trentmkelly/rationalwiki huggingface dataset:
Lyle Rossiter

{{pseudosciencenav}}
'''Lyle H. Rossiter, Jr.''', like [[Michael Savage]], thinks that [[liberalism]] is a mental disorder.

Unlike Savage, however, Rossiter is a [[psychiatry|psychiatrist]] and is actually serious when he says that.  He has written a book, ''The Liberal Mind:  The Psychological Causes of Political Madness'', which claims to trace the [[Bulverism|psychological factors causing people to become liberals]].

Promoting his book on [[WorldNetDaily]], Rossiter [[quote mining|quote mined]] a 2001 statement by [[Barack Obama]] about "redistributive change" and the civil rights movement.<ref>Krepel, Terry. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20081212124608/http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/2008/wndimmature.html WorldNetDaily's Sour (And Immature) Grapes]." ConWebWatch: December 1, 2008. Accessed October 1, 2017.</ref>

In a nutshell, the book's thesis is, '[[Dunning-Kruger effect|My political views are so obviously correct that anyone who doesn't accept them just has to be nuts]].' It [[presupposition|presupposes]] the truth of a [[right-wing]] political outlook and then tries to plumb the reasons why other people do not accept this truth, the conclusion being that they have to be in massive [[denialism|denial]]. He chastises liberals for being "[[psychological projection|uncivil, overly sure of their correctness, and willfully ignorant of facts that contradict their worldview]]."

Joan Swirsky, a fan of the book, notes that it "[[fractal wrongness|avoids all the usual psychobabble]]."<ref>[http://www.libertymind.com/index.php?page_id=272 Here's what readers are saying about The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness.] libertymind.com.</ref> We hazard a guess that this is because the book does not contain any actual psychological [[science]].

==See also==
* [[Bob Altemeyer]]
* [[False consciousness]]
* [[Psychological projection]]
* [[Dunning-Kruger effect]]

==External links==
* [http://www.libertymind.com Rossiter's web site]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{stub|pseudoscience}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossiter, Lyle}}
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Categories: Pseudoscience promoters, Living people
MMR vaccine

{{vax}}
The '''MMR vaccine''' ([[measles]], mumps, and rubella) is an early [[vaccine]] given to infants to prevent several horrible and life threatening diseases. After careful study, the [[Centers for Disease Control|CDC]] has found that it is safe and effective.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/mmr-vaccine.html Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Diseases and How to Protect Against Them]</ref>

In a 1998 paper [[Andrew Wakefield]] claimed it was a cause of [[autism]], and between 2000 and 2004 managed to create a media buzz over it. His work was later completely discredited (though the medical community at large never accepted it to begin with) and found to be unethical; it eventually resulted in Wakefield his license to practice medicine over the debacle. Despite the media attention on Wakefield's claim, several large [[Cohort study|cohort studies]] have been available showing no chance of MMR leading to autism. This included one submitted to ''The New England Journal of Medicine'', which studied all children born in [[Denmark]] from 1991 to 1998, totaling 537,303 children, and found no evidence of a link. The main reason to cite so large a value for ''N'' is that Wakefield's paper only looked at ''13'' children to "prove" the link.<ref>[http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa021134 A Population-Based Study of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccination and Autism] by Kreesten Meldgaard Madsen et al. (2002) ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' 347(19):1477-1482. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa021134.</ref> The Denmark study was published in 2002, at the height of the media scare.

