Quickies
Skepchick Quickies 3.16
- Crayola surveys and statistics lesson for kids – A helpful lesson for teaching kids how to think critically about surveys and statistics. From Craig and JJ.
- Ben Goldacre on London Tonight – Spreading the message that antivaccinationists like Jenny Barnett are wrong. From Tim.
- Dalai Lama: Freedom fighter or just a great salesman? – Yau-Man Chan on the misplaced romanticization of Tibet and the Free Tibet movement.
- Adult stem cell lies – A timely article, what with the giant hissyfit that’s being thrown by save-the-proto-babies movement over Obama allowing funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Oh, wow. That Crayola page is rad as fuck. I hope teachers are actually using that stuff.
It’s funny that my understanding of the world from my childhood is slowly being striped away the more I dive into the skeptic/atheist world. Case and point, all my life I had been spoon-fed how great the Dali Lama was and how evil the Chinese were from occupying Tibet. But, now one article has made me question what I knew about Tibet.
The whole Tibet thing is a great case in point as to WHY skepticism is important.
Yau Man Chan’s article may not be entirely accurate or bias free, but it addresses the important point that there ARE questions about Tibet’s past, and that most people DO NOT ask those questions.
It doesn’t really matter whether China or Tibet is more repressive, or what system would be best for the Tibetan people. That is a matter that likely won’t (and shouldn’t be) be decided in the court of public opinion.
The simple fact is that neither country is entirely what they’ve been represented as being, and whichever way your sympathies lie, it’s always a good idea to understand as much about an issue as you can before you make up your mind about it.
I have a sudden desire to color.
@Expatria:
Exactly.
Thank you for the Tibet article Amanda… This is why I love Skepchick.
@Expatria: Another Exactly. The Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa and many other sacred cows have not been well reported on by the popular press.
@marilove: I’m convinced that sometime in the 1970’s or 80’s Crayola changed their crayon recipe which made the product more waxy with less real pigment. I have not forgiven them.
What is it with the name Jenny? Is there something about the spelling that makes anti-vaccination?
Thanks Amanda for those links. I’m glad to see that someone else is paying attention and questioning things. I especially liked the Dalai Lama article, I have often wondered why so many have treated with such awed reverence, when he has done nothing special that I have seen. And the Crayola thing was good as well I have seen so many surveys and polls where the question is asked or choices were given in a way that would confirm the bias of the commissioner of the survey or poll.
So glad everyone’s enjoying the Dalai Lama/Free Tibet story! I think Yau-Man did a great job with it.
Yay! Now you can do your skepticism in crayon too!
I love the Crayola lesson!!
*Files it away in her teacher brain*
Just had to comment on that before I read the other links. Hooray, Crayola and skepticality!