# I Pit The Credulous **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 30, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573 "2012-05-30T19:35:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/41 "2012-06-01T04:27:46Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I’ve been on a run of meeting weirdos lately. A recent one was telling me how he’s really into science and not a religious nut and then proceeded to tell me how all life on Earth came from a single mother 4,000 years ago. > > Yes, I stopped him. Did he mean “all humans” or, actually, “all life”?! ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/42 "2012-06-01T05:32:58Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Oh, I _totally_ believe the credulous should be pitted. Well, if smallpox returns with a vengeance, they will be. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/43 "2012-06-01T15:50:28Z")
> [@digs](#): > > We’ll fund a mission for you to find her again, this time armed with a video crew\*. > > \*(In the event of minimum contributions to _GatoQuest2012™_, a pocket notepad will suffice) Oh, I know right where she is. She’s just a few miles down the road. Its prudent to keep tabs on people like this. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/44 "2012-06-01T16:00:38Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I work with a guy who is an engineer, and an overall smart guy, but he is strongly anti-vaccination and believes that the government uses them to do nefarious things. I tell him that the government isn’t even the one who produces vaccines, that they are produced by private, for-profit companies (that as a libertarian he should approve), and the FDA ensures their safety, that it’s not all government run, but this doesn’t seem to convince him. > > Of course, he also believes that you can use statistics to improve your chances of winning the lottery, so, yeah… Is he the same one who swears apple cider vinegar is the cure for everything? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/45 "2012-06-01T17:02:39Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > At least they’ll poo white. I woved her in _The Pewils of Pauwine_! ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/46 "2012-06-01T17:15:36Z")
_applauds **Eve** __gets paper towels to clean up coffee sprayed on keyboard_ ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/47 "2012-06-02T02:28:31Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Did he mean “all humans” or, actually, “all life”?! Yeah, I thought maybe he heard something about Mitochondrial Eve or something and was just off by a couple 100k years. Nope. He meant 4000 years since life began and evolved up to where it is now. I think when he said he was into science what he meant was he’s into watching UFO documentaries on the History Channel and assumes he’s getting science. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/48 "2012-06-02T02:51:27Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I’m skeptical of this statement. Betcha can’t prove him wrong. And besides, they don’t want you to know. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/49 "2012-06-03T13:52:44Z")
> [@fumster](#): > > …those who think that seat belts are dangerous because they might trap you in a burning car: there is just so much stupid out there. In my life I have met many people, all of them female, oddly, who refuse to use seatbelts because they want to be able to “jump out of the car when they see an accident coming.” There’s at least 5 solid irrefutable reasons why that is wrong of course, but typically they’ll start to give you that “crazy lady, stop harassing me with your voodoo science” smile and ignore you. They’re as bad as others I’ve met who claimed they never buckled up, nor put their kids in car seats, because the only people who die in car crashes are people who offend God in some way. Plus, “if Jesus wants me to live, I’ll live. If Jesus wants me to die, I’ll die, and no seatbelt will make any difference.” Which brings to mind an image of Jesus played by Marlon Brando, sitting in a dark study, saying “This woman, Stacey Jones…she has showed disrespect to me.” (Pause while Jesus stares over his glass of campari, swirling it to watch the colours as a beam of light intersects it.) “Uriel? It’s time for her to come to me. Make it fast, painless, and at the Piggly-Wiggly tomorrow afternoon.” (cue dramatic music as Uriel bows and replies “It shall be done, Godly-father!”) ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/50 "2012-06-03T14:33:20Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > (snip) Plus, “if Jesus wants me to live, I’ll live. If Jesus wants me to die, I’ll die, and no seatbelt will make any difference.” Which brings to mind an image of Jesus played by Marlon Brando, sitting in a dark study, saying “This woman, Stacey Jones…she has showed disrespect to me.” (Pause while Jesus stares over his glass of campari, swirling it to watch the colours as a beam of light intersects it.) “Uriel? It’s time for her to come to me. Make it fast, painless, and at the Piggly-Wiggly tomorrow afternoon.” (cue dramatic music as Uriel bows and replies “It shall be done, Godly-father!”) This needs to be made into a movie posthaste 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/51 "2012-06-03T15:28:09Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > _Bleach enemas._ > [@tdn](#): > > At least they’ll poo white. Is that how you make Sham-poo? In any case, real poo should used to clean wigs. 