Damage from the Wakefield paper and subsequent [[PR]] rampage from [[vaccine hysteria|anti-vaccination]] groups cause a period of low vaccine compliance in [[England]] as parents avoided or delayed (for instance, refusing to give three vaccines at once due to fears of [[Anti-vaccination movement#Overwhelming the immune system|"overloading the immune system"]]) giving their children life saving medical care.<ref>[https://archive.ph/JaeM7 Are Childhood Vaccines ‘Overloading’ the Immune System? No. Vaccines today are more efficient and contain far fewer stimulants to the immune system than some used decades ago.] by Apoorva Mandavilli (Dec. 14, 2024) ''The New York Times'' (archived from 25 Dec 2024 13:28:39 UTC).</ref> This has been linked as the reason behind several major outbreaks of mumps.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.com/id/43065952/ns/health-infectious_diseases/t/canada-mumps-outbreak-vaccine-was-ignored/ Canada Mumps Outbreak Vaccine was Ignored] (May 17, 2011, 12:14 PM PDT) ''Reuters'' via ''MSNBC''.</ref><ref>[https://archive.ph/Pw9jM Vaccines: Delayed immunization schedule can be deadly, experts say] by Rong-Gong Lin II (Feb. 2, 2015 1:21 PM PT) ''Los Angeles Times'' (archived from 13 Jul 2025 18:51:32 UTC).</ref>

Rest assured that (1) the vaccine is very safe, (2) it does not cause autism, and (3) even if it somehow did, being autistic is much better than suffering and dying of a horrible disease.{{nofact}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Parenting]]
{{stub|medicine}}

Categories: Medicine, Parenting
Macrobiotics

[[File:Ohsawa (3).jpg|thumb|right|George Ohsawa in 1920]]
{{foodnav}}
'''Macrobiotics''' (from the Greek for "long life") is a diet and lifestyle created originally by [[Japanese]] writer and [[guru]] Nyoichi Sakurazawa (櫻澤如一), better known under the pen name George Ohsawa, and popularized in Western countries by his student Michio Kushi and [[Yoko Ono|others]]. Essentially, the macrobiotic way proposes to break the foods consumed by human beings down into [[yin and yang]] according to some arbitrary scheme, then balance out the diet into yin and yang foods and thereby achieve significant life extension.

While meat is not banned from macrobiotic meals, it falls into the category of foods that are "extremely yin", i.e. "stagnating", while [[alcohol]], fermented foods, and some spices are considered "extremely yang" or "overstimulating". Many macrobiotic practitioners are therefore either partially or wholly [[Vegetarianism|vegetarian]]. Much macrobiotic food tends to be essentially vegetarian Japanese food, though that need not be the case.

Oddly enough, despite its claims to promote longer lives, neither the founder, Ohsawa, nor Michio Kuchi's wife Aveline (a noted author in the macrobiotic movement in her own right) had a longer than average lifespan; Ohsawa died of heart disease at age 72, and Aveline Kushi of cervical [[cancer]], even as Ohsawa [[Irony|promoted macrobiotics in part as a cancer prevention diet]]. 

While Ohsawa focused on diet as a means by which to promote health, he was a heavy [[Tobacco smoking|smoker]].<ref>http://autoimmunethyroid.wordpress.com/2006/07/06/macrobiotic-blues/</ref> He even stretched macrobiotic precepts to suggest that the blue or gray smoke coming out the front of a cigarette is yin (cancer-causing), while the yellow or orange smoke coming out the back that the smoker breathes in is yang, which obviously flies in the face of all we know about the dangers of smoking.<ref>http://www.cybermacro.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=122&Itemid=30</ref>

==See also==
*[[Food woo]]
*[[Quackery]]

==External links==
*[http://www.skepdic.com/macrobiotics.html Skeptic's Dictionary entry]
*[http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/OTA/ota03.html#macrobiotic Description at Quackwatch.com, specifically related to cancer treatment]
*[http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/kushi.html Account of a Michio Kushi-led seminar at Quackwatch]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{foodbox}}

[[Category:Alternative medicine]]
[[Category:Diet woo]]

Categories: Alternative medicine, Diet woo
Magnet

{{cquote|''Fuckin' magnets, how do they work?''|20|20|[[Insane Clown Posse]]}}
A magnet is an object which produces a magnetic field.
{{fork}}

