A propos de l'auteur
Mick West is a science writer and professional debunker. While he began his career as a video games programmer, his primary focus at the moment is investigating and explaining conspiracy theories such as Chemtrails, 9/11, False Flags, etc. He also covers more esoteric topics such as UFOs, afficher plus pseudoscience, the Flat Earth, photo analysis, and other quackery. Mick has appeared on numerous major media outlets, including CNN, CBS This Evening, The Joe Rogan Experience, and many others. afficher moins
Œuvres de Mick West
Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect (2018) 81 exemplaires
Sark O' Snow 1 exemplaire
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Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect by Mick West is a highly recommended, informative and helpful aid to talking with friends about their beliefs in conspiracy theories.
It may be surprising for many people to realize some of the widely held beliefs in some of the conspiracy theories out there: The Earth is flat, the moon landing was faked, the World Trade Center collapse was a controlled demolition, planes are spraying chemtrails, and actors faked the Sandy Hook massacre. History confirms that some conspiracies can be real, but the ones West is discussing are not. Those who hold these false beliefs may need some assistance and gentle guidance to see their way out from their mistaken beliefs.
West believes in treating those you are talking to as a friend, with respect and patience, always striving to maintain a line of communication, rather than treating them like an enemy you must destroy with your logic and reasoning. It's a good statedgy. In this book he shares his personal experience discussing, investigating, and debunking false theories. He also draws upon the experience of others who have successfully helped friends see the truth. Finally, he looks at the literature in the field of conspiracy theories. Currently West has the debunking website Metabunk.
The book is arranged into three parts. The first takes a look at conspiracy theories, why they exist, why people believe them, and how you can help them. Part two deals with four specific conspiracy theories: Chemtrails; 9/11 Controlled Demolition; Sandy Hook was faked; Flat Earth believers. Part three looks at some of the additional complications you might encounter when talking to your friends about their false beliefs, which include a three step process of maintaining an effective dialogue, supplying your friend useful information, and allow time for the information to sink in and change their views. At the end of the book is a helpful glossary and extensive Endnotes.
I have to admit I was more than a little surprised by some of the conspiracy theories, like flat Earthers and Sandy Hook was done by actors. Some of these I had heard of before. I remember hearing and being surprised by all the talk of chemtrails back in the 1990's. I rather liked this observation by West, which covers a wide ranging number of beliefs: "People who supported the losing side in an election are more likely to believe conspiracy theories that are supposedly orchestrated by the winning side." This is an interesting, practical guide for people who feel compelled to help their friends out of the rabbit hole of belief in conspiracy theories.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/09/escaping-rabbit-hole.html… (plus d'informations)
It may be surprising for many people to realize some of the widely held beliefs in some of the conspiracy theories out there: The Earth is flat, the moon landing was faked, the World Trade Center collapse was a controlled demolition, planes are spraying chemtrails, and actors faked the Sandy Hook massacre. History confirms that some conspiracies can be real, but the ones West is discussing are not. Those who hold these false beliefs may need some assistance and gentle guidance to see their way out from their mistaken beliefs.
West believes in treating those you are talking to as a friend, with respect and patience, always striving to maintain a line of communication, rather than treating them like an enemy you must destroy with your logic and reasoning. It's a good statedgy. In this book he shares his personal experience discussing, investigating, and debunking false theories. He also draws upon the experience of others who have successfully helped friends see the truth. Finally, he looks at the literature in the field of conspiracy theories. Currently West has the debunking website Metabunk.
The book is arranged into three parts. The first takes a look at conspiracy theories, why they exist, why people believe them, and how you can help them. Part two deals with four specific conspiracy theories: Chemtrails; 9/11 Controlled Demolition; Sandy Hook was faked; Flat Earth believers. Part three looks at some of the additional complications you might encounter when talking to your friends about their false beliefs, which include a three step process of maintaining an effective dialogue, supplying your friend useful information, and allow time for the information to sink in and change their views. At the end of the book is a helpful glossary and extensive Endnotes.
