"Because it's not just in the third world that scientists and technological practitioners treat people who are different from them badly."
So are you saying modern medicine lacks compassion, empathy,soul?
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Jo S,
*I can't explain Isaac Newton, though - both a scientist and alchemist.
<shrugs>
Half the molecular biologists I know won't put samples in well 13 of a centrifuge if they can avoid it.
Scientists can be superstitious and wierd as much as anyone else ... -
No, just that it's practiced by people, who are imperfect and have their own prejudices that can impact on the services they deliver.
It's a constant struggle to me, to understand why people believe the sheer nonsense they often do. But believing in nonsense can be a matter of life and death, and deserves more than dismissal as a response. If we can meet people's needs to be listened to, to have some understanding of the world and certainty about the future, to be treated with respect and kindness, and to be amazed and awed without feeding them nonsense, the world would be a happier place.
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"Half the molecular biologists I know won't put samples in well 13 of a centrifuge if they can avoid it."
I'm a 13ist , we just want to control the world and that's all."
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No, just that it's practiced by people"
maybe we could build robots to do this caring shit.
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your not a fucking rocket science, go on fly your rocket in the sky right now.
Like all rocket scientista I do not and would not fly one ;-)
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People have faith in all kinds of fairytale stuff, who are we to insist otherwise?
But when someone uses that to exploit them, then yeah and we should.
Yeah, you can say the same about religion and again yeah we should.
Though most of religion is that harmless feel good factor, that some people need to get themselves through life, then well, who cares.Churches extract large sums from their "Flock" to the detriment of their wealth and wellbeing.
Actually they don't. It's the american inspired fundy churches that do. And deserved to be mocked as much as the psychics.
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Off on a tangent but the term “rocket scientist” to indicate enormous intellect really annoys me
I prefer the term 'rocket surgeon'.
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Off on a tangent but the term “rocket scientist” to indicate enormous intellect really annoys me
I prefer the term 'rocket surgeon'.
I quite like the term Sofie Bribiesca :) Please feel free to adopt this yourselves should you wish.
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Well... I'm no Sofie Bribiesca myself, but I can see that may not catch on....
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Actually they don't. It's the american inspired fundy churches that do. And deserved to be mocked as much as the psychics.
I think you will find that many Churches in this country require tithes.
New Thought Center and Church
Destiny Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific
The Mormons -
That's true, Steve, but if they want to promote their beliefs on prime time television they have to pay for it themselves.
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When they're spending our tax dollars on this kind of crap, we absolutely have the right to get grumpy about it. Market forces and ratings don't make it right, it's still peddling nonsense.
We have channel after channel airing absolute crap. I would suggest Target has a similar audience to Sensing Murder and I found that to be just as much crap infotainment as all the other mindless stuff we are subjected to, representing nz tv production, , A tv show is a gap filler for advertising so whether or not it is a psychic, or a cop, or a doctor, or a witness, or a teacher, or a church elder, or a scientist, it is just a show and to suggest it warrants different treatment to all this other crap on the telly would, in my opinion, be hypocritical so I go with, looks like a crap show so I wont watch it.
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That's true, Steve, but if they want to promote their beliefs on prime time television they have to pay for it themselves.
What's more, when they are shown on televsion they are presented as adherents to their beliefs; the psychics, on the other hand, are presented as possessing special skills and being helpful to the investigation. The show presents them as if they were equivalent to forensic scientists.
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I can't explain Isaac Newton, though - both a scientist and alchemist
From Newton's (and his time's) point of view, alchemy had not been disproved. And have read somewhere that alchemical and other theories of spiritual `sympathies' acting between objects may have given him the idea of gravitation - the prevailing mechanistic view of things directly acting upon each other by physical contact could not explain gravity
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A tv show is a gap filler for advertising
it's funny cos it's true. Have you seen tvnz6 / tvnz7 / maori? No ads = quality TV.
Strange that. And quite depressing, when you realise that hardly anyone watches those channels.
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Why do you all dislike psychics so much? What have you got to hide? ;-)
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Rocket Scientists perhaps desreve recognition for being smart enough to design rockets and kid someone else into operating them.
I mean look at the saturn space programme - large incendiary device pointed at sky with a tin can on top. The smart soul was definitely the one who didn't try and pilot it herself.
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They should get the psychics over to China.
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.it's funny cos it's true. Have you seen tvnz6 / tvnz7 / maori? No ads = quality TV.
Yes I do watch them and Stratos and I enjoy Parliament TV.At the same time I have seen that I have different likes/dislikes to every other person on this planet (awaiting cloning tho') so unless the law changes, I accept we do get some crap. Psychics opinions are no different to a cops opinion, and to doctors etc.I'd love to see more TV that I enjoy but I am also happy that someone else can watch what I think is crap.It makes for a more diverse society and that I prefer.
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They should get the psychics over to China.
Perhaps the National Party could use them for policy
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Just watched Media 7 on Sensing Murder. What I can't fathom is how an - I assume intelligent - person like Carol du Chateau could endorse the programme in any way, shape or form. She and the producer seemed to think that it was okay because it brought media attention to unsolved murders. They failed to address the question of whether the psychics were more than just a gimmick.
And I think it's crappier crap than the other crap we get on TV. Do my taxes go on that?????? I want to scream.
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Have you seen tvnz6 / tvnz7 / maori? No ads = quality TV.
I only watch online and was wondering why, if there are no ads, are there breaks in the show? (Media 7 that is). Seems a shame when people are having a discussion to cut them off for a 'break'.
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