Martin Place, Central Sydney — the raging crowd gathers to chant for Approved, Groupthink “Science” TM
This was the second annual “March for Science“. Apparently, 4,999,900 people had better things to do.
March for politically correct science, 2018
This photo is patched together from the SBS news pan across the crowd in the centre of the largest city in Australia.
The turnout was so small, journalists didn’t even try to make up a number. They just said “demonstrators” plural, “rallied in eight cities across Australia”. So there were at least two people at each city. “Congrats”.
The Sydney rally even had Triple J celebrity, Adam Spencer. They presumably also had free advertising on the ABC beforehand. It didn’t help much.
Science without debate is just propaganda, it’s no wonder no one cares
Having taken all the public passion, controversy and competition out of science, the masters of Groupthink have destroyed it as a spectator sport. Who wants to watch a football game where the result is fixed and everyone knows it? Public interest in science was settled in 1990 — at zero.
If the Academy of Science wanted to make science a million times more popular it would arrange real televised debates, with the best from both sides on actual important controversial issues. That would inspire debates in schools. Kids would learn more about the scientific method in one hour of debate than in thirty years of approved consensus litany.
In Melbourne, apparently the biggest threat to the planet looks like steak and eggs.
March for Science, Melbourne.
Unkind impartial commentators might have described these protests as small fringe groups, with far lower than expected numbers and a disappointing turnout. Though there were no unkind commentators at SBS, and there was no aerial crowd shot either.
Despite that, with cameras kept at half mast, the lackluster event was still used as an excuse to rerun the agitprop message on prime time news and share how one random firefighty person is sure fires are different now. More free advertising for the importance of Big Government by a Big-Government broadcaster. (SBS is our baby ABC).
If it had been skeptics instead, that got less than 100 people to a major event, TV cameras would have turned up to tell the world how dismal it was.
Group-thinkers on science should stop,
And ask why their rallies all flop,
And try to relate,
To a reasoned debate,
Perhaps then, the penny would drop.
–Ruairi