Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Do you notice how you continue to focus on your perception that those
who are skeptical of alternative medicine claims think that you are
some kind of mental defective??Why wouldn't I think that?
Self-Esteem?
Quoted message said:The question was why the high level of
enthusiasm of so many people to discredit alternative health? The best
answer I got was (paraphrased) to defend us against lies and ignorance.
Here on MHA, part of Usenet, there are lots of people peddling snake oil.
There are lots of desperate, scientifically illierate folks who are easily
victimized. Plus, some [censored] like to blur the line between biology and
fantasy by pushing outdated, debunked theories.
Quoted message said:Anybody who has such a strong urge to protect the general public from
their presumed misuse of allegedly questionable information apparently
has a higher opinion of his own intelligence than of the intelligence of
the recipient of the graciously offered help. This is my reasonable
interpretation of what has been stated.
So?
Quoted message said:
I trust the general public to discern what is useful information and
what is not.
Your trust is misplaced.
Quoted message said:I actually have a high opinion of general human
intelligence. (Although unfortunately it is frequently tempered by a
willingness to defer to others who dress nicely and quote statistics.)
Intelligence alone is not enough, education is also necessary. A person can be
very bright yet very credulous.
Quoted message said:If a guy asks how to cure a problem, I would assume that this person
probably knows that there are armies of doctors who would prescribe the
standard care and has chosen to learn more about alternatives. Then if
another guy suggests some natural treatment, I would assume that the
first guy is smart enough to apply his own reasoning to discern whether
the information is valuable or not. If I were to assume that the
recipient of the advice needed to be reminded that there are differing
opinions in the world, and that the medical establishment does not
support alternative therapies, then I would be demonstrating a lack of
respect for this person's intelligence. Guess what? We already knew
about the disagreement when we asked about alternative methods. That's
where the term "alternative" came from.
You make a lot of assumptions, many of which are not warranted. Liver cleanses
are not of any benefit because they do not cleanse the liver, they strain the
liver.
As for alternatives, many of the pro-science crowd stand up for Massage, Some
herbal therapies, properly indicated Chiropractic, and Acupuncture. Again,
these endorsements are not universal nor unequivocable. There are times when
they are useful adjuncts or maybe the only thing that helps.
Bascially, Robbie, you think that someone is paying people to post pro-science
view points to MHA. Please let me know who is paying and how I can get on the
payroll.