# POLL: SDMB attitudes towards non-mainstream topics **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 29, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185 "2011-04-29T17:43:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/21 "2011-04-29T21:42:25Z")
Also, i have to say, I think the HFCS question was worded quite poorly. Probably the alien sightings one as well. No offense intended, but I do think it is going to skew results. Dopers can be pretty pedantic. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/22 "2011-04-29T22:33:50Z")
HFCS is about as bad as plain old sucrose, so I was fine with checking “none of the above”. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/23 "2011-04-29T22:44:19Z")
Where’s the “vaccines will cause my baby to get autism and burst into flames” option? ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/24 "2011-04-30T01:49:21Z")
I don’t think that HFCS is any worse than sucrose, but I believe it’s bad for your health because it’s in _everything_ and doesn’t need to be. So I checked that box. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/25 "2011-04-30T03:21:37Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Also, i have to say, I think the HFCS question was worded quite poorly. Probably the alien sightings one as well. No offense intended, but I do think it is going to skew results. Dopers can be pretty pedantic. You’re absolutely right, **miss elizabeth.** However, when making the poll I found to my dismay that there is a one-hundred character limit on each option next to a checkbox. I had to clip out most of the precise language just to get the general idea across. I do apologize for the inadequacy and imprecision of the resulting queries. Incidentally, many people have mentioned that they checked this or that box because the question said “may be,” and they couldn’t absolutely rule it out. I worded it that way on purpose; what I was curious about was relative resistance (or not) to possoibilities, however unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/26 "2011-04-30T03:43:28Z")
Interesting poll - thanks! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/27 "2011-04-30T13:01:04Z")
I do think it’s possible for HFCS to be worse than fructose, and I do believe that there are studies showing that artificial sweeteners may provoke an insulin response without actually raising blood sugar, which could be unhealthy. I have no problem with anything else, as long as the general theory for 9/11 includes some level of incompetence, seeing as there was a report about the possibility of terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/28 "2011-04-30T13:09:30Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Research does seem to show that High Fructose Corn Syrup is potentially more hazardous to your health than glucose, due to the stress that fructose can put on your liver. Over time, and in high enough doses. No, I don’t know how long or how much. We saw a film about this in my fat class from a guy who reviews research. Fat class? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/29 "2011-04-30T14:11:34Z")
I checked none of the above because I don’t see any evidence that aspartame is especially harmful, that HFCS is any worse than honey (same fructose/glucose ratio in both products) or eating too much of any sugar/highly caloric substance without any other nutrients. I also think it’s highly unlikely that any sightings of UFOs have involved alien beings, but don’t discount the possibility that life exists out there in the universe and that it might be intelligent. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/30 "2011-04-30T14:55:17Z")
I only find it odd that the OP decided to put aspartame in the same option as HFCS. Sure, they’re both sweeteners, but one is decidedly artificial and non-sucrose/fructose based. I’m fairly certain aspartame is generally safe for consumption, but only having been used as a food additive for ~40 years, I’d be more apt to raise an eyebrow at aspartame than HFCS (fructose having been consumed naturally since the dawn of man, by comparison). Otherwise I can’t really get behind any of the above with any amount of conviction (especially #2 & 3). #4 is just so very, very, very unlikely, though admittedly, not impossible. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/31 "2011-05-01T06:23:04Z")
Well, see, the thing with high-fructose corn syrup that I find gives me pause is not the fructose, the syrup, or even the high – it’s the corn. Usually genetically altered corn. And while I don’t think GMO food will make us mutate into giant ants or whatever, I find it a lot more plausible that mucking around with its genes will introduce a subtle change in the way it’s metabolized by humans. Such that something that has been relatively harmless for centuries may not be so now, and worse, it’s in an indirect way that is not immediately evident. If anyone even bothers to test something that has been safe for centuries. But, I honestly wasn’t trying to grind an axe here, it was something to do with general broadmindedness among Dopers, and I find the results very reassuring. You are an awesome bunch. I believe the best scientific approach is one that is at least reluctant, if not unwilling, to definitively rule out a possibility without definitive proof. Errrr, within reason of course. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/32 "2011-05-01T08:05:41Z")