*Animal magnetism (or mesmerism) — an unscientific hypothesis for the [[alternative medicine]] "[[therapeutic touch]]"
*[[Crank magnetism]] — the noted tendency of people with [[crank]] ideas to accumulate more over time
*[[Electromagnetism]]
*[[Gas-saving magnets]] — magnets you put in your car that don't actually do anything
*[[Geomagnetism]]
*[[Human magnet]] — parlor trick that is based on adhesiveness rather than magnetism
*[[Insane Clown Posse]] — "fucking magnets"
*[[Magnetic field therapy]] — An alternative medicine application of magnets.
*[[Magnetic monopole]] — a hypothetical elementary particle
*[[Magnetic resonance imaging]] — a medical imaging application of really powerful magnets
*[[Magnetic water treatment]] — A [[bullshit|horseshit]]-based magnetic treatment for cleaning or softening water.
*[[Nuclear magnetic resonance]] — The application of magnets to produce chemical spectra.
Magnetic field therapy

[[File:Patients undergoing magnetic therapy. Etching by J. Barlow, Wellcome M0006351.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Patients undergoing magnetic therapy. Etching by J. Barlow, 1790]]
{{pseudosciencenav}}
{{Altmed}}
'''Magnetic field therapy''' is the use of magnetic fields to treat [[medicine|medical]] ailments. Unlike other [[alternative medicine|alternative therapies]], there are some proposed mechanisms for how it works, such as the magnets interfering with the iron in blood. However, these do not successfully explain ''why'' the effect is good or even if it is a noticeable effect. Like other alternative therapies (such as [[homeopathy]]), it gets away with this by claiming that "every case is unique," thereby getting around any concept of [[scientific]] [[reproducibility]], and makes it [[unfalsifiable]].<ref>[http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/otusa.htm An outline of MFT by William Pawluk…]</ref> This tends to make it nearly impossible to establish the therapies' efficacy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100329225318/http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/nem131 …and the result of some ''real'' research into the effect.]</ref>

==Examples==
===Auricular therapy===
"Auricular therapy" consists of magnetic earrings meant to alleviate [[addiction]] to [[tobacco smoking|smoking]]. They are also [[gold]]-plated, for extra [[magic]]al effectiveness and possibly to increase the [[placebo]] effect.

==Real medical applications of magnets==
MFT is distinct from chemical and medical analytical tools based on the phenomenon of [[Nuclear magnetic resonance|magnetic resonance]] which is used as a successful diagnosis tool in the form of [[MRI]] scanning. {{wpl|Diathermy|Diathermy}} is a legitimate therapy that may use electromagnetic microwaves for deep heating of live tissue. 

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is another legitimate therapy that uses powerful electromagnets to induce small electrical currents in the [[brain]] and is being investigated as a possible treatment for severe depression, [[schizophrenia]], and stroke rehabilitation. It is also used in the diagnosis and monitoring of neurological diseases such as ALS. At the very least, it can cause ''hilarious'' lapses in motor control when a TMS pulse is delivered to someone attempting to do simple tasks. Importantly, this requires actively pulsing the fields rather than remaining static, which is the primary difference between such treatments and [[woo]] regarding magnetic fields.

==See also==
*[[Shoo!Tag]]
*[[Magnetic water treatment]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Alternative medicine]]

Categories: Alternative medicine
Magnetic therapy

{{altmed}}
[[File:Patients undergoing magnetic therapy. Etching by J. Barlow, Wellcome M0006351.jpg|thumb|left|"Patients undergoing magnetic therapy" by J. Barlow (1790)]]
'''Magnetic therapy''' is a worthless [[quack]] treatment for arthritis.  Magnetic bracelets and shoe insoles are sold for this purpose.  If you absolutely must have one you can find it — where else? — at your local health food store or [[New Age]] bookstore, or advertised in the ''[[Weekly World News]]''.

