Cracked Actually Debunks Six Famous Paranormal Mysteries

Over the course of the year, Cracked Magazine's www.cracked.com has become one of my favorite daily reads. The writers are smart, witty and -- amazingly -- relevant. In my opinion, they may have surpassed The Onion for biting satire.

Well, today, Cracked as set its sights on the CTist community -- and with much aplomb.

"6 Famous Unsolved Mysteries (With Really Obvious Solutions)"

Enjoy!

I read the thread; I found it, um. . . . comedic.

One of the events they debunk I had never heard of until reading the article---and I've been reading up on this stuff since the early 1980's. A straw man of an argument, set up so that he can be easily knocked down.

Several other events are . . . obscure, to be polite. Mad gassers and other events from preceding centuries.

Take a look at the paragraphs "debunking" the Bermuda Triangle reports. The "debunk" consists soley of saying that people have been "*#&^$& making stuff up." Not exactly a triumph of the scientific method. Posting pictures of Cthulhu eating ships and subtitling the image with "NOPE!" is hardly a refutation of every single Bermuda Triangle disappearance. It's a standup routine, not an exploration of issues.

But then, I think the essay is going for laughs, not info/disinfo. It might be worthy of the back of a box of cereal, if it wasn't full of profanity. (the article, not the cereal box). But its just not serious consideration by anyone who wants to be informed of the issue surrounding hte paranormal.

ATB.

I read the thread; I found it, um. . . . comedic.

One of the events they debunk I had never heard of until reading the article---and I've been reading up on this stuff since the early 1980's. A straw man of an argument, set up so that he can be easily knocked down.

Several other events are . . . obscure, to be polite. Mad gassers and other events from preceding centuries.

Take a look at the paragraphs "debunking" the Bermuda Triangle reports. The "debunk" consists soley of saying that people have been "*#&^$& making stuff up." Not exactly a triumph of the scientific method. Posting pictures of Cthulhu eating ships and subtitling the image with "NOPE!" is hardly a refutation of every single Bermuda Triangle disappearance. It's a standup routine, not an exploration of issues.

But then, I think the essay is going for laughs, not info/disinfo. It might be worthy of the back of a box of cereal, if it wasn't full of profanity. (the article, not the cereal box). But its just not serious consideration by anyone who wants to be informed of the issue surrounding hte paranormal.

ATB.

The only one of the cases mentioned that I've read about is the Hopkinsville Goblin case where a family said they had been attacked by pointy eared aliens. I'm not a big fan of aliens or abductions but the explaination put forward here is borderline psychotic! During the event the family said they shot at the aliens many times and when they were hit there was a metallic noise. One is also said to have peaked in through a window. . . So when Cracked sincerly asks us to believe that the family were attacked by nothing more than an owl I think I can be forgiven for calling the explanation idiotic, foolish, badly thought out drivel.

reply to post by Mintwithahole.


Well . . . how about . . . . completely ignorant of the typical behavior for raptors that subsist on small rodents in wooded areas.

But I know what you mean.

I'm not a believer in UFOs and "physical aliens from another planet" either. On the other hand, i've lived in rural areas with owls. And while I will not confess to commiting a federal crime here on ATS, I can state authoritatively that screech owls do not emit a metallic sound when struck with a rifle bullet.

It's more like the sound made when a gunshot intersects an overstuffed throw pillow.

And while I do not endorse irresponsible drinking mixed with gunplay, I can say that anyone drunk enough to confuse the sound of an owl being gunned down with the sound of a mailbox being brapped, is too drunk to remember either one.

And I don't care how red your neck is.

*rebunked*.

.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by dr_strangecraft]

reply to post by Mintwithahole.

and also a reply to Dr Strangecraft

yeah, Hi?
Cracked is a satirical humour magazine not a serious CT magazine. The articles are meant to have ridiculous and over-the-top jokes, evident in their explanations here... i bet you would've wrote them letters refuting their New Kids On The Shlock articles and the Don Martin 'One Fine Day' sections in the early 90s.. i love how you two took it so seriously... that's funnier than the article itself!
thanks for sharing OP i grew up reading Cracked and Mad magazines and im glad to see Cracked is still doin stuff.

