Eyeless on Campus: November 2020

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Incline Village, Nev. (EoC)-- Published in Rhetoric and Public Affairs in 2011, Leah Ceccarelli's article "Manufactured Scientific Controversy" defines the title as;

"A scientific controversy is 'manufactured' in the public sphere when an arguer announces that there is an ongoing scientific debate in the technical sphere about a matter for which there is actually an overwhelming scientific consensus." (Ceccarelli, 196)

The footnote attached to the definition makes the case for the two so-called spheres of "public" and "technical" where Ceccarelli notes the "boundaries between the two are permeable." In a sense, it sets the stage for the non-experts to encroach on the terrain of the experts and call the findings into question. To what degree the evidence of the claim is "overwhelming" is irrelevant. The footnote explicitly points to political policy making as the ultimate goal of those with self-interest beyond the scientific sphere.

Uncertainty plays a large part in the process of calling into question scientific fact;

"most scientific findings are inherently probabilistic and ambiguous." (197)

Again, in the climate warming section, even with overwhelming evidence, Ceccarelli notes;

"It seems to corroborate the essayists claim of a dogmatic orthodoxy by indicating that
supporters of the dominant paradigm would prefer to silence dissent." (208)

Translated, the scientists themselves are to blame for allowing the so called "mercenaries" to refute the facts since they (the scientists) are too busy digging up more facts to pay attention to the debate in politics and the press. That very orthodoxy invites criticism. The truth of the matter is that the era of positivism has long since passed, replaced by one of skepticism.

Based on the above criteria, it might be debated that military superiority is not necessarily a winning strategy in the modern world. The slogan "Might makes right" is something out of the 19th century but didn't really become a reality until atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The debate over whether to develop even more powerful nuclear weapons, especially the hydrogen, or "super" bomb, forced a great deal of soul searching in its developers such as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller. (Halberstam, 151-174)

Now, in the 21st century, with Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, with the realignment of NATO forces in Europe, with the threat of development of the bomb by non-aligned nations as Iran and North Korea, it has become essential to question the doubters in the community that thermonuclear war is, as what might be defined from above "probabilistic and ambiguous," anything but "uncertain." The assassination of the top bomb expert in Iran last week is a barometer as to how serious the prospect has become. (BBC)

The policy was referred to "Mutual Assured Destruction" (MAD) that has prevented nuclear war. Today that policy is being challenged from within and from without.

" 'The central thing was the public had no control,' says Dr Christopher Laucht, a lecturer in British history at Leeds University. 'You were at the mercy of political decision makers. Apart from the fear that one side would do something stupid, there was also the fear of technology and the question of 'what if an accident happened'. ' " (BBC)

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh: Iran buries assassinated nuclear scientist
Iran has held a funeral for its top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated on Friday in an attack that it has blamed on Israel. In a televised speech at the ceremony, Defence Minister General Amir Hatami vowed to avenge Fakhrizadeh's death and continue his path "vigorously".

Discussion reply:

Paranoia is the bedfellow of conspiracy theory. Neville-Shepard cites Hofstadter's highlight of paranoid conspiracy: the vast network, transcends history, popular villains, the impending apocalypse, and the scapegoat. (Neville-Shepard) The author traces the "early style" to the post-Roosevelt era, in particular, President Truman. This fits well with the initial post regarding the advent of the Atomic Age and the role played by Truman and his cabinet, in particular the Secretary of State, Dean Acheson.

Following some rather high-profile spy trials and convictions, including Alger Hiss, who was a friend of Acheson, the Secretary went on the offensive;

"The political pressure building around Truman to go ahead with the Super was relentless...Failure to do so, Acheson noted, 'would push the Administration into a political buzzsaw.' " (Halberstam, 61)

Acheson created the specter of the apocalyptic villain in the form of the Soviet Union when at first, sharing nuclear technology appeared to be the preferred strategy considering the Kremlin had been an ally in World War Two. Acheson qualified for all of Hofstadter's categories of the paranoid style, accidentally or otherwise.

Today, the assassinated Iranian nuclear scientist became the latest casualty in this strategy of paranoid style, Instead of following up on the preceding regime's tireless efforts to bring Iran and North Korea into the nuclear community as constructive members, the current US administration deserted arms agreements with those particular non-aligned nations. (Laub, Robinson)

The paranoid nuclear holocaust environment has been given new life. Comparing Neville-Shepard to Ceccarelli is not as useful as comparing Neville-Shepard to himself, particularly with respect to the "subtextual" component of paranoid style. There is nothing subtextual about nuclear annihilation. There is every reason to believe certain non-aligned nations have atomic weapons capability, and the vehicles for delivery. We can only speculate on how the now long gone Secretary of State Dean Acheson would characterize the immanent threat.

