Regular readers already know I’ve been talking about this goofy idea by a guy named Eric Julien that a comet was going to hit the Earth on May 25th and kill millions of people. If you’re new here, you can read this. But that link doesn’t really tell you why I fight twinkies like Julien.
This is why I fight doomsayers. And this. And this.
Damnation, this makes me angry. People with little or no understanding of science going out and scaring other people out of their own ignorance (or, just possibly, a desire for cash, power, and/or fame coupled with their own sociopathic antipathy for other’s feelings). I don’t know what drives Eric Julien, but I know that when it comes to him, and others of his ilk, I will apply the brakes.
And as far as Eric Julien’s prediction of death and destruction on May 25, 2006, all I need to do is point out one line — just one line — printed on his very own website (www.savelivesinmay.com), right at the top, that puts lie to everything he said:
“Update May 26, 2006″.
No, wait. I was going to end this blog entry there, but I just cannot leave it at that. Because even though the world did not end on May 25, and everything Julien said is demonstrably wrong, get this: he is now claiming victory. That’s right, the one tack that always surprises me– to completely deny all reality in toto, and say you were right all along:
Eric Julien declares that his alert of a giant tsunami, triggered by volcanic eruptions in the Atlantic Ocean which were to have followed the impact of fragments of comet SW-3, these fragments generated in 1995 by the intervention of a hostile extraterrestrial civilization, brought forth the success of the greatest exopolitical operation in history.
…
Contrary to the declarations of NASA, fragments of comet SW-3 did indeed strike the Atlantic Ocean, as Julien forecast in his article published last April 11th. Despite the appearance of a series of waves of unprecedented height – up to 80 meters high when the known record was 34 meters – no tsunami struck the Atlantic coastlines.
You may have to re-read that last paragraph. Yes, the comet did hit, he claims. Yes, it did cause 80-meter-high waves, he claims. But no, they didn’t hit the US east coast.
Wanna know why?
Benevolent aliens stopped them.
AAAAIIIIIiiiiiieeeeee!!!
If this sounds familiar, then I agree. James Cameron should sue.
It is very, very tiresome fighting crap like this. It’s like digging a hole in water. And honestly, I will always expect there will be people either unstable enough or willing enough to prevaricate to promote this kind of doomsday nonsense. Mental illness exists, just as much as the sociopathic need to lie on a massive scale. If there’s a third option, I’d like to hear it. I can’t think of one.
And if that sounds mean-spirited, then I think it is the height of restraint given what these awful doomcrying people say and do.
What’s truly frustrating, in the end, is how many otherwise normal people believe this garbage, especially when we have enough real nightmares to deal with. My work — all our work — will never, ever end.
June 7th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
Just when you thought that people couldn’t get any dumber.
June 8th, 2006 at 1:12 am
We can at least look on the bright side of this and say that he didn’t incite people to commit suicide over this.
You’d have thought that a large cometary fragment hitting the earth would have been spotted by one of the large army of amateur or professional astronomers, members of the public or someone as it entered the atmosphere – NASA couldn’t shut everyone up, could they?
He’s spouting pure bulltwaddle in an attempt to justify his position.
Hell, if dreams foretold the future, the one I had last night about dinosaurs in Hyde Park would be more cause for concern.
June 8th, 2006 at 1:25 am
Such bull**** is the price society pays democracy, freedom, liberalism and secularism. Its still better than autocratic regimes by despots though.
June 8th, 2006 at 1:36 am
I’m with you all the way on this, Phil.
June 8th, 2006 at 2:32 am
You’ve mispelled the url in the first link (julien-tsunami, not julian…) – and that was to the guy with the great tshirt offer, too!
I agree with you – my students were kidding around about not doing their project because the tsunami would wipe us out, “and just before a three-day weekend, too!”, but too many people were put through serious distress over this crap.
June 8th, 2006 at 3:15 am
This is making me cry OF LAUGHTER! and pity
June 8th, 2006 at 4:21 am
Say, why can’t aliens ever mind their own business? I don’t know, what’s with the idea that they always have to like/attack us?
Why can’t they have a life? Is their home planet that boring? And what are they trying to achieve by saving us like that all the time? Are they saving OTHER civilizations too?
I have the weird feeling we’re the only ones being rescued by ninja aliens (They are always very quiet and ninjaish. Normal people never see them! You need the SKILL to.)
..And why are doomsayers that are stuck in a corner always pulling out the dumb aliens?
June 8th, 2006 at 4:37 am
These aliens are lacking a Prime Directive
June 8th, 2006 at 6:54 am
I was once a part of the debunking crew against PX and Nancy Lieder. If there is one thing debunking has taught me, it is to take these things with a grain of salt and giggle to yourself about it.