I have to admit I was more than a little surprised by some of the conspiracy theories, like flat Earthers and Sandy Hook was done by actors. Some of these I had heard of before. I remember hearing and being surprised by all the talk of chemtrails back in the 1990's. I rather liked this observation by West, which covers a wide ranging number of beliefs: "People who supported the losing side in an election are more likely to believe conspiracy theories that are supposedly orchestrated by the winning side." This is an interesting, practical guide for people who feel compelled to help their friends out of the rabbit hole of belief in conspiracy theories.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/09/escaping-rabbit-hole.html… (plus d'informations)
Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 2
- Membres
- 82
- Popularité
- #220,761
- Évaluation
- 3.8
- Critiques
- 2
- ISBN
- 9
All these claims are bunk: falsehoods, mistakes, and in some cases, outright lies. But many people passionately believe one or more of these conspiracy theories. They consume countless books and videos, join like-minded online communities, try to convert those around them, and even, on occasion, alienate their own friends and family. Why is this, and how can you help people, especially those closest to you, break free from the downward spiral of conspiracy thinking?
In Escaping the Rabbit Hole, author Mick West shares over a decade’s worth of knowledge and experience investigating and debunking false conspiracy theories through his forum, MetaBunk.org, and sets forth a practical guide to helping friends and loved ones recognize these theories for what they really are.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, the most successful approaches to helping individuals escape a rabbit hole aren’t comprised of simply explaining why they are wrong; rather, West’s tried-and-tested approach emphasizes clear communication based on mutual respect, honesty, openness, and patience.
West puts his debunking techniques and best practices to the test with four of the most popular false conspiracy theories today (Chemtrails, 9/11 Controlled Demolition, False Flags, and Flat Earth) — providing road maps to help you to understand your friend and help them escape the rabbit hole. These are accompanied by real-life case studies of individuals who, with help, were able to break free from conspiracism.
With sections on:
Mick West has put forth a conclusive, well-researched, practical reference on why people fall down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole and how you can help them escape.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Okay, I thought as I read The Twittering Machine, I've got the stakes clear in my head and I know where I fall in relation to the problem of social media's misuses by conspiracists. Now what?
The reason I love social media, in a nutshell, is: This book's existence would never have made it to my attention without social media, specifically bookish social media eg, LibraryThing, Goodreads, and Edelweiss+. I am clear enough on the issues created that I saw immediately how useful this book's message and techniques would be to me. This leads me to a confession: I am very much in need of help figuring out how to speak to conspiracists respectfully, or even just politely. My contempt and derision for and of them is part of what entrenches their adherence to these beliefs. How better to express one's rejection of being rejected than to double down?
Help me Obi-Mick West, you're my only hope, I thought as I began this read. My prayers were answered with a "sure, no sweat there, Grasshopper." (Have I used enough ancient-history media references to make my age obvious? I got more if you want 'em.) Author West is clearly in the business of debunking for a considerable span (see his amazing site Metabunk.org). He's lauded by the publishers of Skeptic and Skeptical Inquirer magazines, as well as producers of The David Pakman Show, The Skeptic Zone, and even The Joe Rogan Experience. He is, in short, in command of his material.
Finding someone else's words to make your central argument for you requires deep involvement in and command of the landscape you're describing. And describing the landscape is the first part of the task of teaching others what you know. An equally urgent need is to show the potential future debunkers what the stakes are, simply, directly, and convincingly:
What he does in the text that follows is provide simple and easily absorbed ways to get your embroiled friend or loved one to engage with you on their chosen "alternative facts" so you can get past the initial resistance that is inevitable. Anyone who seeks out alternative facts is already feeling lost, or powerless, or just fed up. The rabbit holes they fall down are coping mechanisms and become, like any group identification, part of their identity and sense of self and purpose in the world.
This is something literally all of us seek. Some choose religious affiliations to build social networks through; others politics; still others identity issues. All of us, without exception, build identities. It is here that Author West does something I very badly needed done: He states that conspiracists aren't stupid, as a rule, but simply lack a wide array of "relevant information sources." It can be fatal to anyone's objective thinking to limit the sources of information one consults...it reduces the opportunities to compare and contrast the sources' sources, so to speak. Do I trust Fox News? Not to tell me the truth; but I still engage with it, in a limited fashion, to learn what will be floating past my deck chair as the great liner United States sinks.
Where I got to after reading this book was someplace I really wanted to get: Accepting that, while I am sure there are conspiracies out there in the world, there are no reasons to accept conspiracies as the one true explanation for the events of the day. I think that belief, here reinforced, is the solid rock to stand on when speaking to people who aren't moored in consensus reality. It's a lot harder for me personally to engage with the people involved deeply in some of the conspiracy theories politely. That being a personal issue, rooted in my own mishegas, I didn't expect Author West's book to help me address it as much as it did.
Simple. Actionable. Applicable to me, on a personal level. Maybe it can give you the support you need in resisting the encroachment of this dangerously misguided thinking deeper into the Body Politic of a threatened democracy.… (plus d'informations)