December 5, 2022
A great way to protect yourself against grifters and their snake oil is to learn the techniques they use to sell it. So let’s have some fun and pretend to sell bunk!
Free Article: Skeptical Inquirer – September/October 2022
A perfect article to pair with a discussion of Nick Tiller’s “From Debunking to Prebunking”. Trecek-King provides a great opportunity to put inoculation theory into practice and foster the skills necessary to recognize pseudoscience.
Discussion:
- Discuss the concept of Prebunking and why it can be a useful tool for the skeptical community and beyond. How is it different from debunking?
- Trecek-King lists a number of common “Pseudoscience Peddling Techniques.” Which do you find the most effective? Can you think of any examples that you have encountered recently?
Group Activity:
Develop your own marketing strategy for a fictional pseudoscientific product that utilizes Trecek-King’s “Pseudoscience Peddling Techniques”.
- Have your group think of a fake product that might catch people’s attention. Have fun with it, create something bizarre!
- As a group brainstorm ways you might use the techniques listed in the article to promote your product. Make claims that can’t be proven wrong, and confuse your audience with meaningless technobabble.
- Go through each of the techniques in turn, have a short discussion about why they are effective, decide how you will implement them for your product and move on.
- If you would like, create a visual advertisement using these techniques for your product and submit it to CFI at [email protected] – we might feature it in our next “Pass the Torch” newsletter.
About the Author:
Melanie Trecek-King is an associate professor of biology at Massasoit Community College. She previously wrote the SI articles “A Life Preserver for Staying Afloat in a Sea of Misinformation” (March/April 2022) and “Teach Skills, Not Facts” (January/February 2022).
Her website is www.ThinkingIsPower.com.