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The Bad Astronomer
Skeptic Friend
137 Posts |
 Posted - 07/18/2001 : 17:28:45
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I was stuck in an airport for a few hours the other day, and found a Discovery Store (basically an arm of the Discovery Channel). I went over to the books, and was shocked to see books about Feng Shui, palmistry and all sorts of related nonsense. This, in a science store! I asked who makes the book stock decisions, and was told it was the corporation itself.
On the Discovery store website they have a book on spells, for crying out loud! Check here: http://shopping.discovery.com/genre/1114-1477-1.html
I plan on writing a letter and making a phone call as well if I can. This reminds me of when space.com put up an astrology column... and the readers flamed it down. This kind of thing cannot continue.
*****
The Bad Astronomer
badastro@badastronomy.com
http://www.badastronomy.com
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Tokyodreamer
SFN Regular
USA
1447 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2001 : 19:24:43 [Permalink]
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I was also disappointed in a local store here, called "World of Science". They sold some really nice and educational (and fun) stuff. But they also had a lot of alien stuff, and crystals, and New Age gobbledy gook.
Another thing that pisses me off is that in our local bookstores, their aren't seperate Science and New Age/Alternative Health sections. It's the Science/New Age section!! 
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Ma gavte la nata! |
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2001 : 22:52:13 [Permalink]
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A about 3 or 4 weeks ago, I fired off a e-comment to the Discovery on line website about, this is so piddly, about their intrusive web-flash they'd do on thru out a number of their evening programs. It was a animation of a cursor with a chime and double click sound. The whole screen image would squeeze up thru the 3 or 4 second intrusion. Sometimes the chime sound would overpower the programs audio track.
Since I was in a typing mood, and their TLC tie-in, I gave them a stout pagefull about the recent run of junk programming on TLC...i.e. Erich von Dinkhead, of the "Chariot's of the Gods" ill-famed. The crop-circles, UFOs are walking on fire routine. I compared Discovery and PBS as the last bastions of science trustworthness. And highly praised Dis. for the years of their output. And pleaded a bit to correct the FOXing of TLC. Told them you have America's children watching and learning from your programs. Do you truley want to be broadcasting junk-science? Please do this country and put your Enquirer-style writers out to sweep the floors.
I was quite surprised to see a e-mail from Discovery. Not a form letter either. They thanked me for valuable input on the screen thingy, nothing on TLC, and would pass it up the ranks. I never saw the screen intruder after that. Course it was on their adjenda, I'm sure! |
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Boron10
Religion Moderator
USA
1266 Posts |
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Snake
SFN Addict
USA
2511 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2001 : 02:50:30 [Permalink]
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quote:
I was stuck in an airport for a few hours the other day, and found a Discovery Store (basically an arm of the Discovery Channel). I went over to the books, and was shocked to see books about Feng Shui, palmistry and all sorts of related nonsense. This, in a science store! I asked who makes the book stock decisions, and was told it was the corporation itself.
On the Discovery store website they have a book on spells, for crying out loud!
Are you sure they didn't say 'For entertainment purpouses'.
I don't know! That Fung Suay book could come in handy, I'm building a house and might get some decorating ideas.
Besides, there are more important things to get upset about. It's peoples choice to buy those books but kids in schools are almost forced to learn about unnecessary useless nonsense.
Forget about Discovery, call your local schools 1st.
VHEMT |
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Lisa
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2001 : 12:27:25 [Permalink]
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quote:
I was stuck in an airport for a few hours the other day, and found a Discovery Store (basically an arm of the Discovery Channel). I went over to the books, and was shocked to see books about Feng Shui, palmistry and all sorts of related nonsense. This, in a science store! I asked who makes the book stock decisions, and was told it was the corporation itself.
When I saw a Discovery Store in the Mall of America, my first thought was "hey, too cool!" Then I made the mistake of actually going into the store. What a load of bunk. I'd hate to think of a kid going in there and assuming everything in there must be "science". There was even a counter devoted to magnetic therapy! IMO, peddling this stuff is darn near the same thing as stealing the consumers money. Yeah, I know it's the consumer's right to spend money how they see fit. BUT, someone, somewhere in the Discovery chain has got to know some of the stuff they're selling is crap, and the advertising is false (ie aforementioned magnetic therapy)
Lisa
Chaos...Confusion...Destruction...My Work Here Is Done |
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2001 : 12:46:02 [Permalink]
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quote:
I was also disappointed in a local store here, called "World of Science". They sold some really nice and educational (and fun) stuff. But they also had a lot of alien stuff, and crystals, and New Age gobbledy gook.
Another thing that pisses me off is that in our local bookstores, their aren't seperate Science and New Age/Alternative Health sections. It's the Science/New Age section!!
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Ma gavte la nata!
The thing that kinda cheeses me off is that there are religion sections in most of my local book stores. Only Borders actually puts Wicca in that section. All the other book stores put it in New Age. Borders also puts in palmistry, runes, and tarot in the same religion section. Misclasification of books and materials like this is usually based on the whims of the local store owner. I must agree with the Bad Astronomer that the spells book belongs under new age/religion based on subject matter and not science.
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Bradley
Skeptic Friend
USA
147 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2001 : 15:31:28 [Permalink]
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How about magnetic therapy insoles? I saw them at the Discovery store at the local mall. Of course, I didn't even bother to breech the issue with their store flunkies.