🙂 Wig Racing - Muppet World of Sports [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4mlXXiocxeM/hqdefault.jpg "Wig Racing - Muppet World of Sports") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mlXXiocxeM) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/52 "2012-06-03T16:21:31Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > …"if Jesus wants me to live, I’ll live. If Jesus wants me to die, I’ll die In a vaccination thread on another forum, someone recently posted this crusher: Jesus never got vaccinated. I asked him if we really want our kids to live as long as they did in Jesus’ time. No answer yet, but I’m sure a brilliant theological riposte is on the way. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/53 "2012-06-03T16:26:50Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > In a vaccination thread on another forum, someone recently posted this crusher: Jesus never got vaccinated. > > I asked him if we really want our kids to live as long as they did in Jesus’ time. No answer yet, but I’m sure a brilliant theological riposte is on the way. Didn’t Jesus die kind of young? But there are other things Jesus never did as well: wear a cross around his neck, play Scrabble, take the exit 17 shortcut when the main highway is backed up, or eat a taco. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/54 "2012-06-03T17:53:57Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > You have to wonder what it is that causes a person to latch on to large numbers of crazy ideas like that. [Fantasy-prone personality?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_prone_personality) Steven Novella of the [Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe](http://www.theskepticsguide.org/) (an excellent and entertaining resource for most Dopers - check it out if you haven’t) takes the position that you often find beliefs in things like 9/11 “truth”, Birthers, UFO conspiracists, and other types of conspiracy theory tend to cluster. These are all unrelated phenomenon (or are they? gasp! :eek: ) which would seem to indicate that the fact that they cluster within individuals tells you more about the believers than it does about the phenomena themselves. > [@Jim Bohl](#): > > “We all know that we do not have children or anyone swallow toothpaste .And the reason we don’t do that is because of the poison substance of fluoride. If fluoride was such an effective and non-harmful substance, why would we not encourage everyone to swallow their toothpaste?” Bohl says. Bohl-shit. Why _would_ anyone want to swallow toothpaste, even if it is harmless? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/55 "2012-06-03T18:40:49Z")
> [@DarrenS](#): > > [Fantasy-prone personality?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_prone_personality) Steven Novella of the [Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe](http://www.theskepticsguide.org/) The example that should be in the dictionary definition of it: The Third Viscount Monckton of Brenchley. > **[The Monckton Files: Cracked](https://bbickmore.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/the-monckton-files-cracked/)** > > His Lordship, the Third Viscount Monckton of Brenchley (glory be to his Beneficence) has long since careened over the Cliffs of Insanity, but we keep listening to no avail for the “splat.R… > [@](#): > > His Lordship, the Third Viscount Monckton of Brenchley (glory be to his Beneficence) has long since careened over the Cliffs of Insanity, but we keep listening to no avail for the “splat.” It was proven that he had been falsely claiming to be a member of Parliament, but the climate change contrarians just kept lapping up his nonsense. He admitted that he had made false claims about the temperature evolution the IPCC had projected, but claimed he was right to do so, and Anthony Watts still kept publishing Monckton’s nonsense on his popular blog. John Abraham destroyed one of Monckton’s presentations, showing that His Lordship had misrepresented almost all his sources, but Monckton was still invited to testify before Congress as an expert witness on climate change. Monckton claims to have developed a Miracle Cure-All, but his admirers didn’t bat an eye. Just how far does this guy have to go before his ardent admirers start looking at their watches and pretending to have an urgent appointment to keep? > > Well, we won’t have to wonder for long, because if there’s anything we can count on in this world, it’s the fact that Christopher Monckton will keep pushing the Crazy Envelope. > > Not satisfied with his usual conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific nonsense, Monckton has graduated to become Hero of the Birthers. Now, I wonder what is saddest, him or Think Tanks like the Hearthland Institute that still continue to invite him to talk and their members applaud his climate denial change and birther jokes. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/56 "2012-06-03T21:45:36Z")
> [@DarrenS](#): > > Bohl-shit. Why _would_ anyone want to swallow toothpaste, even if it is harmless? My younger child did when she was a toddler. We found out when she began to vomit and my husband noticed that what was coming up smelled like toothpaster. “Have you been eating toothpaste???” Older sister pipes up, “Yeah, she does that all the time.” Our pediatrician said not to worry about it since she was already vomiting, but to keep the stuff on a higher shelf from now on. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/57 "2012-06-04T16:11:37Z")
> [@fumster](#): > > Didn’t Jesus die kind of young? At age 33, and his mother outlived him. Is that what these non-vaccinating mothers want- to outlive their kids? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573/58 "2012-06-06T06:27:09Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I work with a guy who is an engineer, and an overall smart guy, > … > as a libertarian > … > believes that you can use statistics to improve your chances of winning the lottery Those last 2 statements make me wonder about the accuracy of the first one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-credulous/623573.md?page=2)