What is "woo"
AspenDan
Posts: 703 Member
Clearly I'm not that MFP savy..explanation??
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It's generally used to describe claims with no foundation in science.0
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Diet pills, herbal cleanses, wraps. All the things people tell you will drop the weight quick.0
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Pseudoscience and flimflam, often rooted in wishful and magical thinking.
Usually espoused by those hostile or indifferent to science, reality, logic, and facts. And/or by those out to swindle people who are hostile or indifferent to science, reality, logic, and facts.0 -
Anything in the "Diet" world. Like Raspberry Ketones, That G word, cleanse, Shakeology, etc. Something someone tells you that you need to make money. I'm a big hater of the WOO. I'm that person that succeeded at weight loss without the WOO. If I can do it, everyone can.0
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Any of the following in relation to weight loss/fitness advice:
Malarkey
Codswallop
Balderdash
Nonsense0 -
"Woo", "derp" and "broscience" are terms that some people use to say that they believe others to be wrong. They base this on their idea of "science", sometimes correctly, sometimes not.0
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"Woo", "derp" and "broscience" are terms that some people use to say that they believe others to be wrong. They base this on their idea of "science", sometimes correctly, sometimes not.
Obviously, different people have different definitions. Some not as relativistic as others.
A more thorough and appropriate explanation/definition from another thread:Woo is a term used among skeptical writers to describe pseudoscientific explanations that have certain common characteristics.
The term comes from woo-woo, an epithet used in the 1990s by science and skeptical writers to ridicule people who believe or promote such things. This is in turn believed to have come from the onomatopoeia "woooooo!" as a reaction to dimmed lights or magic tricks. The term implies a lack of either intelligence or sincerity on the part of the person or concepts so described.
As a coincidence, the Chinese word "Wū" (巫) means a shaman, usually with magic powers.0 -
I don't use the words, myself, but it's nice to know what other people mean.
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You don't know who uses the words, but you're comfortable making statements about why they're using them and whether or not their usage is correct?0 -
I have heard that the usage comes from 'wu' the Taoist word for the eternal non-being...or the unknowable part of existence. On the internet it is generally derogatory for anything considered magical by science minded folks. ex. "that woo woo girl just tried to read my palm". I learned this in a shamanism course in college when we were learning about techno-pagans , I tried to find a source to add here to support what I'm saying but I'm not seeing much0
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I have a brony husband. Same thoughts here.
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Gotcha, thanks all!0
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Alternately, it's often seen in the company of "hoo".
I'll get my coat.0 -
Before I changed the channel (I was watching the previous show and didn't change fast enough before his whow started), Dr. Oz said he has a new way to cook rice so that it has only HALF THE CALORIES!
that's a solid example of woo.0 -
Before I changed the channel (I was watching the previous show and didn't change fast enough before his whow started), Dr. Oz said he has a new way to cook rice so that it has only HALF THE CALORIES!
that's a solid example of woo.
It's not woo to simply take half of the rice you cooked and throw it away...jeez0 -
'Woo' is stricter here than among the folks who study things, keep in mind. I got called out for 'woo' but it was about a heavily studied topic, and I made sure to say 'might' and 'may'. I don't mind being called out for it, btw. I like to read how the studies are going, so I'm not getting it from sources that I hate as well (reporting is so, so bad about studies).
Full disclosure: I found some great herbal aids for my GERD to go along with my Rx meds by trolling through the studies, and I've had herbs and minerals help with my glucose levels in the past until I got on Rx meds for that. I don't think it's fair to call it 'woo' if it's being taken seriously in the scientific community, although it certainly can't be called proven at that point. Most things have poor results after studies. So I'm half-woo, y'all But I'm happy to explain my reasoning if it comes up.0 -
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Basically anything "Dr" Oz promotes. What a blowhard.0
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Redbeard333 wrote: »Basically anything "Dr" Oz promotes. What a blowhard.
I refer to him as a 'talking tampon'
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tracyannk28 wrote: »Redbeard333 wrote: »Basically anything "Dr" Oz promotes. What a blowhard.
I refer to him as a 'talking tampon'
HAHAhahahah!!chillaxin69 wrote: »Redbeard333 wrote: »Basically anything "Dr" Oz promotes. What a blowhard.
I have a former student who posts on Facebook almost every day about how good ItWorks! is. Such junk, and people will willingly throw away hard-earned $$ at it.
............secretly I hope her "business" fails0 -
Before I changed the channel (I was watching the previous show and didn't change fast enough before his whow started), Dr. Oz said he has a new way to cook rice so that it has only HALF THE CALORIES!
that's a solid example of woo.
I've never watched Dr. Oz, but I do cook, and if you were to get the rice to absorb twice as much water, then yeah, less calories.
Similarly, I was wondering why the calories of Fit & Trim deli meat was lower than the brands I buy and saw that the second ingredient was chicken stock. Adding low calorie liquid = calorie reduction.0 -
tracyannk28 wrote: »Redbeard333 wrote: »Basically anything "Dr" Oz promotes. What a blowhard.
I refer to him as a 'talking tampon'
Omfg you made me spit out my drink!!!!0 -
mrsfitzyv8 wrote: »tracyannk28 wrote: »Redbeard333 wrote: »Basically anything "Dr" Oz promotes. What a blowhard.
I refer to him as a 'talking tampon'
Omfg you made me spit out my drink!!!!
hahahahah
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A little history lesson here.
The term "woo" (if I recall correctly ) was originally coined by James Randi as woo-woo."James Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Randi began his career as a magician, but when he retired at age 60, he switched to investigating paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims, which he collectively calls "woo-woo." Although often referred to as a "debunker," Randi rejects that title owing to its perceived bias, instead describing himself as an "investigator". He has written about the paranormal, skepticism, and the history of magic. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and is occasionally featured on the television program Penn & Teller: *kitten*!."
Randi just recently retired from the organization which bares his name "The James Randi Educational Foundation." A big component of the JREF was to test paranormal claims by offering a million dollars to prove if you indeed possess any supernatural powers. Many tried, all failed.
His busting of the fraud Yuri Gellar and exposing cold reading for what is classic skepticism in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9w7jHYriFo
Randi is personal hero of mine, right up there with Carl Sagan.0 -
nakedraygun wrote: »
Randi is personal hero of mine, right up there with Carl Sagan.
Same here!! I met Randi a few years ago at a lecture he was doing at MIT... what a guy!
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This must be the 2015 MFP buzzword.0
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I love the term "woo" and plan on looking for opportunities to use it frequently.0
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Before I changed the channel (I was watching the previous show and didn't change fast enough before his whow started), Dr. Oz said he has a new way to cook rice so that it has only HALF THE CALORIES!
that's a solid example of woo.
Wasn't there a recent study that discussed the effects of coconut oil when mixed with rice?0
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