Category: Skepticism

As promised, I watched Phenomenon, and I’ve got to say, I’m unimpressed. The premise of the show is there are 10 people with paranormal abilities vying for a 250,000 prize (they could make more if they tried Randi’s challenge – I wonder why don’t they?). The one that impresses the judges – fraud and huxster Uri Geller, and magician Criss Angel – as well as the studio audience who calls in and votes.

Not only are they obviously using simple tricks to pass themselves off as psychics, but they’re not even that good at it. Geller, of course, is such a pathetic creep, and acts as if each act is showing some psychic ability, all while maintaining this stupid expression on his face like he knows something we don’t. In his introduction, in what I’m sure is a preemptive strike against skeptics, they even show little bits of the failed Carson interview and say he “bounced back”, as if he’s some kind of underdog rather than a fraud. What almost redeems the show is that after each act Criss Angel says something along the lines of, “that’s an old trick, try harder”, or “I can do that – I used a real gun”. If only the producers made that the premise, that rather than convincing a cheesy fake psychic like Geller, they had to convince real magicians like Angel or Penn & Teller.
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Next for “making up disease” files, Ed Brayton brings us news of the latest crank idea from the masturbation-obsessed nuts over at World Nut Daily. It’s the new plague of masturbation-induced impotence.

Pornographically Induced Impotence is now a national pandemic, raking in untold billions for pornographers and their satellite businesses as well as from the marital discord and despair it produces.
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Men are “visually wired,” Feldhahn explained. Their images of women stretch “back to his teenage years, and any one of the pictures is going to pop up at any time in his brain without warning.”

In 1981, Hefner biographer Gay Talese wrote that “Hef’s” influence reached out to “the central nervous system of Playboy readers nationwide.”

And, that “central nervous system” included “images” popping up and stretching “back to teenage years.” By 2005, some estimated impotence at roughly 50 percent of men.

What percentage suffer from pornographically induced impotence is unknown. For pornography emasculates indiscriminately. It castrates men of every race, religion and “orientation,” atheist and orthodox, rich and poor, conservative and radical, young and old, svelte and paunchy, handsome and unappealing, scientist and sky cap, the clever and the obtuse, en masse.

Pornographically Induced Impotence once kept men and boys breathlessly awaiting each month’s “new” fantasy images. The Internet means they wait no more.

Good news for the sex business, sexologists and Big Pharma!

Men conditioned since boyhood to use erototoxins blame their wives, girlfriends, women for their own waning libido.

Pornographically Induce Impotence? Erototoxins? This is my new favorite woo. The idea that exposure to nudity, or masturbation, somehow decreases male libido. Well, maybe temporarily, but still, this is hysterical. To top it off this loony also suggests, and this really is great, that not only are naked women bad for men’s libido but that the cartoons in Playboy may be even worse!

But even psychologist Bernie Zilbergeld warned that Playboy encouraged impotence in their consumers:

“Humor is the basic source of education. … Cartoons that poke fun at impotence or other male inadequacies … would outweigh any supportive things said in the advice column. Cartoons are simply more compelling. Some things are.”

Well doc, ever since I saw that cartoon making fun of men who take Viagra, I just haven’t been able to satisfy the missus. It’s something else, those cartoons. I once saw a Far Side cartoon mocking the near-sighted and I went blind for a week.

I look forward to more breathless reports about this emerging epidemic of pornography-induced impotence. It’s sure to hit the mainstream literature on sexuality right after the proof that masturbation also causes hairy-palms and blindness.

Here’s some woo for you. Via Gizmodo we hear about this wonderful new waste of money, Mummywraps. Designed to protect your baby from “electro-smog”, the non-existent threat of electromagnetic waves from radio and cell phone sources (that we have been exposed to constantly for decades with no discernible effect), these copper “Swiss Shield” garments will be sure to be a profitable waste of money ($70) for thousands of paranoid parents.

Ben Goldacre I think has been on the forefront of challenging this new electrosmog woo, so there is very little to add. But it is simply shameful how people are willing to exploit the well-intentioned paranoia of expectant mothers about the health of their fetuses with such nonsense. I’m never surprised of course, but always disappointed.

Of course if you would like to make a few million dollars I can highly recommend imagining something new for people with children to be afraid of, and then convincing them only your product can protect them. My product idea is a special tinfoil hat, designed to block cosmic rays from penetrating your body and mutating your precious offspring.

It’s up at Google Video (and embedded here). Check it.