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Steven within the alarming statistics in your link above I found the following.
"Gallup released a poll indicating 42 percent of Americans still believe God created human beings in their present form less than 10,000 years ago;"
As Adam Savage of Myth Busters fame would say "Well there's your problem".
I have experienced continual attacks from cranks at another site for no other reason than I point out the futility of a non professional trying to re write current established models.
I had a certain sympathy for them given where I started, which thanks to you more than anyone helped me start to understand my ignorance of current models etc, was from the position of a complete crackpot, however they are not the same as I was.
Maybe my memory deceives me but I thought I was calm polite and thankful for help.
They are bullies, they have no interest in learning, when they are pointed in the right direction they claim mainstream is nonsence.
They are so quick to get angry, very angry, and instead of trying to have a polite discussion resort to personal attack.
The threads degenerate into mud slinging which I first avoided, but when I started to throw mud back (which I believe I am good at doing much better than them) they report me for being off topic. So the result is there is no point in getting involved.
One chap is ranting about GWs and how they are wrong, whatever his arguement is not easy to follow, but when a real scientist, foolish to get involved really, points out the lack of arguement, lack of equations etc this crank rips into him rather thank him for trying to help.
The only reason I bother with the site is because there is a layman there who posts very good links to mainstream papers and articles and from those I get some interesting and worthwhile information.
But the cranks obviously drive away folk who could contribute but can see they will be attacked if they hint they support anything mainstream.
The site does what it can to elevate the science but these cranks pull it down.
I often think they tolerate the cranks because the fighting generates high traffic.
One chat who is outrageous gets short bans which would bring a permanent ban at somewhere like Cosmoquest. And when he is banned another crank almost identical in expression and views appears.
But as I said I get a steady supply of interesting links so its useful.
What surprises me is some folk there sound inteligent but believe the craziest of ideas, ufo, afterlife etc.
And I hope my satire was not lost on you and you understand why I started the thread.
And its seems Peter was able to realise he could post his views without ripping into scientists.
And for the record I think our science has not lost its way and I appreciate that there are dedicated a d clever humans who devote so much of their life to gaining an education to give their lives to extending humanities knowledge.
Sorry for the sin of starting sentences with "and" and "but" and other wrongs I ignore or have forgotten.
Alex
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