RationalWiki: A Troll’s Pseudoscience Project?

Of late, folks at Winter Watch have noticed the presence of a slick-sounding website named RationalWiki.org positioned near the top of the first results page when searching truther topics on Google. With such an intellectual-sounding tome, one might think they’re about to enter a fountainhead of knowledge. After all, synonyms for the word “rational” are cogent, coherent, intelligent and astute. However, all of these words are the inverse of what RationalWiki (RW) actually is.

RW is scripted, paint-by-colors snark. It’s not even particularly humorous or satirical, just sophomoric. The syntax often appears foreign, as if the writer’s native language is not English. The site most resembles Salon, another moronic, one-trick-pony publication [see “Salon Magazine: Church of Political Correctness About Everything”]. There’s also a subreddit called r/topmindsofreddit that spends far too much energy on similar sophomoric snark, brigading and harassment of truthers.

RW’s interpretative framework is highly trusting of conventional stories and narratives. It’s as if anything coming from the lugenpresse is good enough for them. It’s hard to believe that people are caught into such a tiny brainwashed box in the current year. Something about it just doesn’t come off as genuine. It’s contrived.

To RW editors, it’s like TPTB have never lied, deceived or committed crimes. That thinking only exists among paranoid nut jobs. Even the site’s own description admits they are hard pressed for good material. Thus, they have a ranking system just in case something falls through the cracks that might actually be considered (by them) to be worth reading.

For example, here’s an “article” on Daniel Estulin. Estulin is a prolific writer on Tavistock, mind control and One World Governments issues. We used his Tavistock book as a source in our article on that subject. Whether you agree with him or not, his books are well cited and researched, full of highly relevant hidden and not-so-hidden history, and do a lot of dot connecting. Thinking persons could have a lively and intelligent debate on his material. But the tiny-box folks at RW are having none of that. Estulin, like him or not, at least works at this trade. Conversely, RW is just lazy and disingenuous

The method RationalWiki uses is full-court one-trick-pony smears. We recently saw this in the smear of Abby Martin that we covered. That certainly saves real effort, or even — heaven forbid — actually reading some of Estulin material, which it shows no signs of doing. So RW resorts to just repeating a variation of choice neurolingustic programming shadow language and ad hominems over and over. In Estulin’s case, RW just called him a crank and that CIA-invented trigger word “conspiracy theorist”. To top it off Esutlin is labeled “a ranter” who writes “kooky” books. Naturally, RW points out that Estulin cited American Free Press and which in turn is dismissed for being ant-Semitic and right-wing. Blah, blah, blah.

This formula is then repeated ad nauseam for just about anyone it cares to pan, and it has a fairly long list. As they show little sign of being researchers or readers, one wonders where they get their targets.

We also learn that Estulin had a close call with an elevator, an incident he was suspicious of. Accordingly, RW suggests he is also a paranoid. But who could possibly have heard about the body counts among reality theorists? That never happens apparently? Unfairly labelling people as paranoid in this manner should be seen as malicious and evil. And since not one single book or real topic that Estulin (or anybody else) dug into is really dealt with beyond the superficial, an intelligent reader has no context.

RW’s definition of the word “crank” is illustrative. After writing articles on Estulin and many others that are completely devoid of anything reasonably logical, or presenting counter evidence or facts, RW goes on to say that the crank’s cognitive processes are impregnable to all forms of logic, reason, evidence and, in extreme cases, basic facts. That must be easy to say for someone who has never laid a hand on an Estulin book. RW advises us not to debate or engage with cranks and conspiracy theorists. Yes, what a convenient message for those hiding crimes. Not to worry though, as there is no debate to be had, if the best you have to show are real or imagined elevator incidents.

RW wraps it up with a long list of alleged cranks, some of whom are indeed cranks. I often suspect that the more extreme theories are put forth by the usual suspects and controlled opposition. The rest on RW’s list are guilty by association.

This all begs a question: Who did clown posse RationalWiki f–k to get top billing on Google search? Now there’s a real conspiracy theory and question well worth exploring.

Canadian Trent Toulouse started RationalWiki.org in 2007, perhaps as part of class project toward his graduate degree in psychology. We imagine as such, he is quite versed in neurolinguistic programming psyops- and it shows. He’s now a professor in the psychology department at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has since turned RW into a tax-free non-profit called The RationalWiki Foundation. We also notice that the professor asks his students, as a course requirement, to create or contribute to blogs. If any of his students are reading this, feel free to add in comments if you participated in RW trolling to fulfill your coursework.