last night i was involved with a facebook thread
nothing intrisically amusing about that.

however, the subject we were commenting on was 'did we land on the moon? i call bullshit'

yes. one of my 'friends' had been convinced by a channel 5 'documentary' about the moon landings being a hoax.

after a fairly long and indepth discussion - during which i decided we also needed to discuss creationism and intelligent design, one of the proponents friends also piped up, expressing her disbelief that man had set foot upon the lunar surface.

she is a geography teacher.

i had to laugh. what else can you do. you cant convince someone to accept 40 years of science fact when they also think that made in chelsea and the only way is essex are factual representations of life in west london and the commuter belt.

jade, your spirit lives.
(magictorch, Thu 13 Dec 2012, 10:05, 3 replies)

I once took an Psychology course
Just before the start of the first seminar of one particular subject, I overheard some of my fellow students chatting. One said "I'm going to have real difficulties with this subject, I just don't believe in it." Whilst the others were nodding sympathetically, I butted in with a "Yes, I know what you mean, Evolutionary Psychology seems like Just-So storytelling; someone notices a behaviour and comes up with a fanciful explanation of how it might have be adaptive."
My fellow students looked at me with a mixture of bemusement and disdain, then turned back to their conversation. Another student continued (directed at the first) "I know exactly what you mean. Evolution is just a theory and anyway everyone knows it's not really true so why do we have to study a whole subject about this nonsense."

I did one of those embarrassing snorty-cough laughs of disbelief.

So, a group of 6 students, all with UK university undergraduate degrees, none of whom appeared to believe in Evolution, let alone Natural Selection.
( wakeupandsmellthebacon, Thu 13 Dec 2012, 10:33, closed)

Fucking hell
is all I have to say
( Yo 'Ho of Charlie mass-market saucetrepreneur, Thu 13 Dec 2012, 11:05, closed)

There's an easy answer nowadays.
The Indians sent a probe to the moon a few years ago, it took photos of the surface which shows tracks where you'd expect them to be.

Japan and China have also sent probes which show evidence of the US missions.

Not all the US evidence is provided by Nasa. They have run projects in association with independent universities that prove landings were made.

So, You have to bring India, China, Japan, and the US academic institutions in on the conspiracy now. Starting to get a little ragged around the edges, isn't it?
(username failed moderation, Thu 13 Dec 2012, 10:41, closed)

But it's an international conspiracy, maaan.
Just like Global Warming:
www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2012/12/11/climate_change_denial_why_don_t_they_publish_scientific_papers.html
( wakeupandsmellthebacon, Thu 13 Dec 2012, 10:58, closed)

but i dont believe in the moon landings/ evolution/ gravity/ etc.
its not an article of faith luv. its not quite transubstansiation.

there you have it. i knew my history a level would come in handy someday.

but saying that, i dont believe in henry the eighth. its all faked.
(magictorch, Thu 13 Dec 2012, 11:07, closed)

Once I get over the despair I feel for the idiocy of my fellow humans, I do find some of these conspiracies highly amusing
I regularly watch Jesse Ventura's Conspiracy Theory for laughs. Their last episode was called "Manimal"

It's just hilarious that people think a state government, which has enough trouble keeping secrets without leaving them on a train or generally fucking stuff up, can be competent enough to construct and maintain such conspiracies.
( Yo 'Ho of Charlie mass-market saucetrepreneur, Thu 13 Dec 2012, 11:09, closed)