# Reality **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 16, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101 "2011-05-16T16:40:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/81 "2011-05-16T18:38:01Z")
Dragons? Yeah ok…I’m down with dragons. In fact, I’m quite the dragon slayer. I killed Lady Vox, Lord Nagafen, Gorenaire, and many others in Norrath a few years ago. More recently, I’ve turned my attention to Azeroth. Plenty of dragons and undead to fight there. Just last week I tanked Erankus (something like that. Greenish dragon in the Sunken Temple.) Last night I killed some Scourge just for grins. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/82 "2011-05-16T18:38:27Z")
If you leave off the Curse of the Bambino, how do you expect anyone to take you seriously? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/83 "2011-05-16T18:38:55Z")
I hereby curse this thread to be closed before the sun sets today in Chicago! ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Lex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@Rex\_Lex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Lex)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/84 "2011-05-16T18:40:26Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I hereby curse this thread to be closed before the sun sets today in Chicago! Oh, I’m impressed. No wonder skeptics of your foolishness don’t last long here.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/85 "2011-05-16T18:41:58Z")
Might I suggest that before you use a word for the title of a thread you look up the meaning first to see if has anything at all to do with subject of the thread. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/86 "2011-05-16T18:41:59Z")
> [@Rex\_Lex](#): > > Oh, I’m impressed. No wonder skeptics of your foolishness don’t last long here.:rolleyes: Hey, I’m helpin’ you out here! The next time you start a thread like this, you’ll be able to point to that post as evidence that curses work. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/87 "2011-05-16T18:42:03Z")
> [@Rex\_Lex](#): > > I am saying there is NO difference between dragons and dinosaurs. Before the word ‘dinosaur’ was coined in 1841. Before that it was all ‘dragons’. Dragons are common to myths from a lot of cultures, and of them don’t bear any resemblance to dinosaurs. The problem here is that in a lot of myths, dragons are described as _living creatures_, not something that died off 65 million years ago. (Another poster already mentioned this.) That kills your theory. > [@](#): > > I am one who trusts my perceptions, common sense, and the witnesses who have seen the same things I have seen, and not your skeptical mindset. It should be obvious to anyone over the age of, say, five that our perceptions are not always reliable. That’s why evidence matters. > [@Rex\_Lex](#): > > The Straight Dope is wrong on that. The curse was broken on Reagan after some Christians visited him and told him about the curse. They prayed and it was broken. And your proof is? ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Lex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@Rex\_Lex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Lex)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/88 "2011-05-16T18:42:17Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Bah. Reagan broke that one just like he crushed the commies in the First Interplanetary War. > > Now if you got something to cure the curse on the Chicago Cubs, maybe we can do some bidness… So every president dying or being assassinated every 20 yrs or so for 140 yrs make no impression on you. I get you. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/89 "2011-05-16T18:42:20Z")
> [@Rex\_Lex](#): > > I am one who trusts my perceptions, common sense, and the witnesses who have seen the same things I have seen, and not your skeptical mindset. “I believe people who agree with me, and not those who say my beliefs are nonsense!” How very courageous and intellectually honest of you. Thanks for clearing that up. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/90 "2011-05-16T18:44:53Z")
> [@Rex\_Lex](#): > > So every president dying or being assassinated every 20 yrs or so for 140 yrs make no impression on you. I get you. I don’t bet on Presidents. I have been known to bet on baseball. [del]Got me banned for life[/del] er…uh…costs me some money sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/91 "2011-05-16T18:49:12Z")
> [@Rex\_Lex](#): > > So every president dying or being assassinated every 20 yrs or so for 140 yrs make no impression on you. I get you. [About that:](http://www.fallacyfiles.org/posthocf.html) > [@](#): > > Exposition: > The Post Hoc Fallacy is committed whenever one reasons to a causal conclusion based solely on the supposed cause preceding its “effect”. Of course, it is a necessary condition of causation that the cause precede the effect, but it is not a sufficient condition. Thus, post hoc evidence may suggest the hypothesis of a causal relationship, which then requires further testing, but it is never sufficient evidence on its own. > > Exposure: > Post Hoc also manifests itself as a bias towards jumping to conclusions based upon coincidences. Superstition and magical thinking include Post Hoc thinking; for instance, when a sick person is treated by a witch doctor, or a faith healer, and becomes better afterward, superstitious people conclude