I've been following this Aussie Bloke saga since it popped up on the IMDb boards a couple of weeks ago. One of the sites (along with this one - great
resource) I've taken to following as a result is godlikeproductions: it's hilarious. Some of the posters do keep up with the news, so it's not
totally devoid of practical use, but it's mostly just good for a larf.
Someone going by the name of ABSOLOM started posting there a couple of days ago, sounding very like Aussie Bloke in tone and offering some pretty keen
insights which could at least explain how such a hoax could be prepared and how it was so effective. Whether it's him or not is actually irrelevent,
and I haven't caught up with his/her (sounds like a bloke) most recent posts. But it's worth checking out if you've been caught up in this story,
whatever you happen to believe.
www.godlikeproductions.com.../12/04
I don't believe either way, though of course you have to lean towards scepticism, but I was never totally satisfied with some of the points made by
some of the debunkers. Aussie Bloke's posts were inconsistent, some sounding more coherent and credible than others. For example, who's to know
whether the actual Aussie Bloke was the one who claimed to be Grant Gartrell. There's absolutely no proof that every single poster using the handle
'Aussie Bloke' was the original doomsayer. Frankly, I was unconvinced by the post in which AB claimed to be "Dr Gartrel". The person who posted
that was obviously trying to pull our collective leg. Then there are the references to the War of the Worlds radio broadcast. First, there
is a
Canberra Tracking Station 43 - or at least something that could be referred to as such. Secondly, going back to my previous point, there's no proof
that the reference to Grover's Mill was made by the original AB.
I have to sit on the fence regarding the hard science.
Ultimately, it was the incredibility of the claims, the fact that they were made where they were and with so little to back them up with any certainty
that slanted my opinion towards dismissal. 'Aussie Bloke' was certainly very persuasive, but dreams can be persuasive too. I've often woken from
dreams and spent half the morning wandering around convinced of their reality - including apocalyptic dreams. But that's unreailty. Aussie Bloke's
claims were emotive and terrifying, rather than realistic. They seemed calculated towards that end. If such events were an imminent reality, I'm
pretty sure the dissemination of that knowledge would happen very differently - it might end up as rumour on an internet message board like
godlikeproductions, but it wouldn't arrive as first-hand knowledge from a supposedly respected scientist.
But then, anything's possible.
Some people are more convincing than others. Politicians manage to convince vast numbers of people that what in reality is total bollocks just happens
to be the truth. Charisma seems to me often more persuasive than the truth.
[edit on 12/6/04 by Grimnebulin]
[edit on 12/6/04 by Grimnebulin]
[edit on 12/6/04 by Grimnebulin]