In preparation for TAM, Daniel Loxton wrote a very interesting (but non-exhaustive) review of occurrences of the “Don’t be a dick” argument in skepticism prior to Phil Plait bringing it up last year.
For some reason, it just made me think of things like, “Kids today are so rude” and “We’re worse off now than we were XX years ago” and other such things. Arguments and feelings that just never seem to go away or get resolved. Human nature? Will we still be arguing back and forth about dickishness in fifty years when colonists on Mars are using homeopathy and side A wants to call them fucking morons while side B wants a more nuanced approach that involves leaving off the word “fucking?”
It’s the sort of depressing thought that makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.
I am curious to see how TAM will end up going this year. Will there be another DBAD moment? Will the South Point be able to contain all of the incoming awesomeness for another year? Will we get another random moon hoaxer? How much battery life will I drain from my phone with endless tweeting, and how much will I drain surfing the web because yet another person is talking about atheism and I just don’t care? Will I be able to resist my urge to shout at Richard Dawkins about elves1? Will the terrifying packing foam green dessert make an appearance or has it finally hatched into the broodmother Xi’gl?
And so many more questions. Really this entire post seems to be made of nothing but questions. I guess that’s what happens when I try to write something semi-coherent at midnight after a day of beating my head against an uncooperative short story.
Less than a month until TAM!
1 – Depends on how many beers I’ve had at that point, I suspect.