that the spell or prayer was effective. Since most illnesses will go away on their own eventually, any treatment will seem effective by Post Hoc thinking. This is why it is so important to test proposed remedies carefully, rather than jumping to conclusions based upon anecdotal evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Lex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@Rex\_Lex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Lex)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/92 "2011-05-16T18:49:17Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Dragons are common to myths from a lot of cultures, and of them don’t bear any resemblance to dinosaurs. The problem here is that in a lot of myths, dragons are described as _living creatures_, not something that died off 65 million years ago. (Another poster already mentioned this.) That kills your theory. > > No. They are not myths. There were dinosaurs. I made that clear but you ignored it. > > It should be obvious to anyone over the age of, say, five that our perceptions are not always reliable. That’s why evidence matters. > > Evidence that you choose to ignore, skeptic. > > And your proof is? Sure: [Dragons: Evidence of Recent Dinosaurs](http://www.nwcreation.net/dinosdragons.html) Now please read it and don’t reply until you’ve taken the time to do so. On top of that is this: [http://www.s8int.com/dinolit1.html](http://www.s8int.com/dinolit1.html) There is plenty of evidence that dinosaurs and dragons are equal but my experience has been that those of your persuasion don’t care about the evidence that reveals your position is a lie. Nonetheless, it is there and there is a ton of it. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Lex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@Rex\_Lex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Lex)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/93 "2011-05-16T18:51:07Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [About that:](http://www.fallacyfiles.org/posthocf.html) Baloney. You want me to turn my brain off and accept your ridiculous skepticism despite the evidence. Well, I won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Lex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@Rex\_Lex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Lex)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/94 "2011-05-16T18:52:10Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > “I believe people who agree with me, and not those who say my beliefs are nonsense!” > > How very courageous and intellectually honest of you. Thanks for clearing that up. Except that I did not say that. He did. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/95 "2011-05-16T18:52:20Z")
Your citations are _Young-earth creationist websites???_ You really don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself in for here, do you? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/96 "2011-05-16T18:53:23Z")
> [@Rex\_Lex](#): > > Except that I did not say that. He did. Um…you realize we can all scroll up and actually see who said what, right? I was quoting you directly. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/97 "2011-05-16T18:53:24Z")
> [@Rex\_Lex](#): > > Sure: [Dragons: Evidence of Recent Dinosaurs](http://www.nwcreation.net/dinosdragons.html) > > Now please read it and don’t reply until you’ve taken the time to do so. I’m sorry, you can’t ask me to believe in dragons based on a literal interpretation of Genesis. Creationism and a global flood are orders of magnitude more improbable than the misnaming or incorrect descriptions of real animals. The Bible also doesn’t describe unicorns or vampires (don’t give me that ‘Mark of Cain’ nonsense). If you were stringing people along to get them to swallow that, I’m sort of disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![classyladyhp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@classyladyhp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/classyladyhp)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/98 "2011-05-16T18:54:19Z")
> [@Rex\_Lex](#): > > I believe in wicthes, giants, unicorns, vampires, and werewolves, and curses. > > I believe reality is much different than the atheist/agnostic rationalist, Neo-Darwinian mindset tells us that it is. > > I believe in different dimensions beyond the four we can measure. I believe in astral projection (though I do not practice it). I believe in the transformation of matter of objects from one place to another. > > Well, how’s that for starters on this board? That’s good but can you actually prove it? ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Lex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@Rex\_Lex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Lex)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/99 "2011-05-16T18:55:08Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Hey, I’m helpin’ you out here! The next time you start a thread like this, you’ll be able to point to that post as evidence that curses work. Still posting on this useless thread, I see. Do you do this often?😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101/100 "2011-05-16T18:55:32Z")
> [@classyladyhp](#): > > That’s good but can you actually prove it? At this point we can safely say the answer is not only no, but hell no. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality/582101.md?page=6)