Woo Woo Drives Me Nuts
I bet that the first person to use the words ‘woo woo’ did manage to make people chuckle. It sounds like a fun word – especially if it came out of the mouth of a child. I have to at least admire that first person for their originality and quick turn of mind. These days the term has been adopted by the debunkers and they use it to describe anything that does not fit in with their beliefs. It is like a joke that just is not funny anymore because it has been told too many times – yet people continue to use it.
Nottuln People Flaunting their Closed Mindedness
Not only does the word ‘woo woo’ sound trite but when people use it I can’t help but assume that they are closed minded. The word skepticism used to refer to a “questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts” , but modern skepticism is all about defending a certain dogma – i.e. scientism. This is why I prefer to call these people pseudoskeptics or debunkers. I think that Thomas H Huxley gave a good description of how a true skeptic should behave when he used the words:
“Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing”
Few of the people who call themselves skeptics today would follow this advice of Huxley. If they believe that something does not fit in with the current materialist paradigm they just dismiss it as woo woo. It is a shame that people who claim to love knowledge have such a closed minded attitude – particularly as so many of our brilliant scientists did and do believe in ‘woo woo’. Unfortunately modern day scientists who are open minded about the unknown tend to keep their opinions to themselves out of fear of ridicule – for fear they will be tarred with the woo woo brush!
What kills me is that “Woo Woo” already existed; it’s a mixed drink of Peach schnapps, vodka, and cranberry juice. Also it’s a number of slang terms for anything from cigarettes dipped in embalming fluid to whistle tips on exhaust pipes.
The only reason woo woo got any traction in skepticism is that James Randi started using it ten years ago because his old catchphrase “flim-flam” sounded 19th century (and it is.)
Thanks Mr Mike, I’ve never head ‘woo woo’ used in any other context so I’ve learned something today.