Cited:

Neville-Shepard, R., Paranoid Style, Full article: Paranoid Style and Subtextual Form in Modern Conspiracy Rhetoric (oclc.org) (Links to an external site.)

Laub, Z., Robinson, K., What Is the Status of the Iran Nuclear Agreement? | Council on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)

Pakistan latest nuclear power to condemn killing of Iranian scientist as world remains on edge
Pakistan is the latest nuclear power to condemn the killing of a top Iranian atomic scientist, deeming the act a destabilizing event in a region already plagued by widespread unrest. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a former Revolutionary Guard officer who led the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research was shot dead last Friday east of the Iranian capital in a yet unclaimed assassination that has fueled suspicions of Israeli involvement.

References:

Ceccarelli, Leah. “Manufactured Scientific Controversy: Science, Rhetoric, and Public Debate.” Rhetoric and Public Affairs, vol. 14, no. 2, 2011, pp. 195–228. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41940538. Accessed 1 Dec. 2020.

Halberstam, David, The Fifties, 1993 Random House, NY

Iran Scientist Assassination, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh: Iran scientist 'killed by remote-controlled weapon' - BBC News (Links to an external site.)

de Castella, T., MAD, How did we forget about mutually assured destruction? - BBC News

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ENG401B.1002 //James L’Angelle //University of Nevada, Reno //Spring 2021

Journal Entry 013: Gulf War Syndrome vs. Pandemic Fatigue

Noted in recent news is the world, and Americans in general, now experiencing “burnout” over the COVID-19 crisis and in more descriptive terms, “pandemic fatigue;”

“In recent weeks, many countries have been reporting an increase in ‘pandemic fatigue’ – people are feeling demotivated about following recommended behaviours to protect themselves and others from the virus. Finding effective ways to tackle this fatigue and reinvigorate public vigilance is a growing challenge as the crisis continues. Pandemic fatigue evolves gradually over time and is affected by the cultural, social, structural and legislative environment.” (WHO)

There may be another explanation related to the burnout and it may not be psychological, but attributed to the very nature of the virus itself. In an Associated Press article written by Jim Abrams in 1996, the culprit in relation to the Gulf War Syndrome in soldiers was possibly a virus related to chemical exposure;

“WASHINGTON (AP) _ A California scientist says he has discovered genetic material common to Gulf War-era veterans that could provide a clue as to why so many became sick after serving in the 1991 war. Microbiologist Dr. Howard Urnovitz, in a study being presented Monday to a conference of Gulf War veterans in Tampa, Fla., said the genetic marker could point to the existence of a virus. The virus, in turn, could make veterans exposed to chemical agents or other toxins more susceptible to illness, he said.” (AP)

Urnovitz pegged the enterovirus, a common cold precursor, as the underlying genetic material found in the veterans. In other words, as a “precursor” goes, the genetic material would have had to be present in order for the reaction to exposure that causes the Gulf War Syndrome. That reaction is known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Gulf War Veterans. (VA)

The scientist used as a comparison the same phrase now being touted in the media as his epidemic fatigue syndrome where, “at least a dozen times in the last 60 years where many people were exposed to pollutants.”(AP) This brings into focus the role of the atmosphere and the components that might be contributing to that very pandemic burnout.

Notice when stay-at-home orders were given, pollution levels and smog over large industrialized areas and densely populated cities disappeared, and the infection levels dropped. If Urnovitz was correct, then that very presence of so-called “genetic material,” the precursor itself may be nothing more than smog that sets the stage not just for viral infection but the fatigue associated with it as well. The actual technical study of Urnovitz and his team was published in the American Society for Microbiology under the Digital Object Identifier: 10.1128/CDLI.6.3.330-335.1999 (ASM)

References:

Abrams, J., Scientist Says Virus Could Be Behind Illnesses (apnews.com)

WHO/Fatigue, WHO/Europe discusses how to deal with pandemic fatigue

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Gulf War Veterans - Public Health (va.gov)

Urnovitz & ASM, RNAs in the Sera of Persian Gulf War Veterans Have Segments Homologous to Chromosome 22q11.2 | Clinical and Vaccine Immunology (asm.org)

Desert Storm mask image,

Iraqi Desert Storm Military Gas Mask With Original Instructions, Satchel & Can. | eBay

Howard Urnovits/LinkedIn. (2) Howard Urnovitz | LinkedIn

Submitted: 26 November 2020

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