==Bullshit==
The general idea is that magnetic fields work miracles such as "increase circulation" or "reduce swelling". While pulsed, high powered fields have been shown to have some benefit on some wounds, the effect of exposure to very small magnetic fields is negligible to zero.<ref>[http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/QA/magnet.html Quackwatch.org &mdash; Magnet Therapy: A Skeptical View]</ref> Hæmoglobin, for example is slightly diamagnetic, but it would take extremely powerful electromagnets or superconducting magnets to show ''any'' influence on blood flow, let alone significant or positive effect &mdash; and as [[MRI]] scanners are considered to be pretty safe, and are far stronger magnets than are available to magnetic therapists, there isn't really that much of an effect. 

Most studies done on magnetic fields have yielded the result that wearing magnets has no effect above a basic [[placebo]]. For example, the pain due to arthritis &mdash; a joint condition sometimes targeted by magnetic therapy &mdash; varies from day to day or even from hour to hour; as a result, patients can find it hard to tell whether the treatment is actually working. [[Selective reporting]] and [[confirmation bias]] takes care of the rest to ensure that any scam treatments get a positive reception.

==See also==
*[[MRI]]
*[[Shoo!Tag]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Alternative medicine]]

Categories: Alternative medicine
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

[[File:MahareshiYogi2.jpg|thumb|right|165px|The Maharishi in 1973.]]{{newage}}
{{Sources needed}}
'''Maharishi Mahesh Yogi''' (12 January 1918 – 5 February 2008) was born '''Mahesh Prasad Varma''' and was a proponent of [[Transcendental Meditation]], a brand of [[woo]] that gained popularity among recovering American [[hippy|hippies]] in the 1970s.

==Involvement with The Beatles==
The Maharishi is probably best known for his association with the Beatles, and their subsequent disclaiming of him once they discovered he was just a dirty, naughty old man.<ref>{{cite web | title=Spirituality and Religion | url=http://peaceloveandbeyond.weebly.com/spirituality-and-religion.html}}</ref> [[John Lennon]] actually wrote an angry song against him, but George Harrison convinced John to make the target less obvious by Mad Libbing the name "{{wpl|Sexy Sadie}}" into the song in place of "Maharishi."
Harrison commented years later, "Now, historically, there's the story that something went on that shouldn't have done – but nothing did." In 1992, Harrison gave a benefit concert for the Maharishi-associated Natural Law Party, and later apologised for the way the Maharishi had been treated by saying, "We were very young" and "It's probably in the history books that Maharishi 'tried to attack Mia Farrow' – but it's bullshit, total bullshit." Cynthia Lennon wrote in 2006 that she "hated leaving on a note of discord and mistrust, when we had enjoyed so much kindness from the Maharishi". Asked if he forgave the Beatles, the Maharishi replied, "I could never be upset with angels." McCartney took his daughter, Stella, to visit the Maharishi in the Netherlands in 2007, which renewed their friendship. The New York Times and The Independent reported that the influence of the Maharishi, and the journey to Rishikesh to meditate, weaned the Beatles from LSD and inspired them to write many new songs. In 2009, McCartney commented that Transcendental Meditation was a gift the Beatles had received from the Maharishi at a time when they were looking for something to stabilise them. The Beatles' visit to the Maharishi's ashram coincided with a thirty-participant Transcendental Meditation teacher training course that was ongoing when they arrived.

==External links==
*[http://www.suggestibility.org/whoIsMahesh.shtml "Who is that man behind the curtain?"] at "Falling Down the TM Rabbit Hole - How Transcendental Meditation Really Works"
*[http://www.maharishi.org/ Official website]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{stub|woo}}

[[Category:Cult leaders]]

Categories: Cult leaders
Main Page

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Maitreya

{{buddhism}}
'''Maitreya''' is, in [[Buddhism]], the name of the [[prophet|prophesied]] future Buddha who will usher in a new age of adherence to the correct universal law. According to Buddhism, he will appear when the whole world has forgotten the teachings of ''Sakyumuni'' Buddha (the historical Buddha, otherwise known as Gautama or Siddhartha).  

