Guests who are condescending to callers/debate.

[RedMichael]

Sorry for the rant.

Having listened to almost every show for almost 2 months I forgot how bad guests can be. Take Hoaxland's sidekick for example when Astroguy questioned him on the air. I don't recall him ever really addressing the issues, suddenly the science he proclaimed wasn't used at all (maybe he knew what would happen if he used it then?), his attitude gets combative and defensive, Noory can't even get him to act like an adult. Now remember this, Astroguy knows his shit, but most callers don't, however some of the best questions come from those who don't know the subject. Knowing your audience will be uneducated in your subject and in a world of "buyer beware", why would anyone get mad at questions unless they were hiding something?

Shrugging off a caller's opinion, argument, viewpoint, etc in a sarcastic manner or saying "I just don't think that is possible" instead of explaining why just rubs me the wrong way. You are on a show where hardly anyone knows what you do or why/how you do it. You are going to get questions, you are going to be the role of an educator, and you need to show some patience. In the world of science, peer review can be a grueling process where you and your ideas are scrutinized more than any of us can imagine. The point is by surviving countless challenges an idea then starts to prove itself.

Whenever someone defends something with anger/sarcasm/or a condescending attitude and proceed to just turn up the volume on their attitude as the argument continues I always tend to doubt what they are defending more and more. They are usually trying to deter the argument and further arguments by making people not want to "deal with them" or by somehow coming off as being more right. The idea that being "more mad" "angry" etc makes you more right is something that should only be associated with children throwing tantrums.

I think a lot of the problem is the host.  His job is to be there for the audience. They pay his bills, not the crackpots. I don't even remember guests getting upset when Bell was the host.


That being said: Are there any guests that you just wanted to punch for being assholes to callers or sounding a little too smug? Any memories of Noory failing as a moderator?

[ziznak]

Definitely Bara.  Hoaxboy not so much.  Steve Quayle I just want to kick in the balls....

Ooooh, and not for any particular reason, I would like to hear audio of Glynnis Mccants and Evelyn Paglini hog tied to each other and then falling down a large set of stairs... I think thats it for now.

[Sardondi]

...I would like to hear audio of Glynnis Mccants and Evelyn Paglini hog tied to each other and then falling down a large set of stairs...

Loop it. LOOP IT!!!!

[tweet75]

noory has the most open mind to callers never critcizes or puts callers down. Ian does it quesitons absurd callers as does well and knapp

[RedMichael]

Im referring to the guest's interactions with callers. Not hosts.

[stevesh]

The only guest I can remember who regularly gets downright cranky with callers is Whitley Strieber, often for no apparent reason.

[expat]

Any memories of Noory failing as a moderator?

You bet. When I phoned in to Mike Bara, after his appalling book The Choice came out -- this was almost exactly two years ago now.

Mike had written this (p.34):

"Mars's orbit is so eccentric that its distance from Earth goes from 34 million miles at its closest to 249 million miles at its greatest"

I simply read the quote back to him and asked if he now realized that it is nonsense. Instead of answering Mike went off on a rant, saying I was crazy, denying he ever wrote those words, characterizing all his critics as "scared." George (or possibly Tommy, the other side of the glass) just cut me off.

Now here's why Noory was a FAIL that night. Noory himself is an official endorser of that wretched book. Right there on the back cover you can read a quote from him saying it's the best. Conflict of interest, anyone?

Astroguy made a podcast about this a year later. It includes audio clips, so anyone can verify that I'm not making this up.

[ziznak]

any audio for that show about "the choice?"  maybe a date I'll download it.

[expat]

any audio for that show about "the choice?"  maybe a date I'll download it.

10 nov 2010.
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2010/11/10

[ziznak]

Ahhh yes!  I remember checking this out.  Whats up with you and astro appearing as guests for a full "psuedo-science explained" show? the last pseudoscience guy they had on was kind of a dud IMO.

[expat]

Ahhh yes!  I remember checking this out.  Whats up with you and astro appearing as guests for a full "psuedo-science explained" show? the last pseudoscience guy they had on was kind of a dud IMO.

I hope you don't mean Bob Zimmerman, who I respect greatly. I say ZIMMERMAN FOR SCIENCE ADVISOR.

But anyway, yes, astroguy and I would rather like to have that opportunity. I was on the paracast show last month, but that audience is a drop of water compared to C2C's ocean.

[Juan]

Simple as pie. Write a book saying that angels are using HAARP to intentionally wound children as mermaids, greys and fairies watch.  Get a moderately hot woman to pose as co-author.  Have her pose wearing sunglasses and suggest that she's a black-eyed child.

[ziznak]

Nah it was this show:
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2012/11/03
was supposed to be about pseudoscience but sucked and didn't really touch on the aspects of pseudoscience like you and Stu do.  Wasn't zimmerman.

[Nucky Nolan]

Simple as pie. Write a book saying that angels are using HAARP to intentionally wound children as mermaids, greys and fairies watch.  Get a moderately hot woman to pose as co-author.  Have her pose wearing sunglasses and suggest that she's a black-eyed child.

I think that she's already been on the show. It's hard to tell these days. Some of these guests bring the funnier days of Mad Magazine and "Saturday Night Live" to mind. BTW, the past programs, about why people believe "crazy" things, were good.