2010-08-10 Bleachgate

• when: 2010/08/10 (2010/08/10)
• source: Rhys's Blog
• topics: anti-skepsis alternative medicine Crohn's disease online debate
• URL: http://thewelshboyo.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/bleachgate/
• title: Bleachgate
• summary: An account of a forum interaction: the author tries to call attention to the known dangers of a particular "alternative" "therapy", and is essentially attacked. Although a moderator steps in and tries to calm things down, the author's forum topic attempting to address the general area of anti-skepsis is deleted.

Excerpt

I started another thread entitled Anti-Skepticism. I've lost the exact wording of it, since the thread was deleted, so I'll rely on memory. Basically, I started off saying how disgusted I was at the response to the warning thread. I told them that if anything, they should be more skeptical of potential treatments, given that they're at a higher risk for snake oil peddlers to peddle them something. I once again questioned that it was not the time nor place to discuss MMS. I then called for negative alternative medicine anecdotes, something you never hear unless asked for. Sadly, this thread didn't turn out the way I intended. Instead of actually sparking discussion, I was told that I'd interpreted the "neither the time nor place" thing wrong. Someone also posted telling me they trusted people on forums more than scientific evidence as "science has been proven wrong before". The only logical post in the thread was from intermanaut summarising why people turn to alternative medicine. After all that, some more posts had been made in Miracle Mineral Solution thread. The discussion had sadly; well sort of sadly, turned to homeopathy. I flexed my knuckles and got down to answering the post. They told me they'd used homeopathy on their horse and that horses couldn't possible have the placebo effect. I sent them a link to Science Based Medicine.org's take on the matter and pointed out that animals can exhibit the placebo. They also said about how they hoped they could use alternative medicine to treat their son's Crohn's forever and that I'd be open minded to try it. I replied "Thanks, but no thanks. I rely on science based medicine".

Finally though, a senior member took notice of this thread and, to summarize, he told people to calm down. He said to them not to take the thread as a personal attack and that my opinions also shouldn't be mocked – a very good point. Here, he was pointing out the irony of the alties criticising my opinion of alternative medicine and then saying "Don't criticise our opinions". He summed up my post excellently and then said "He was offering this alternative viewpoint on your alternative viewpoint." He also said how he was appalled that there were calls to ban me, simply because I was looking out for people's wellfare by posting this news about MMS. Huzzah! Someone with a bit of sense. This didn't, however, stop the mods deleting both my threads.