X-Message-Number: 19722
Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 08:25:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: Driven FromThePack <>
Subject: Re: Shermer's rationale for smearing cryonics

Rudi wrote:

>>
Michael Shermer understands and KNOWS that most
cryonic suspensions are paid 
with Life insurance, for the simple reason that I
discussed this with him 
DIRECTLY at a skeptics conference in Ft. Lauderdale,
FL in 1997!  Yet he made 
no reference to this knowledge.  Instead he took the
low road, grouping us 
with UFO nuts and lunatic fringers. 
>>>

Maybe he also understands and KNOWS exactly what the
reporter is looking for in a quote from him, and his
replies are cynically calculated in order to maximize
his chances of getting into print.  He goes over the
top, knowing that such a quote is more likely to get
into print. I could see this effect in the news story
where both Storey and Shermer were quoted: their
quotes were maybe the most vituperative I have seen;
it almost seemed as if they were competing to see who
could be more comtempuous, maybe knowing that any sort
of wishy-washy quote would not get into print.

Maybe Shermer really doesn't care one way or the other
about cryonics and whether it works, and he is just
playing to his core audience--those who buy his
magazine. Maybe most of his subscribers just LIKE to
see debunking in general. They get a thrill out of it.
 To quote Louisians folklore, cryonics is the ultimate
crayfish crawling out of the ultimate bucket. And
Shermer sells magazines to those crayfish that want to
pull any ambitious crayfish back into the bucket.  I
guess this desire is some variant of schaudenfreude
(sp?)


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