Woo
From RationalWiki
Woo is term used among skeptical writers for pseudosciences with certain common characteristics:
- A simple idea that purports to be the one answer to many diseases or problems
- A scientific-sounding reason for how it works, but no actual science behind it (or, sometimes, claims of a paranormal nature)
- A claim of persecution, usually perpetrated by the pharmaceutical, medical, or scientific community
- An invocation of a scientific authority.
- Lack of scientific research, but abundant testimonials.
- A claim that science is blind to the discovery, despite attempts to alert them
- A disdain for objective, randomized experimental controls, especially double-blind testing
- And, usually, an offer to share the knowledge for a price.
The term comes from "woo-woo", an epithet used in the 1990s by science and skeptical writers to ridicule people who believe or promote such things. This is in turn believed to have come from the use of "woooooo!" as a reaction to dimmed lights or magic tricks, and generally implies a lack of either intelligence or sincerity on the part of the person or concepts so described.
[edit] Examples of Woo
- Patent medicine
- Morgellons disease
- Woo cures Autism
- Automotive woo
- Kevin Trudeau cures all diseases
- Crystals
- Gaian Theory
- What the Bleep Do We Know? is a well-known crap film full of bozos making bullshit claims[1].
- Bee venom therapy
- Homeopathy
- Science woo
- Thee and Thou have mystical significance that You doesn't
- Y2K
- You can predict the future from cycles in the past
- When there is nothing to get, you've got it
- Lemonade cures all diseases
- Jesus cures all diseases
- Worldly politics secretly guided by ascended masters
- Satan is in your music collection
- Satan is in your body
- Satan is everywhere!
- Top Secret bible messages
- Send the angels...send the angels...send the angels...angels, angels, angels, angels, ANGELS, ANGELS, ANGELS, ANGELS, ANGEEEELLLSSS!
- Woopi Goldberg
[edit] External links
- ScienceBlogger Orac uses the term prominently in his weekly "Your Friday Dose of Woo", a review of pseudoscience that has recently interested the author.
- James Randi Educational Foundation is an organization developed to publicly debunk "the paranormal, pseudoscientific, and the supernatural," often collectively referred to by Randi as "woo-woo."
- 125 Fake cancer cures (FDA)
- "Kooks in the wild", including kook ratings.
