Re: A critique of the BBC aquatic ape programme and the transcript.


Algis Kuliukas wrote:
> Pauline M Ross wrote:
> > On Mon, 09 May 2005 02:02:36 GMT, "Rick Wagler" <taxidea3@xxxxxxx>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >I do indeed think Jim's page is balanced, restrained and
> > >informative. And I do indeed have a problem with the AAT.
> > >What Jim wrote can in no way be described as a bitter,
> > >twisted rant. You do seem to have a rather dainty tea
> > >party sense of what academic debates look like. Get over it.
> >
> > Balanced? Hardly. It's almost entirely anti-AAH, anti-proponents of
> > the AAH and negative, like the rest of the site, with barely a
> > positive comment to be found, but then it doesn't pretend to be
> > otherwise, so that's OK.
>
> But Pauline, it *does* pretend to be...
>
> www.aquaticape.org
>
> ... note the 'org'.

Are you again claiming that Jim's doing something underhanded by using
a dot org address? There's nothing special about that. Dot org was
one of the original designations that served as a catch-all for things
that didn't fall into other categories and was originally the place for
individuals. There's absolutely nothing about a dot org address that
says he has to be balanced (though on balance, what's been put forward
as support for AAH is a pile of dog*** and as such, to pretend that
there was something more substantive wouldn't be balanced, it would be
false).

You're fabricating some deceitfulness that just isn't there. You're
coupling it with a direct attack at Jim, a particularly viscious one
claiming that he's inspired by jealousy for his late wife. You've sunk
to a new low, Algis. I realize in your twisted mind, you'll dismiss
this as coming from "the number one abuser" on this group but in any
event, you're actions aren't excuseable.

> Jim *does* pretend to be...


> 'For a scientific critique of the... blaa blaa blaa...'
>
> > If you want balance, you can compare it with
> > Algis's original post, which gave both the Moore url *and* the
> > transcript of the broadcast.
>
> Thank you.
>
> > Restrained? Again, hardly. It seems an excessive response (13 pages
> > when printed) to a Radio 4 broadcast describing the history of AAH
> and
> > making some tolerant noises about it. And slagging off pretty much
> > everyone taking part is hardly restrained.
>
> Now that's sad, Pauline. Are you telling me you wasted 13 pages of
nice
> clean white paper?
>
> > Informative? Well, your mileage may vary, but I noticed very little
> > hard information in it. Even the long and convoluted discussion
about
> > EQ had no actual numbers in it. Even after reading this section
> > several times, I'm still not sure exactly what is incorrect about
> > Michael Crawford's statement that the zebra's brain is 360-70 grams
> > and the dolphin's is 1.8 kg.
> >
> > A bitter, twisted rant? Certainly a rant (and that's OK, that's
what
> > the web is for, isn't it?), and somewhat twisted, yes, in the
subtle
> > and not-so-subtle slurs. Bitter - I don't know about that.
Unpleasant
> > is the word I would use.
>
> I think his wingeing about how his wife - a very well respected
> anthropologist and one we can all admire - was upstaged by lil' ol'
> Elaine - a "nobody" - is pure, nasty and quite transparent
bitterness.

And I think that your charge here is dispicable. You should be ashamed
of yourself. You have proven yourself now to be a vindictive punk who
has chosen to go after Jim's personal life first and foremost in this
charge.

> > If Moore stuck only to identifying errors of fact, that would be
> fine,
> > but the attempt to paint AAH supporters as either ignorant or
> wilfully
> > deceptive, and the constant use of emotive language ("dodge", "cute
> > little trick", "spouting off", "suspiciously carefully", etc) makes
> it
> > look like a fairly zealous crusade on his part.
>
> And the way he promotes himself as some kind of authority about how
> aquasceptics behave is just nauseous. How patronising is that?

Less patronizing that claiming that you've got his motives figured out
and attributing them to jealousy. You've sunk to a new low, Algis.

.

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