Debunking people over the internet is next to impossible. It was MUCH easier for me to take what I learned and explain them to people around me who I could actually speak to on something other than the internet.
I will admit that I at one point fell for the rubbish Nancy was saying, but I was pointed to Phil’s site by a friend of mine and the rest is history. Julian’s rubbish was not so wide-spread in the circles of Dallas that I am in, but the few that did tell me about it had their fears quickly quelled.
Moral of the post:
Debunk people on the net — Yes
Expect actual results from said debunking — No
Educate people in real life via face to face or phone conversations – Yes, yes and YES
Can you expect results from that — I have yet to see a No here.
June 8th, 2006 at 8:12 am
If the tsunami did not impact on coastlines, then there is no way that waves could reach 80m high, even if this invisible comet did hit.
Tsunami waves, whilst in deep water such as open ocean, are spread over a long horizontal distance. The Boxing Day tsunami had waves 1m high over a distance of several hundred metres, IIRC. There were plenty of ships in the Indian Ocean at the time, and the wave passed under them without the crew or passengers even realising.
Its only in shallow water that the wave slows down and the wave hight increases.
(This post brought to you by “Steiner’s World of Facts”)
June 8th, 2006 at 8:26 am
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.
I CANNOT STOP LAUGHING! THIS IS WHY I READ YOUR BLOG, BA!
June 8th, 2006 at 8:33 am
Sweetums, your first “this” link is broken. Other than that, great post!
June 8th, 2006 at 8:39 am
Good on ya, BA! This is great stuff–Science with Teeth. I don’t personally think you need to apologize for thrashing Monsieur Doomsday on your blog. There has to be someone out there challenging these frauds or they grow even stronger. Besides, it’s so much fun to read you when you’re trashing these guys.
June 8th, 2006 at 8:53 am
Steiner, I thinked you missed Julien’s big revelation– the aliens stopped the tsunami.
June 8th, 2006 at 9:52 am
Comet.
It makes your teeth-so-clean.
Comet.
It makes your teeth-so-green.
Comet.
It makes you vomit.
So get some Comet,
and vomit,
today.
June 8th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Good post, BA. I’ve been ranting and raving about various type of anti-scientists (”General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are a conspiracy of closed-minded, dogmatic scientists! Newtonian mechanics is the only real physics!”) lately, and I’ve had people ask me why I get so worked up about a bunch of harmless idiots. Well, as you say, it’s because they’re not harmless. They dupe regular people without the education and experience to know better. Even when the claims aren’t as harmful as Julien’s or even when they don’t lead people to suicide, they still hurt people. Lies hurt people, and confusing them about the nature of science and truth hurts them even more. If they fall for one silly deception, they’ll be that much more susceptible to the next deception that uses the same techniques. That’s why all of them have to be combatted, and I’m glad there are folks like you doing that work.
June 8th, 2006 at 10:56 am
The battle between rationality and lunacy is not always clear cut, but there are certain battle lines which can and should be defended. There is a difference between sanity and lunacy, between thoughtful analysis of real risks and useless fear mongering, between skepticism and just paranoia. The world is subject to many forces, actions, and motivations that we have a difficult time understanding, but our understanding is NOT enhanced by considering things which are flatly irrational and untrue. Tolerance of irrationality seems to breed more of it, and frankly, I’m against that.
Keep up the good swork.
June 8th, 2006 at 11:37 am
That tribes site is amazing. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Like Jem, that is truly truly truly outrageous.
June 8th, 2006 at 11:43 am
I agree with Joshua and Mark with an addendum. Irrationality should be fought against, but it should be by everyone, not just “a bunch of wet-blanket skeptics who think they’re always right.” There are two kinds of woowoos: the psychopathic personalities who need attention at any cost (like Julien, probably), and the ones with something to sell (like Sibrel). You will accomplish nothing trying to confront them directly because, as was clearly demonstrated with the non-tsunami, they will always find a way to claim victory.
The real problem is the “regular” people who are dumb enough to buy into their hogwash. Yes, they are dangerous at this point. I wish I had an answer to this, but I don’t. A good one is better science education in the schools. That won’t happen because of the uber-Christian control and the incredibly lax graduation standards.
Another good one would be to track their past predictions and demonstrate that they have always been wrong. That won’t work very well either because the gullible won’t read or believe it…and the woowoos will claim some sort of conspiracy to make them look bad.
I think NASA has the right answer. Ignore them and they will go away…eventually. And just hope they don’t cause too much damage.
June 8th, 2006 at 5:27 pm
This is a just a quick note of encouragement for you, BA: We all really appreciate the enegry and dedication you display when combatting these horrible people and their delusions. It may seem like digging a hole in water, and the end will probably never arrive, but you can’t stumble! “You are valued and you are needed!”
