the liars strike

[realthog]

I posted a short while ago about the kind review Jeff VanderMeer has given to my books Discarded Science and Corrupted Science.

The site (it's the official Amazon book blog) has already been polluted by a religious zealot, who writes (http://www.omnivoracious.com/2008/04/what-do-you-fin.html):

FredTownWard on April 07, 2008 at 03:44 PM

The trouble is that unless the critical reviewers on Amazon are simply making things up, John Grant is guiltier of injecting "fraud, ideology, and politics" into science than most of the people he is writing about. 

It is one thing to take a scientifically skeptical attitude towards Creation Science (though in fairness one should apply the same standards to Evolution), it is quite another to engage it anti-Christian bigotry, as John Grant is accused of doing in several reviews. 

Moreover, if Mr. Grant has championed, as he is accused of championing in those critical reviews, the leftwing lunatic fringe ravings about WMD's and al Qaeda in Iraq, the Nazi-like viewpoint on (no longer required because of recent breakthroughs in adult stem-cell research) embryonic stem-cell research, and the cult-like "science has reached a consensus" attitude regarding Global Warming skeptics,

then he is as bad as or worse than anyone he condemns.

In fact, about two of the 14 or so Amazon reviewers play the fundamentalist card. Of those two, one has very obviously not read the book. So this guy (I try to think of a kinder word) lies.

Yep. How would Jesus lie?

Comments

The trouble is that unless the critical reviewers on Amazon are simply making things up, John Grant is guiltier of injecting "fraud, ideology, and politics" into science than most of the people he is writing about. 

It is one thing to take a scientifically skeptical attitude towards Creation Science (though in fairness one should apply the same standards to Evolution), it is quite another to engage it anti-Christian bigotry, as John Grant is accused of doing in several reviews. 

Moreover, if Mr. Grant has championed, as he is accused of championing in those critical reviews, the leftwing lunatic fringe ravings about WMD's and al Qaeda in Iraq, the Nazi-like viewpoint on (no longer required because of recent breakthroughs in adult stem-cell research) embryonic stem-cell research, and the cult-like "science has reached a consensus" attitude regarding Global Warming skeptics,

then he is as bad as or worse than anyone he condemns.

In fact, about two of the 14 or so Amazon reviewers play the fundamentalist card. Of those two, one has very obviously not read the book. So this guy (I try to think of a kinder word) lies.

Yep. How would Jesus lie?

[(Anonymous)]

That's the official Amazon book blog, btw, not my personal blog. That guy posts on any post on the Amazon book blog that has anything on it that's at all considered left of center.

I thought much smarmier was the one Amazon review of your book that sneakily tried to disguise itself as being reasonable.

JeffV

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"That's the official Amazon book blog, btw, not my personal blog."

Thanks for the correction, Jeff, and for the info on the commenter: it's kind of a relief to find I'm not the only one who suffers from him!

"the one Amazon review of your book that sneakily tried to disguise itself as being reasonable"

The one by the guy who applauds me for correcting misimpressions about Galileo and Bruno and then goes into a long rant about how I should have given a free ride to the "Darwin doubters", you mean? I hadn't seen that one until just now.

There was one other critical reviewer who had genuine difficulties with some of the "faith" aspects of that book, Discarded Science, but he spelled out why in a perfectly reasonable fashion so I had no objections at all to his comments. He seems to have removed his review, though -- which is a pity, as perhaps it might have served as an example to other "faith-based readers" that when you seek to review books you should actually, like, review them.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"He seems to have removed his review"

Oh, hang on a moment: I've found it. Looks like it served as the basis for the two fundies who didn't trouble to read the book before "reviewing" it.

[sarcobatus.livejournal.com]

The trolls come out en masse at Amazon.

I approve of your new user pic, btw. The really scary news is that you could be a member of my family, Paul, you resemble us so much, especially my dad's side of the fam! (Do I hear screaming in the distance...?)

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"The trolls come out en masse at Amazon."

They do, don't they? A friend got interested enough in this particular troll that he googled him, and found out all sorts of Amazing Stuff.

Inspired, I tried some googling too, unknowingly using a slightly different search string. What this revealed that my pal hadn't across was the troll's spirited plea for Republicans to do the right thing over the Mark Foley affair; i.e., blame the Democrats, whose fault it obviously was. Even his pals on the right-wing forum where I discovered this were telling him not to be so bloody stupid.

"you resemble us so much"

All furry and curled up in the sun by the window, you mean?

[sarcobatus.livejournal.com]

"All furry and curled up in the sun by the window, you mean?"

That too, lol!