skinny
Nigh
- Joined
- May 30, 2010
- Messages
- 8,800
The video blurb:
This docuimentary examines a series of strange lights have been described and reported in the night sky near the home of Vancouver housewife Dorothy Izatt. Dorothy first reported seeing the lights on the evening of November 9, 1974. However the focus of the investigation quickly shifted to Dorothy herself and her incredible ability to capture the phenomena. Aired in 2008.
Edit: Updating the dead video.
See later post for alternative version of the video.
What do you know about this case?
What do you think?
I was initially intrigued by the flashes. Then I applied the critical process and it doesn't hold water.
First and most fundamentally, the frames can be doctored. We know any visual media can be manipulated. I reckon this 8mm was edited together and enhanced, maybe not by her, but by someone. The rest of the video is anecdotal and so doesn't pass muster. The heavy reliance on cardboard stats is also a significant weakener - eg, 60% of people believe (so what? What people?); I have 36,000 feet of film (or 25,000 feet reported on Unexplained Mysteries. So what?)
She was a sweet old lady attesting to faith in a christian god. She was the matriarch of a large and loyal family who adore her. For me that doesn't in any way strengthen her credibility. I think she is sincere about initially seeing and filming lights, but from there her conclusions are founded on a long string of dramatic and emotive opinionss and leaps of logic. There's no alternative possible explanation proffered that isn't immediately swept aside by her, her friends and family in favour of personal belief and unsubstantiated opinion. She's my mom, so I'm convinced that her response is all the facts I need. It's pretty much all an appeal to credulity, even revealing a vested interest by those who have attached to her for book sales and slide tour profits.
If I were still teaching critical thinking, this would make for a good lesson on logical fallacies. So much to analyse.
This docuimentary examines a series of strange lights have been described and reported in the night sky near the home of Vancouver housewife Dorothy Izatt. Dorothy first reported seeing the lights on the evening of November 9, 1974. However the focus of the investigation quickly shifted to Dorothy herself and her incredible ability to capture the phenomena. Aired in 2008.
Edit: Updating the dead video.
See later post for alternative version of the video.
What do you know about this case?
What do you think?
I was initially intrigued by the flashes. Then I applied the critical process and it doesn't hold water.
First and most fundamentally, the frames can be doctored. We know any visual media can be manipulated. I reckon this 8mm was edited together and enhanced, maybe not by her, but by someone. The rest of the video is anecdotal and so doesn't pass muster. The heavy reliance on cardboard stats is also a significant weakener - eg, 60% of people believe (so what? What people?); I have 36,000 feet of film (or 25,000 feet reported on Unexplained Mysteries. So what?)
She was a sweet old lady attesting to faith in a christian god. She was the matriarch of a large and loyal family who adore her. For me that doesn't in any way strengthen her credibility. I think she is sincere about initially seeing and filming lights, but from there her conclusions are founded on a long string of dramatic and emotive opinionss and leaps of logic. There's no alternative possible explanation proffered that isn't immediately swept aside by her, her friends and family in favour of personal belief and unsubstantiated opinion. She's my mom, so I'm convinced that her response is all the facts I need. It's pretty much all an appeal to credulity, even revealing a vested interest by those who have attached to her for book sales and slide tour profits.
If I were still teaching critical thinking, this would make for a good lesson on logical fallacies. So much to analyse.
Last edited by a moderator:
