Laughter as Medicine: The Origin of a Meme

As any good science skeptic/happiness buzzkiller can immediately discern, this is bullshit. But are we Dementors or are we teachers? No, we are not here solely to suck the happiness out of the internet. We are defenders of reason and illuminators of the obscure.

I think this goes beyond “someone is wrong on the internet”. Geeks place a high value on correct information and especially so in cases like this: a medical tidbit. Perpetuating an urban legend with no basis in fact, on which people might base decisions that affect their health, can be dangerous. Steering people down a certain path might mean that they avoid legitimate treatment. I remember harrumphing at some comment at a family gathering, where somebody had mention some sham treatment (I don’t recall if it was homeopathic, or copper bracelets, or magnets or what) and was challenged with “What’s the harm?” The harm is in thinking this will work, and so you don’t consult an actual doctor with actual diagnostic ability and the ability to prescribe scientifically tested medications and treat you in ways that are proven to work better than doing nothing. And delaying that does harm.

Even when the outcomes are not potentially as dire as illness, you may still base decisions on these nuggets of anti-truth, and that’s not good. So yes, we are trying to stamp out ignorance, and since ignorance is bliss, it might seem like we suck all the fun out of the internet. So be it.