Snake oil. Pathetic.
"Too much doubt is better than too much credulity."
-Robert Green Ingersoll (1833 - 1899) |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2001 : 01:37:06 [Permalink]
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How about magnetic therapy insoles? I saw them at the Discovery store at the local mall. Of course, I didn't even bother to breech the issue with their store flunkies.
I did. My girlfiend pulled me by the elbow out of the store...
The Evil Skeptic |
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Snake
SFN Addict
USA
2511 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2001 : 02:31:38 [Permalink]
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quote:
How about magnetic therapy insoles? I saw them at the Discovery store at the local mall. Of course, I didn't even bother to breech the issue with their store flunkies.
Snake oil. Pathetic.
"Too much doubt is better than too much credulity."
-Robert Green Ingersoll (1833 - 1899)
I just realized something, YOU PEOPLE are missing the point ONCE AGAIN.
It's called the Discovery Store, right. Wellllllllll!!!!! Where does it say that it has to fit into anyone or that is everyones idea of what is scientificly sound. There are many things in the world to discover, learning about all the information or as much as possible helps one to sort out the possible from the impossible. Why shouldn't a kid learn that some people believe in plam reading? It's interesting to know there are people like that, then he can learn that telling the future from looking at ones hand doesn't work. We, I assume learned fairy stories as children, did anyone look around and think a dragon was going to really eat them, after a certain age. You are getting upset for nothing.
VHEMT |
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Lisa
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2001 : 23:37:12 [Permalink]
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I think it's the way this stuff is peddled that has most of us a little frosted. True, the folks on this board probably wouldn't fall for that crap. Face it, most of us probably have to get cut to believe in knives. Unfortunately, we are not representative of the general public. Paging through the TV guide sort of proves my point. "Discovery" presents itself as science and well, discovery. The public loves authority. If Discovery is selling magnetic bracelets, then gosh darn it, they must work! Now, if they labled the shelves this stuff is on as "Junk, Voodoo, Quack, and Pseudoscience", I'd be all for it.
Lisa
Chaos...Confusion...Destruction...My Work Here Is Done |
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Zandermann
Skeptic Friend
USA
431 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2001 : 23:43:56 [Permalink]
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... Now, if they labled the shelves this stuff is on as "Junk, Voodoo, Quack, and Pseudoscience", I'd be all for it.
You forgot "Claptrap" and "Piffle".
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Snake
SFN Addict
USA
2511 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2001 : 23:56:32 [Permalink]
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quote:
I think it's the way this stuff is peddled that has most of us a little frosted. True, the folks on this board probably wouldn't fall for that crap. Face it, most of us probably have to get cut to believe in knives. Unfortunately, we are not representative of the general public.
Just curious, are you a Democrat? And/or do you believe in 'caveat vendee'?
VHEMT |
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Lisa
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2001 : 00:09:21 [Permalink]
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No, I think both parties are equally whacked. I think they exist to aid the asprin industry. IOW, some issues I'm to the right, others to the left. To vote a straight party ticket would be missing out on the idea of a representative government.
What does politics have to do with mall merchandising?
Lisa
Chaos...Confusion...Destruction...My Work Here Is Done |
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Snake
SFN Addict
USA
2511 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2001 : 00:34:19 [Permalink]
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quote:
No, I think both parties are equally whacked. I think they exist to aid the asprin industry. IOW, some issues I'm to the right, others to the left. To vote a straight party ticket would be missing out on the idea of a representative government.
What does politics have to do with mall merchandising?
Lisa
It's been said the Democrats treat people like little children who need protection. I'd like to think the general public IS capable of making choices. But if they are not, maybe they should be separated from their money, the Darwin theory, you know! We can't lable EVERYTHING. At some point people have to learn to help themselves.
"The public loves authority", sounded a little like something a Democrat might say, good thing I asked.
VHEMT |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2001 : 03:07:22 [Permalink]
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quote:
I'd like to think the general public IS capable of making choices. But if they are not, maybe they should be separated from their money, the Darwin theory, you know!
OK, I'll take a stab at this.
Snake. Imagine that you walked into a book store to find some info on, well, scratch that...
Say you went to the book store to buy a gift for a friend who was interested in non fiction. So you walked over to the non fiction section of the store and browsed over the books. Next to something promising you noticed a copy of "Alice In Wonderland." You might have thought that "Alice" does not belong in non fiction. While you love "Alice" you are quite sure it is not a true story. So you tell the clerk about the misplaced book and the clerk tells you it is exactly where it belongs according to the boss. Later that day a child looking for something like, oh I dunno, maybe some true adventure story, brings home a copy of "Alice In Wonderland" to do her non fiction adventure book report on. That would be a bad thing. The kid was mislead into believing that "Alice" was a work of non fiction because it was placed in that section of the store.
The Discovery Stores are supposed to selling things that promote learning about science. When they sell such things as magnetic insoles to promote pain relief without saying that this is an example of quack medicine, they have, in essence, given there seal of approval to an item that has not been shown to be of any therapeutic value. In other words, they are pushing pseudo science in a science store. They are selling fiction as non fiction. Get it?
The Evil Skeptic |
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