1. Public not rational
2. Public not educated to think
3. Convenient to believe in paranormal
4. can't reason with Pubilc, they aren't rational
5. 'Psychic powers are real' is a media-friendly message
6. In believers system of reality it's real

since he is a genius I thought there must be some wisdom in it. So I looked it detail , but
1. I found that although they are interesting the arguments don't stack up.
2. Rowland himself with his TV shows etc does a brilliant job of educating the public on Skepticism.
Skeptics like him are making a difference. anaylsis details

• You might as well say the police should give up cos there's never going to be zero crime.
• The public do use rationality, but it's their standard of thinking and maths that's the problem.
• What counts more than the public is the belief system of key people like law-makers.
• media stinks, but there anti progs like Mythbusters
• your "reality" might be different. But science "reality" IS REAL It works when it comes to the testing.

Maybe he wanted to say "there is no point in being Anti-. Stop banging on : 'You're wrong, You're wrong ! again & again .. " being Anti doesn't make people see the light; rather it switches them off.", which is why one has to do positive actions not just poo, pooh. ...

Also maybe his expectations were high, like you can eliminate scientific illiteracy. Like pople say the war on drugs is lost. But the skeptics should be aiming for cultural change why not eliminate "scientific illiteracy" in the sme way we eliminated normal, illiteracy.

searching the web I found no discussion of his arguments. Then coincidentally- I listened to the latest scepticality podcast 63 it had an essay by Daniel Loxton on exactly the same topic : A jaded Skeptic asked what is the point ? New people keep coming up with the same old stuff : 30 years ago Geller was proved a fake on the Johny Carson show. Yet today people still want to talk about him. And there's the same old faked stuff like "TAPS Ghost Hunters" on TV

This essayist was rather more positive he concluded : Skeptics have a job to do : PDF

1. consumer protection It's like police work, someone has to be there to protect the public. Crime isn't ever going to stop.
2. promoting critical thinking
3. an aid to the media Positive progs like Mythbusters provide a platform to push rationality.

Step back far & see the big picture apply Ockam's razor to reduce it to it's simplest explanation. What's the opposite of a skeptic ? A "dull" a non-critical thinker. When's a skeptics job finished ? When everyone can do critical thinking. When we have 100% CT literacy.

- So exposing another fraudulant medium is a good job, but it's rather like reading something for your friend who is illiterate.

- So I understand Daniel Loxton when he talks about it seems like we are going around in circle. Yes, we've been bringing them fish instead of teaching them how to get there own fish.

- We've been running around doing the critical thinking for the dulls and of course they are not even grateful :"oh, another fish" This fit's in with what I already know : if you want to make a big change like stopping racism, sexism and starvation you have bring about CULTURE CHANGE. - Last century countries largely succeeded with the help of large organised campaigns (like Castro's sending people out to every village) in making a culture change from an illiterate society to one where everyone can read. So we should be able to the same this century for CT literacy.

Just as last century the illiterate were exploited and left behind, this century it's the CT illiterate, society needs to help them. Just as writing is no longer limited to scribes then CT should be everyone's not just scientists. Non-skeptics are not stupid it's just they haven't been given the same tools.

It's the Skeptics jobs to start the campaign and nuture it along .. every maths teacher, every science teacher .. every parent should be engaged in educating the next generation in the skill of thinking.

It's as if you run a Bible magazine, and you say "these Muslims don't seem to be listening to a word we say. You need to target the unconverted, only those with an existing interest in skeptism are going into the newstand and picking up your magazine.

Have a separate magazine or pullout section or daily email called "The Smart Thinker" or "The Complete Thinker" or "Brain Food" or "Brain Grower" or "The Intelligent Thinker", "Growing Intellect". or "Brighter" or "Brainz Gamez" Fill this with all kind of grow your brain type games, ideas for brain improvement etc. Then stuff a few skeptical articles in as critical thinking exercises.

I think there is a big cross over market there.

Yesterday I went on the website and found no way to donate. Only stories that charity appeal donations were dropping cos of the TV fakery scandal.

Coincidentally that day the BBC decided that it's International sites will carry advertising. Well it would be too good to be true, for all the content to be continue to be free. I hope they find a way of running the google algorithm backwards, so that the advert is a different subject to the page content. It would be embarrassing for story about drugs to have an adver from a Homeopathy corporation . Reports could get to look like endorsements.

Can I be Golden Subscriber paying 30-40 quid/year to receive content without advertisements ? I could always set up a proxy server in the UK pushing the UK advert free content to me abroad, but I don't mind paying for good content.

The BBC has been tarnished the influx of people from the commercial world has brought a pragmatic ruthless, moralless culture.
-"Close the phonelines when the 5th caller got the right answer ! You must be joking mate, we've got 10 minutes to fill. And besides that will generate $50K in call revenue. WE'LL FIX IT", "The historians have changed their view after we have spent $5m on shooting, well we'll just have to ignore them."

"What ? there is no controversy between the scientists, that's not good for ratings we'll have to manufacture another controversy to get ratings. "

If TV were a person what kind of person would it be ? patronising, false, always agreeing, super excitable, american accent, always going for ratings. never contradict people.

My ideas page

BBC had a report about the Panamanian hero who blew the whistle on deadly chemicals in Chinese toothpaste

BORING MESSAGE - The problem with the Randi Paranormal Challenge prize is basically nothing happens cos of course the paranormal people never show up

EXCITING MESSAGE - People sending in their videos of them doing AMAZING things ..but They are allowed to cheat, fix the audience, use Magicians techniques etc

..except at the end EVERYONE of them has the line "Well Bob are you ready to repeat it under lab conditions for $1m", "of course... not ...I faked it"

..therefore banging the message home again and again ...I faked it...I faked it...I faked it...I faked it

"hey man did you see that amazing levitation ..yes I saw it on Ifakedit.com

"that perpetual motion machine" .. ..yes Ifakedit.com