Many people have claimed to be Maitreya — despite Buddhism still being alive and kicking — however, the very specific prophecies surrounding his ascension have never come to fruition (in particular, the seas are supposed to lower enough for him to walk to all of the world to teach his message).  The popular image of the Buddha as overweight and jolly is actually a depiction of Budai, a pre-incarnation<ref group=note>This means that that Budai was an entity who will someday be reborn and become Maitreya, once Buddhism becomes forgotten.</ref> of Maitreya.

In [[Theosophy]], ''Maitreya'' is the cosmic consciousness watching over the whole world. In the early part of the twentieth century, a group of theosophists became convinced that they had found the future vessel for Maitreya in the form of the Indian boy [[Jiddu Krishnamurti]], a claim he later renounced, closing the Order of the Star in the East, the organization devoted to propagating his teachings worldwide. Many other non-Buddhist groups have used the term in similar ways. Some Christians believe that Maitreya is, in fact, the [[Antichrist]].<ref>[http://www.satansrapture.com/maitreya.htm Warning: Will make your eyes hurt] (not joking)</ref><ref>http://www.lookupfellowship.com/2008/12/is-maitreya-man-of-sin.html</ref><ref>http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1677.cfm</ref><ref>[http://www.rense.com/general2/666.htm Keating's 'Maitreya' - The Controversy Heats Up], Rick Visneau, [[Rense.com]]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

{{stub|religion|religion}}
Malala Yousafzai

[[File:Malala Yousafzai at Girl Summit 2014.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Malala Yousafzai in 2014.]]
{{SJ}}
'''Malala Yousafzai''' {{lived|1997}} is a [[Pakistan|Pakistani]] activist for girls' education. When she was a schoolgirl in October 2012, she was the target of an assassination attempt by the Pakistani [[Taliban]]. Since then she has been living in Birmingham, [[United Kingdom]], both to continue medical treatment and to protect her against a repeat attempt on her life. 

Yousafzai won the [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]] in 2014. At age seventeen, she is the youngest Nobel laureate in history. 

== Early life ==
Yousafzai was born in 1997 in the Swat region of northern Pakistan. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, is himself an education activist and runs a network of schools in Pakistan. "Yousafzai" is not truly a Western-style surname, but the name of Malala and Ziauddin's tribe.

When Yousafzai was 11, the Pakistani Taliban took over the region. They came in the night (much like vampires) and gradually introduced [[Sharia]] law, forbidding [[music]], requiring women to be [[Hijab|veiled]] in public, and closing girls' schools (probably worse than vampires). During this period, Yousafzai began writing a blog for [[BBC]] Urdu, detailing her experiences.

==Assassination attempt==
{{cquote|I think of it often and imagine the scene clearly. Even if they come to kill me, I will tell them what they are trying to do is wrong, that education is our basic right.|||Malala Yousafzai, prior to the Taliban attack}}

Prior to the attempt on her life, Yousafzai had received death threats. She was shot by a [[Taliban]] gunman on October 9, 2012 after taking an exam. 

===Reaction===
Yousafzai survived the attack. Following the attempt on her life, she became a peace activist advocating education, [[feminism]], and rights for young women in the [[Muslim]] world. Subsequently, she wrote a book titled ''I Am Malala'', which detailed her experience and outlined her views on human rights. Yousafzai met with many world leaders, including President [[Barack Obama]]. Madonna got a temporary tattoo dedicated to Malala as well, in support and honor. <ref>{{cite news|title=Madonna Strips For Malala Yousafzai, Dedicates Song To Young Pakistani Woman Shot By Taliban|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/15/madonna-strips-malala-yousafzai_n_1967872.html|accessdate=10 October 2014|work=The Huffington Post|date=15 October 2012}}</ref> She has been favorably compared to [[Holocaust]] diarist [[Anne Frank]].

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{stub|social justice}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yousafzai, Malala}}
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Bloggers]]
[[Category:Education]]
[[Category:Feminists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Left-wing activists]]
[[Category:Muslims]]
[[Category:Socialists]]

Categories: Authors, Bloggers, Education, Feminists, Living people, Left-wing activists, Muslims, Socialists