June 8th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
What a freakin’ maroon!!!!! Tis sad that ignorance is so prevalent in our society. It’s just hard to believe ANYONE would fall for Julien’s BS. Just really, really sad.
June 9th, 2006 at 3:16 am
Ed, one problem with showing past predictions being wrong, especially ones made on the web, is that the prediction can undergo some post-event (or non-event) “revision”. IIRC the BA had something like this happen with Nancy Lieder and the Planet X wooowooos.
June 9th, 2006 at 5:34 am
BA, you said “Yes, it did cause 80-meter-high waves, he claims. But no, they didn’t hit the US east coast.” My point was that 80-metre-high waves would only occur if the tsunami hit a coast. Even then, I doubt they’d be that high.
Then again, if these benevolent aliens can stop a tsunami with their vastly superior technology, maybe they can completely change the dynamics of tsunami propagation, right from the impact.
June 9th, 2006 at 6:25 am
If you haven’t read it yet, the 1956 classic “When Prophecy Fails” is worth a couple of hours. It’s even inspired a Web site of the same name: http://www.whenprophecyfails.org/
June 9th, 2006 at 11:34 am
I’d like to second the call for better science education in the schools. I disagree that the lack of same is the fault of “Christian control,” at least not in my home state of CA. I believe this loss is due to the result of many years of political and social forces working on the primary and secondary schools which has led to this state, and most of these troubles started with Proposition 13, the result of which transferred largely local control of education to the state’s Board of Education and at the same time drastically cut funding for schools throughout the state. CA, for some strange reason I haven’t yet discerned, seems to be a bellweather for the rest of the nation regarding innovations in education while at the same time it is considered as the model of Whackoland for many who reside outside the state.
However, none of CA’s troubles/successes have caused the shortage of competent science teachers most of the nation is now facing. It seems that the dearth of qualified teachers is so bad that some states are resorting to importing science teachers from abroad. Texas (the “Education President’s” home state) among others is recruiting from the Phillipines, and India is a gold mine of young science instructors eager to work in our schools.
And the chief reason IS a CA-inspired idea: tax cuts. This cry has been taken up by every Republican and middle-center democrat since the actor-elected CA governor-R.Reagan. What this has meant is that schools in CA and now, it seems, throughout the nation are consistently underfunded. And that means that folks who graduate from U.S. colleges and universities with a degree in science almost never consider teaching as a career, because why would someone CHOOSE to live a pauper’s life when industry can offer so much more?
June 11th, 2006 at 10:42 am
LMAO. I’m glad you take the time to thrash these fools, BA. But I don’t think you looked too closely at that first link you posted — It struck me as a JOKE by someone no less cynical about Julien than we are. (Did you notice he said the t-shirts would be delivered in over 900 months?)
You wrote:
What’s truly frustrating, in the end, is how many otherwise normal people believe this garbage, especially when we have enough real nightmares to deal with.
I agree, but I think some people latch onto these wacky nightmares because they feel powerless to change the real ones and see the highly improbable but catastrophic results as being their escape route. They probably figure “Hey, global warming, pollution, creeping theocracy, and corruption aren’t too bad — we haven’t been whacked by an asteroid yet!”
That doesn’t describe Julien and others who PROMOTE these nightmares, though. Those people are probably seriously mentally ill, but not getting any treatment b/c they deny it.
June 14th, 2006 at 7:15 am
Sometimes I feel like we see history repeat itself, because when some things go wrong, it seems people want to blame Christians for it, just like the Romans did during the height of the Roman Empire.
It is unfair to blame the lack of Science education on Christians. I am a devout Roman Catholic, as are most of my family and friends. I know many more people of various faiths, and the vast majority of us, say 95%, believe that the evolution theory is the correct one. I have always felt the news reports about how some people are pushing the intelligent design theory are slanted in a way that makes it sound that everyone who is Christian believes that the Bible’s book of Genesis should be taken as actual fact. That is by no means the case.
I would also add that I did attend Catholic school growing up, and in Science class, evolution was taught, not intelligent design. I truly resent people who put a big label on anyone who happens to be Christian and lays any blame on the group for the lack of Science education. Here is a wake up call for all those people; it’s happening in the public school system.
I used to be a public school teacher, and while teaching in a public school, Science was taught only two days a week. Two Days! You can’t blame any religious group for that, since if you even mention “Religion†in a public school the district immediately calls lawyers in to make sure they do not get sued over offending someone, and people coming jumping out of the woodwork screaming, “Separation between religion and state!â€
Speaking from having seen the bureaucracy of the public school system at work, the blame for the decrease in Science Education falls on two groups; politicians who cut funding or fail to increase funding to the school system, and anyone who pushes for the dumbing down of the school curriculum. Unfortunately, when the majority of students fail to meet expected standards, the usually reaction is to lower the standards to levels the students can meet, instead of empowering our teachers with the tools they need to education are children so they can meet the expect standards. If you want more Science education in our schools, be willing to pay for it.
