Newsgroups: sci.geo.geology
Subject: Re: Proposal for News Awareness
From: derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne)
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 92 07:12:51 GMT
Organization: Fujitsu New Zealand

In article <1992Jul25.013103.1@indyvax.iupui.edu> tffreeba@indyvax.iupui.edu writes:
>In article <1992Jul23.233151.19839@nezsdc.icl.co.nz>, derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne) writes:
>> In article <1992Jul18.163852.1@indyvax.iupui.edu> tffreeba@indyvax.iupui.edu writes:
>>>People: I have been following the discussion of the abuses of the facts
>>>that take place when the news media report on things geological.  I
>>>have come up with a hare-brained idea.
>>>
>>>Proposal:
>>>Generate, in sci.geology, a primer for the "hot topics" (in the eyes of
>>>the public and journalism) in geology.  

>> Great idea.  The objective being to put an end to stereotypes like the 
>> slow, stupid dinosaur,  Tyranosaurus Rex fighting the Triceratops and the....
>> 
>>>gin soaked, lazy, knuckle-dragging, nuchal ridged, Homo habilis of a
>>                   ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^  ^^^^ ^^^^^^^
>>>journalist would have to work to screw it up.
>>  
>> We'll never get rid of these mistakes if we use them ourselves.  Just
>> one picture of the march of evolution from stooping knuckle dragging ape 
>> gradually getting bigger and more upright until modern man  (even on a 
>> guiness advert) and we're back to square one.
>
>Other than one favorable posting and two gracious personal replies for
>which I am most grateful, the only other entity I have heard from seems
>to be the Habiline Antidefamation League and it seems they are incapable
>of differentiating between fact and the exaggeration inherent to _humor_.
>(This, sadly, is a flame.)

Oh I have got a sense of humour.  Obviously you can't recognise the 
characteristics when you perceive them to be directed at yourself!  
Oh, by the way, exaggeration is not inherent to all forms of humour.

Anyway I always get annoyed when people insult my ancestors - they can't 
answer back you know (especially the early ones!).

>
>Proposal withdrawn.

No need to do that, the idea is pretty sound.  

I was only trying to point out the pitfalls there are out there.

One can get a point across very easily and memorably using humour.  The 
images of the nuckle dragging caveman and the march of progress are very
powerful ones often used in advertising and humour.  It is this people 
remember after all the lessons and documentaries have evaporated from their
minds.

This discussion is about science, education and the power of the media right?

Where did the idea of the progression from nuckle dragger to upright citizen
come from?  It is inevitably associated with Darwin but who thought it up?
Was it Darwin,  or a contemporary illustrator/journalist.

I think we all know the answer to that one deep down. 

I didn't bring this up just to be bloody minded and it certainly wasn't
intended as an insult or to provoke indignation.  

It was a prime example of how a stereo type started by the ill informed 
can become so ingrained and powerful that the rest of us start to believe 
it too.

If you chose this example deliberately to make a point then I apologise
for missing that level of subtlety.

Derek Tearne


-- 
Derek Tearne  derek@icl.co.nz or derek@fivegl.co.nz --Fujitsu SDC,Auckland,NZ

My 'self aware' .signature file failed his Turing test.  
It turns out he was just a chess playing midget in a decorative box.
Newsgroups: sci.geo.geology