The following guide was found on io9 via The Last Word on Nothing.
It is easy to stop believing in bull****. After all, bull**** doesn't spread by itself. Someone have to believe the bull**** to pass it on. I've slightly reworded the original
Congratulations. You now have something that may not be bull****.
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Remember: just because someone says something that "makes sense" doesn't mean it's true.
Let us take a recent example... Vani Hari, i.e. "Food Babe" rant about some chemical that she claims was used to make yoga mats. That's NOT TRUE. The chemical, which makes harmless bubbles, *can also be used* to make yoga matts, which is bubble foam. She knows nothing about science or food safety. She's selling her looks (calling herself "Food Babe", eh) and trying to parlay her followers into spreading misinformation. That is just plain STUPID.
Let's apply the test... Should you believe Food Babe's warning about azodicarbonimide in Subway's sandwich bread?
1) Who is tell you this? "Food babe", who knows something about organic food, but not science.
2) How does she know that? And want you to stop eating the bread? No idea.
3) Oh, yes, she certainly could be wrong
4) Any research would have shown you that her two claims, that a) the chemical is used to make yoga mats, and b) the chemical is harmful to humans are both actually IRRELEVANT. The chemical has multiple uses, and the chemical is all used up during baking leaving nothing to be ingested. The alleged harm is for breathing in the raw chemical, which is NOT present in bread.
The only sources that cite Food Babe are either repeating her claim, citing Subway (we don't know what's the big deal but we're removing it), or finding other bread makers who also use this chemical, or finding yet MORE scary chemicals (most of which are just as badly researched as this one).
Thus, Food Babe's rant about azodicarbonimide is bull****.
If you check out Food Babe a bit more, you'll find that she also believes a lot of other kooky stuff like "microwave poisons your food" and "don't vaccinate your children".
What's even funnier, in April, "Food Babe" managed to screw up another "outrage" by claiming free cookies at the Marriott contains "anti-freeze" ingredient. Sounds scary... until you actually Google the ingredient. The ingredient in the cookie is propylene glycol. What's in common green anti-freeze is ETHYLENE glycol.
Now it's clear that "Food Babe" basically looks for "scary looking ingredients" in common food items and then manufactures an OUTRAGE! That's one reason I call her a meme terrorist (aka fear monger).
So stop spreading bull****, even if it's spread by beautiful people like Food Babe.
![Enhanced by Zemanta]()
It is easy to stop believing in bull****. After all, bull**** doesn't spread by itself. Someone have to believe the bull**** to pass it on. I've slightly reworded the original
0. Assuming anything any one told you is bull**** unless disproven (by following)
1. Who is telling me "this"?
2. How does s/he know "this"?
3. Given #1 and #2, could s/he be wrong?
4. If yes, maybe, or "I dunno", find UNRELATED source that says the same thing, then apply the SAME TEST (Go to 1)
5. If you got here, answer to 3 must be "pretty f***ing unlikely".
Congratulations. You now have something that may not be bull****.
----------
Remember: just because someone says something that "makes sense" doesn't mean it's true.
Let us take a recent example... Vani Hari, i.e. "Food Babe" rant about some chemical that she claims was used to make yoga mats. That's NOT TRUE. The chemical, which makes harmless bubbles, *can also be used* to make yoga matts, which is bubble foam. She knows nothing about science or food safety. She's selling her looks (calling herself "Food Babe", eh) and trying to parlay her followers into spreading misinformation. That is just plain STUPID.
Let's apply the test... Should you believe Food Babe's warning about azodicarbonimide in Subway's sandwich bread?
1) Who is tell you this? "Food babe", who knows something about organic food, but not science.
2) How does she know that? And want you to stop eating the bread? No idea.
3) Oh, yes, she certainly could be wrong
4) Any research would have shown you that her two claims, that a) the chemical is used to make yoga mats, and b) the chemical is harmful to humans are both actually IRRELEVANT. The chemical has multiple uses, and the chemical is all used up during baking leaving nothing to be ingested. The alleged harm is for breathing in the raw chemical, which is NOT present in bread.
The only sources that cite Food Babe are either repeating her claim, citing Subway (we don't know what's the big deal but we're removing it), or finding other bread makers who also use this chemical, or finding yet MORE scary chemicals (most of which are just as badly researched as this one).
Thus, Food Babe's rant about azodicarbonimide is bull****.
If you check out Food Babe a bit more, you'll find that she also believes a lot of other kooky stuff like "microwave poisons your food" and "don't vaccinate your children".
What's even funnier, in April, "Food Babe" managed to screw up another "outrage" by claiming free cookies at the Marriott contains "anti-freeze" ingredient. Sounds scary... until you actually Google the ingredient. The ingredient in the cookie is propylene glycol. What's in common green anti-freeze is ETHYLENE glycol.
Now it's clear that "Food Babe" basically looks for "scary looking ingredients" in common food items and then manufactures an OUTRAGE! That's one reason I call her a meme terrorist (aka fear monger).
So stop spreading bull****, even if it's spread by beautiful people like Food Babe.
