The Origins of ScienceMob

It all started with a series of tweets from Homeopathyinfo (http://twitter.com/homeopathyinfo/).

Which struck me as very, very funny. 

So I said

And nominated a bunch of people to be part of the #sciencemob.  Eventually http://twitter.com/kashfarooq/  asked for a list, so I made one:  http://twitter.com/lizditz/sciencemob.

Generally the criteria for being on the list is pretty simple:

• science / reality based
• Forthright about challenging pseudoscience (homeopathy, chiropractic for anything other than low back pain, reiki, etc.)

Then the fooling with images began:

 

and  then I looked for images of, well, polite protest, and found this:

 

Finally, the admirable http://twitter.com/Anonymoosh/ created the best image:

So there you have it: #sciencemob on twitter.

Comments

[Justthevax]

Excellent - honoured to be one of the ScienceMob!

Catherina

[Hayley Stevens]

Is any of this actually productive? Does it achieve anything for skeptical and rational thinking?

[Anonymoosh]

WoW! we have a new home, I bags the sofa.
Please put your pitchforks in the corner before approaching the bar, and dowse your flaming torches in the receptacle provided.

[Anonymoosh]

To Hayley:
I acknowledge your question so:
Who are we trying to reach, and how do YOU think this is best achieved?
can Humour not be useful in educating those we are trying to each?
Must we always take ourselves AND our critics seriously?
Or can we catch more flies with sugar than vinegar?

[Alice]

It makes a lot of us laugh, and laughing is very healthy.

It demonstrates that we do, in fact, listen to what homeopaths say.

It demonstrates that we do not take ourselves too seriously - again, very healthy.

And it also honours the wisdom: "If they call you a name, take it, make it your own. Then they can't use it to hurt you."

A religious ex of mine informed me proudly that the word "Christian" was originally intended as an insult.

[Jdc325.wordpress.com]

Can I be a footsoldier? I'm very good at following orders.

[regordane]

Ooh I do like a bit of argy-bargy. Please Miss, can I have a pikestaff?

[KateKatV]

Thank you for the invitation. Yey, footsoldiers in the #sciencemob - like herding cats.

BTW, my responses to that tweet were that I'd rather be a footsoldier in this army than a general in theirs and, in the hope the song would stick in their heads: "these boots are made for walking"

[ThetisMercurio]

count me in. I have access to the best weaponry ;)

[Digital Zika]

totally in. I've taken on homeopaths, cranks and anti-vaxs on twitter, chased away John Best Jr and Lurker, book-mark protested quack autism books, and checked out a local chiro.

TOTALLY count me in!!!

~Corina

[Jimbobthomas]

May I come too? Have always thought I would be good in an army as I have small arms...(*cough* I'll get me (trench) coat).