Posts categoriezed as Politics
The Curse of the Lying Dutchman
Here, folks, is a good reason to treat research into social and psychological matters with great skepticism.
We all know that there are tricky ways of lying about these things by applying user-defined definitions that differ markedly from the conventional definitions, or by using hand-picked rather than randomly chosen groups of subjects, but when academics are lazy they don’t even bother with these tactics – they just make shit up.
This is what tulip-picking psychologist Diederik Stapel did. Why bother going out and asking people what they think? Why waste time carrying out fancy experiments? Just make up some figures and then get into a snit every time someone asks to see the actual research! That way you can claim that white people are more likely to discriminate against black people when in messy environments, that the very thought of eating meat makes you selfish, and that people see job applicants as more competent if they have a “male voice”, and few will be inclined to ask what you’ve been smoking.
More here.
The Pigman Cometh – Here is the News
The Pigman Cometh – Sal
Michele Bachmann is a Message from God
Far right Christian Looney Toon Michele Bachmann claims that the recent earthquake (I didn’t even know they’d had one, so we aren’t exactly talking Japan here) and hurricane in the eastern US are messages from God telling Americans that, since they haven’t already suffered enough disasters, they should put a dominionist in the Oval Office.
I know the batty bitch says this crap with a smile on her face, but then plenty of people make jests in all seriousness, and given her radical religious views I think it more likely than not that she means it. Worse yet, I am damn (sorry, I meant darn) sure that Bachmann knows that’s how her deranged followers are taking it.
If Bachmann wasn’t such a thickie I might think that there was also a subtext here about god hating liberals, as the east coast is just crawling with those dastardly rats. As it is, I doubt she even knows what a subtext is, much less how to use one.
Does Bachmann stand any real chance of getting her party’s nomination? No. Does she stand a good chance of helping fellow nutball Rick Perry to get it by making him look more moderate by comparison? Yes, yes she does.