Yeah, you. Get to work preparing your talk and putting it on video.
Our theme for Skepticon 13, starting on Friday, August 13, is things that scare us. Our panels will be on creepy-crawlies, horror as genre, and math. That leaves huge portions of this topic still begging to be covered. You can help fill in the gaps with a video of 3 minutes or less.
Do you have a favorite cryptid that other people haven’t heard of? Does your corner of the world share an unusual superstition or moral panic? Do you have the inside scoop on a “real-life mystery” that caught the public imagination? Are you good at explaining a particular piece of political fear-mongering? Have we left out something else important or funny about being scared? Tell us! Tell the world!
The theme is “things that scare us”? Well, I’m out. I can’t think of anything scary or creepy-crawly. But maybe you can! It’s also only 3 minutes. Being cogent in 3 minutes is harder than you think — you’ll have to pare out all the rambling asides and hesitations and coughing fits and that cool story you would have mumbled out if you were chatting at the bar.
Go for it, though! I expect to see you all there!
It is unfortunately, easy to come up with “things that scare us”. Especially these days.
Covid-19 virus. The fundie xian/GOP antivaxxers.
Fundie Xians. Donald Trump. The followers of Trump.
And why not. They sponsor right wingnut/xian terrorism and keep wrecking the USA.
You can’t think of anything scary?
Imagine being trapped in an elevator with Hovind and Ham. I don’t if it’s possible for somebody do to beat themselves unconscious, but I would have to find out.
Things that scare us…
Like “how will they mess up the next Alien sequel”???
Also, “how will the Democrats manage to unconditionally surrender again?’
“creepy crawlies” is one of my most hated expressions, and used widely in all media. Very damaging to public perceptions of ecology, environment, evolution and conservation.
eurosid, interesting attitude.
Me, I wouldn’t be trapped there with them; they’d be trapped there with me. ;)
Humanity scares me.
Grizzly bears scare me.
Transphobes. Transphobes scare me.
raven @ 1 got there before me.
OK… here is why vaccine-sceptic eejits scare me:
“Former FDA Chief Says COVID-19 Variant May Cause Surge In States With Low Vaccination” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/scott-gottlieb-covid-delta-variant_n_60cff4e1e4b0876cc93f3382
(for brevity, just imagine the word “FUUUCK” typed 500 times)
nomdeplume @ 4
The Bond film where Timothy Dalton stuffs an assassin into a huge box full of nightcrawlers did not help.
How the right manipulates people by tossing “socialist” or “marxist” into anything.
Saltwater crocodiles.