EDIT: to add the definition of Satire dictionary.reference.com...

[edit on 2-10-2008 by kidney thief]

Originally posted by dr_strangecraft
reply to post by Mintwithahole.

 

Well . . . how about . . . . completely ignorant of the typical behavior for raptors that subsist on small rodents in wooded areas.

But I know what you mean.

I'm not a believer in UFOs and "physical aliens from another planet" either. On the other hand, i've lived in rural areas with owls. And while I will not confess to commiting a federal crime here on ATS, I can state authoritatively that screech owls do not emit a metallic sound when struck with a rifle bullet.

It's more like the sound made when a gunshot intersects an overstuffed throw pillow.

And while I do not endorse irresponsible drinking mixed with gunplay, I can say that anyone drunk enough to confuse the sound of an owl being gunned down with the sound of a mailbox being brapped, is too drunk to remember either one.

And I don't care how red your neck is.

*rebunked*.

.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by dr_strangecraft]

LOL. Love your response.

I suppose to people in the city, it might seem like it would be easy to mistake one animal from another, but it is not. I've been pretty drunk in my time, but I've NEVER mistook an animal for an inanimate object, nor a "space alien" (and that includes the time they shot me up with morphine right before sending me home after a surgical procedure. )

Drunk family seeing things? Oh, wow!

Things making metallic sounds when hit? How do they know they didn't hit something else, like a pot or a pale that's outside the house? How can you even aim at the thing when you're drunk?

People can hallucinate when drunk.

Cracked is a satirical humour magazine not a serious CT magazine. The articles are meant to have ridiculous and over-the-top jokes, evident in their explanations here...

And yet they offer the mainstream analysis of the events. Note that we were picking on the standard "skeptical" explanations, and not attacking the grandeur of cracked magazine.

I don't have any experience w/ cracked. Yes I am that old. I even smoke a pipe. Filled with tabacco. We're talking OLD here. And this wasn't posted in the humor section. So how did I know, coming from an alien world to visit you. I'm from . . . . the past.

i bet you would've wrote them letters refuting their New Kids On The Shlock articles and the Don Martin 'One Fine Day' sections in the early 90s.. i love how you two took it so seriously... that's funnier than the article itself!

Actually the Hopkins family has been attacked ad nauseum in the manner "parodied" (repeated) by the article. Their report seems to be invalid for two reasons:

1) They are southern or other hill people living in a place with woods, i.e. a fly-over state.
2) Big city editors and comic writers know far more about owls than people who live where owls do.

So, let's see, my mistakes were

a) taking the article within the only context presented.
b) responding to the ideas presented.

and possibly c) : commenting something you admire.


How's that? Am I up to speed now?
.

reply to post by kidney thief



"
i love how you two took it so seriously... that's funnier than the article itself!
"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
You cannot imagine how happy it makes me feel that I brought a smile into your dreary existence. And it's not free! You'll pay for that smile. ..
I know its a satirical magazine (at least I do now) but you shouldn't be surprised by peoples reactions to ridiculous suggestions like those put forward by the mag. People take things like this very seriously.

reply to post by Mintwithahole.


yea there will always be those people that always need to be right.

i read it and enjoyed it but i wouldnt write a thesis with only that to back it up. im sure that all of the 5 people running cracked did some research but the webstie was made to entertain not teach.

Originally posted by N. Tesla

yea there will always be those people that always need to be right.

Others just need to feel superior.

i dont need to feel superior but its very easy among all this bickering

Originally posted by dr_strangecraft

Originally posted by N. Tesla

yea there will always be those people that always need to be right.

Others just need to feel superior.

none likes to think they are wrong.
Nobody.

reply to post by theRiverGoddess


Errr... of course they do. It's how we learn.

And as for the Cracked article, it's perfectly fine. These myths don't need debunking, as no rational person would leap to the paranormal explanations, as there simply isn't evidence for it. I think the article touched a nerve with some of the ATS crowd. And rightly so.