Communicating skepticism Science Based Healthcare Conspiracy theories A new Chair-entity Skeptical Desiderata The Kardashian Index Good germs and bad germs number 113 – spring 2014 content editorial Communicating skepticism or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Media 3 Thanks for all the fish Society for Science Based Healthcare – up and running 8 T’S about 25 years since I joined the NZ Skeptics, and eight years since I took on the editorship of this magazine. It’s been fun, Book Review: The Orphan I Conspiracies 10 but it’s time I handed the NZ Skeptic on to other hands, so this will be my last issue as editor. Thank-you to all who have contributed Newsfront 12 over the years; together we’ve covered a lot of ground. I thought Skeptical Desiderata 15 I’d indulge myself a little here by looking back over past issues and some of the material in them. Interview with the entity 16 Yet another science metric Some topics never go away. Alternative medicine remains as – the Kardashian Index 18 popular as ever, and mediums are still fleecing the vulnerable and the grieving. Others, such as crop circles, may emerge, prosper for a Forum 20 time and then fade. A few may morph in unexpected and occasion- From the vaults: Group wants ally alarming directions. Hypnotic regression started out as a means cash to fight ritual abuse 21 of ‘discovering’ a person’s past lives or alien abduction experiences Survival in a bacterial (see p 5) but became more sinister when subjects began to report world 22 instances of satanic ritual abuse and, later (coupled with flawed inter- rogations of children), more conventional forms of sexual abuse (see NZ Skeptic 50, this issue p 21). The skeptical movement worldwide ISSN - 1172-062X played an important role in highlighting the insanities of the moral panic that arose. Though the panic has since faded much damage Contributions remains, and ‘regression therapists’ continue to practise. Contributions are welcome and should be sent to: The skeptics themselves have also changed. As Martin Bridg- stock wrote in NZ Skeptic 102, the average skeptic was once “over- David Riddell whelmingly likely to be male, older than average, very intelligent, 122 Woodlands Rd mostly conservative and grumpily critical of anything to do with the RD1 Hamilton Email: [email protected] paranormal.” More recently though, there has been “an influx of skeptics who are much younger, much less likely to be bearded, and Deadline for next issue: who include a substantial minority of women.” They are also more December 10 2014 likely to be atheists (though there are plenty among the old school), Letters for the Forum may be edited and it is unlikely we will see another article like Dr Robert Mann’s in as space requires - up to 250 words NZ Skeptic 42, arguing that Christianity was the only ethical system is preferred. Please indicate the under which science is known to flourish – something that generated publication and date of all clippings a huge response in Issue 43! for the Newsfront. But NZ Skeptics has always had members who hold a wide range Material supplied by email or CD is appreciated. of political and philosophical views, and that has helped to keep the society lively and vibrant. We might all agree that rationality Permission is given to other non- is a Good Thing that we should all aspire to, but we’re human, our profit skeptical organisations to brains are an evolutionary hodgepodge rather than perfectly designed reprint material from this publication provided the author and NZ Skeptic reasoning machines, and some matters simply defy rational analysis are acknowledged. – at least with our current level of knowledge. We won’t always all agree on everything. But we (I hope) can agree that the world is an Opinions expressed in the New Zealand Skeptic are those of the amazing place that is better understood and appreciated by assuming individual authors and do not it operates according to natural, rather than supernatural principles, necessarily represent the views of that it’s okay to say ‘I don’t know’ rather than sieze on a paranormal NZ Skeptics (Inc.) or its officers. explanation for an unexplained phenomenon, and that these are views which are worth promoting and defending. number 113 – spring 2014 main feature Communicating skepticism or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Media Kylie Sturgess The spread of new technologies has caused an upheaval in the world of the media, but gives skeptics many causes for optimism. This article is based on a presentation to the 2013 NZ Skeptics Conference in Wellington. S a podcaster and a student Daniel Loxton. There are plenty productive about strange and Aof broadcast media, there of people, who may not have sometimes harmful claims. are a few things I’ve noticed over formal schooling in a field, who the years that have led me to be have taken on the challenge of All of these examples are also more optimistic. I am optimistic doing something positive and great people to talk to, and the because there are plenty discussions I have with of opportunities for the skeptics like these (and general public to influence many others) feature on the media and a grow- my podcast, the Token ing number resources for Skeptic. those wishing to promote I usually define podcasts science and technology in as the equivalent of online general. radio shows. Sometimes I think about the fantas- it seems as if everyone tic and influential skeptics has a podcast; you’ll find out there – people who dozens of them out there have PhDs like Dr Karen covering practically any Stollznow and Dr Eug- topic you care to name. enie Scott, or have PhDs Skepticism is no excep- and do magic tricks, like tion in that regard. Dr Richard Wiseman. I If you would like to also think about skeptics know more about podcast- who have faced and chal- ing, or even how to start lenged pseudoscience and your own (and why, de- paranormal claims in both spite there being plenty of their personal and profes- them, you should certainly sional lives – people like consider doing one if you Loretta Marron, Hayley feel like it) – you can find Stevens, Sharon Hill or page 3 communication resources on the Token Skeptic 1800s. They are an example “When I first began doing palm website, including interviews of spiritualists who eventually reading for money, I did not with the likes of Dr Pamela Gay admitted that they did not have believe that it really worked. on how to get started. psychic abilities. Yet according However, I was amazed when my to the parapsychologist whose clients insisted that everything I I should warn you I’ll be men- was telling them was uncannily tioning the podcast a lot accurate. By the time I began – once upon a time I was the college, I was a true believer. It’s also very important for host of an atheist confer- I had no doubts that palmistry ence and some members of skeptics to learn about what kind worked. the audience tweeted, “Oh, of world we’re in, the history of “When I was a sophomore in not another one with a pod- the field, and how people are led college, a friend suggested cast…” As I said, there’s to believe in weird things – which that I try and read my next nothing new or particularly includes people like ourselves. client’s palm by telling her special about being a skep- the opposite of what the tic with a podcast. lines said. If her heart line indicated that she did not like But what I do with my podcast presentation I attended, the Fox to display her emotions, I would is use it to reflect research I’ve sisters never recanted their psy- tell her that she was the sort of done into a number of different chic powers. In her community person who displays her emo- areas, including the thesis I even- of spiritualists, they continue to tions openly, and so on. tually wrote on Australian para- be very influential examples of “To my astonishment, this client normal belief. If it wasn’t for spiritualists who can communi- was thrilled at how accurately I podcasting, it would be highly cate with the dead. had captured her personality. So I tried the same experiment on unlikely that I would have had I assumed that by saying “the my next few clients. The results many of the great opportunities Fox sisters” that any skeptic that I’ve had – like talking at were the same! By now, I was would know who I was talking coming to realization that what- events like last year’s NZ Skep- about. Or that they may have tics Conference, networking ever was happening in a palm checked out the book The Psy- reading session, it had nothing to with people and helping science chic Mafia by Lamar M Keene, do with the lines in the hand.” communication groups. which discusses these spiritual- My thinking that skeptics Skeptical history ist churches in detail and how Keene himself used to work as in general already know these I can mention the names of a spiritualist before admitting stories, have read this book or ‘great skeptics’ and I generally all his psychic activities were that book, or have done research assume that my audience knows achieved by fraudulent means. into a particular field is a huge who these people are too. But assumption on my part.