So the following is an update on my previous blog entry involving Bad Science Watch! If you missed out on that one here is the link: http://pagewizard.blogspot.ca/2012/08/bad-science-watch-bad-examples-of.html
So I had received a response to this e-mail from the executive director Jamie Williams. For the sake of not advertising these condescending douche bags, I will not post their response, because it comes off as an advertisement, and I definitely cannot endorse their group now. Why, I bet you ask?
- Don't think scientists can be multidisciplinary.
- Not interested in any educators getting involved with their group. That's right, if you're a teacher, professor, or instructor for a university, or school and loves science and wants to help the group. Beat it, they don't care about your expertise, or what knowledge you can provide to the public or what you could educate to them.
- Don't care about formal science, and primary empirical science. That's right, if you had issues about computing, mathematics (including economical issues that can be related), physics (seriously), you are out of luck. They don't care about those policies. I have on record of them calling me not any use to them just because I call myself a 'theoretical computer scientist', but yet I research multiple fields including empirical fields, and other formal fields. So if you had any legal issues about the government involving any of these fields, they don't care.
- They are hypocritical in their messages. They talk about looking out for bad science, and bad government policy, and insist they can do something about it. They talk about increasing activism, but yet they don't say they are into that. That's a contradiction. I encourage you to check the site, check the Executive Director (the one who wrote me) and read the last two sentences of what he wants for their group. I was just told they don't intend to be a group to outreach about bad policies, or bad science, or to promote science. Do they not know how the government works? It is mostly election based by Parliament (or even Senate if you are on that end), it is very difficult to get people behind a policy to push their members of parliament if they don't even know what is going on. No wonder why they don't care about the most of science, they should call themselves the "Selectively Ignorant Bad Science Watch". You need to get the public interested to even get a sliver in there unless you want to pull a lot of strings considering Politicians very rarely have a solid expertise in science.
They themselves told me (right from the Executive Director) that they are not a public outreach group promoting good science, to help point out bad policy. So my predictions were indeed correct.
In conclusion, here is my response to them. As somebody who wants to see positive changes in policies, promotion of science, and providing a better future for our society when it comes to Science, I felt they needed to hear a nice good hearted person like me give them my blunt two cents:
Sounds bizarre to me. Such a strange skewed perspective. I guess you don't know much about Computing then, nor what Theoretical Computer Scientists can be more than qualified to explain to you, and what I could be valued as. Considering most of my research is applied to Chemistry, and some Molecular Physics in empirical sciences. Throwing labels on people on your end seems petty. How do you not know I don't know a lot about all sciences, and law? All I know your second e-mail is even more insulting than the first one. Don't be expecting me to post your nonsense as advertisement for a lost cause, nor to my colleagues you dipshit. Alright then...
Good luck!
All I know, don't let their website fool you. They are not in it for us, they are in it to only toot their own whistle. Everybody have a beautiful day!
D R Page
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