June 18th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
The BA ended with :
“My work – all our work – will never,ever end.”
Well on the bright side that gives you job / blog security!
It won’t but it’s worth doing & like many others here let me say “Good on you for doing so.
As for the answer, well some people will always be born stupid. Perhaps due to inbreeding it seems there’ll often be in the ruling clans -the The English with George III and the Americans with George II Bushes being notable sad examples.
For such people – and for thementally ill whose delusions often start such BS – maybe very little can be done. However, for the majority of people with more than half a working brain – education especially about basic science and logic helps and this is one thing I think America badly needs. Critical thinking -how to analyse information and arguments needs to be taught often and early.
That’s one area where the BA really helps. Not only here but with his books and through other media.
*Ed Myers* said two kinds of woowoo. Actually I think there are at least a few more :
1)Pyschopathic (eg. Julien)
2)Sellers (eg. Sibrel)
-plus-
3)Sincere but mentally ill people believing their delusions
4)Sincere but stubborn non-mentally ill people who fall in love with their ideas & cling to them despite evidence.
Velikovsky (anyone remember him probably falls into one of those categories as would, maybe, Lysenko.)
&
5) Insincere people who view their ‘beliefs’ as a laugh or a hobby and don’t quite understand theharm they risk to others. (Eg. Arguably Adamski who spoke with non-existent “Venusians” back in the 1950’s-60’s.)
Source : a Patrick Moore book. Can’t recall title now. Used term “Independent Thinker” & had plenty of good examples of mostly eccentric english woowoo’s who were relatively harmless.
As for Tony’s comments above -have you listened to President George ‘Dubya’ the Mad, Pat Robertson or Falwell lately? There are many influential religious leaders who do indeed threaten science and society and seek to impose their religious beliefs oneveryone else at all costs.
I’m not saying – and I doubt anyone else here is – that ALL Christians are like that or that anybody should be persecuted. I’ve got Christian friends myself and I _don’t_ see everything in black and white, scientists = good, XNs =bad.
But I do see one major difference. Religious people, even decent Roman Catholics like you, tend to believe those who don’t follow what you say end up in hell suffering sadistic tortures and that your way is the only way tobe saved (Eg. ‘None shall come to Me except through Christ.’)
Non-religious people – agnostics and atheists like me say that ‘we just don’t know’ or that ‘no God exists who will do that’. So intrinsically we are more willing, more happy to tolerate others. To say as I do : “believe what you want but don’t stop others believing as they do or exploring and seeking out other ideas on how best to live.”
Secular people or atheists see many different equally valid paths in life. We don’t think any of them necesarily mean Eternal Damnation.
Sincere Religious belivers, however decent they may otherwise be (well okay maybe not Buddhists!) see one True Way and everyone NOT on that way coming to a very nasty end.
This does shape their outlook and it does have implications for them influencing or controlling other peoples lives. It also does provide good reason for non-believers (in any faith) to be concerned about trusting their lives to people of faith coming from that “We Alone are Truly, Divinely, Right” perspective.
June 19th, 2006 at 7:09 am
Mungascr, just because there are a lot of loud Christians out there does not mean they speak for the group. It is my sincere hope that, not just Christians, but that the majority of people, make decisions on what is right and wrong based on the facts before them and how those facts fit in with their beliefs. I also hope these same people recognize that sometimes things don’t quiet fit perfectly, and would allow a little variance between their religious beliefs and scientific fact. I hope that for most people, the Gray area is just as big as the Black and White areas.
I do know that there are people out there who do see things as black and white; believe what we believe and you are good, do not believe what we believe and you are bad. I just hope that most people fit into the former group, and the public just hears from the minority. In reality, no one knows for sure. We can only know about ourselves. To me religion and faith our personal things; we are guided by the higher Earthly authority, but we should be allowed to make our own choices. There are certainly things about the Roman Catholic Church I do not agree with, but I do agree with the majority of its beliefs, so I am a Roman Catholic. Either that, and go off and found my own religion, and that always works so well.
It was certainly not my intent to turn this into a religious debate, mainly because I feel religion is not something to be debated. Faith is a personal thing, and not to be forced on people. What got me mad, and what I am debating, is people making assertions that all Christians believe that all science is bad, and that is certainly not the case. Just because I am a Christian, don’t assume I, or most Christians, believe that same things that the President or Robertson believe.
Lastly, I do think that non-Christians will still go to heaven; it just won’t be as good as our Heaven. Just kidding!