I recall reading somewhere that HFCS sorta messes with the pleasure/addiction pathways of the brain, making it much more difficult to feel sated (satiated?). So, I voted number 1. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/33 "2011-05-01T17:42:54Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > \ it was something to do with general broadmindedness among Dopers, and I find the results very reassuring. You are an awesome bunch. I believe the best scientific approach is one that is at least reluctant, if not unwilling, to definitively rule out a possibility without definitive proof. Errrr, within reason of course. One thing I would not call Dopers is broad-minded. I imagine the hard-core people are being polite and staying out of this thread (so far). ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/34 "2011-05-01T18:05:51Z")
Who’s seen [“King Corn”?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1112115/) Great documentary on HFCS. I can personally testify that after consuming my weight in HFCS a million fold that I feel like shit. Not sure if there’s any correlation, but, yeh. I feel like shit. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/35 "2011-05-01T18:12:04Z")
1. **Do you believe that aspartame and/or HFCS may be deleterous to your health?** I’m undecided on the current research, but I know whenever I eat foods containing either of them I get very sick to my stomach. It could be because foods with HFCS are likely to contain higher concentrations of sugar in general, and I can’t take too much sugar at once without feeling ill. But personally, yes, I believe those things are deleterious to my health. 2. **Do you have a problem with any part of the official explanation for 9/11?** No. I mean, other than the part where the government made it look like it had something to do with Iraq in order to justify the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. But I believe it completely blindsided the U.S. government and was a result of terrorist actions. Iraq was opportunism, not conspiracy. 3. **Do you think that some of the trails from aircraft may be chemtrails?** I don’t even know what this means. 4. **Do you think that any UFO sightings may have involved a genuine alien craft?** Maybe. I mean, I’m not sure of it or anything. But I don’t think it’s farfetched to believe that aliens exist _somewhere_, so who the hell knows? I think it’s far more likely to be advanced government testing of some kind, though - and I definitely think people who claim to have experienced alien abductions are actually victims of hypnogogic hallucinations. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/36 "2011-05-01T18:55:29Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > We saw a film about this in my fat class from a guy who reviews research. I can get the name of the guy and the film if necessary, I think it was something like “Fructose is Evil”. You mean Robert Lustig, the fructose = poison guy? I understand that he has academic credentials (professor of something relevant at UCSF), but I dunno, he sets my quack detector off a bit, with his melodramatic delivery. Here’s his noted rant, I mean lecture, [Sugar: The Bitter Truth](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM). Sober academic treatise, it is not. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/37 "2011-05-01T19:05:36Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > …And while I don’t think GMO food will make us mutate into giant ants or whatever… Famous last words until we _do_ mutate into giant ants! Which isn’t necessarily a _bad_ thing. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/38 "2011-05-01T19:23:06Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > One thing I would not call Dopers is broad-minded. I imagine the hard-core people are being polite and staying out of this thread (so far). Are you understanding “broad-minded” as a synonym for “credulous”? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/39 "2011-05-01T19:36:43Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Are you understanding “broad-minded” as a synonym for “credulous”? Nope. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185/40 "2011-05-01T19:44:50Z")
It’s not the chemtrails I’m worried about, it’s trying to figure out what’s [oozing out of our ground](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIYZvr3ueGw&feature=related) and causing all these damned rainbows all over the place. ETA, No to all the options above. Do UFOs exist, maybe, but I doubt we’ve seen them. And HFCS, I agree it’s probably no worse then sugar in moderation, but it’s in everything so I think we get a lot more of it then we realize if we don’t pay attention. I certainly don’t restrict it from my diet, but I do try to keep it in check. For example, I won’t buy bread with HFCS in it when there is another loaf that’s just as good and doesn’t have it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-sdmb-attitudes-towards-non-mainstream-topics/580185.md?page=3)