What should you do when someone posts a PRATT?

[Aggie]

This forum has been getting a lot of these lately; more than I can remember from any other time in the past few months. You know the sort of thing I’m talking about: a creationist will show up and post this "amazing, indisputable disproof of evolution" that’s been refuted at least once every six months at this same forum. Then they’ll ignore all subsequent responses and declare themselves the winner of the “debate” a few pages later, if they reply at all.

Well, rather than getting frustrated that your responses are being ignored, I have a better idea: just try to appreciate the comedic value of it. There are few things I find funnier than a good PRATT list, with all the characteristic claims that were disproved before the person posting it was born, some of which contradict one another. I’ve created a few images for anyone to post in some of the inevitable upcoming PRATT threads, if they agree with me that their unintentional humor is something to be celebrated.

First we have an illustration of the Ferrous Cranus, which was created by Mike Reed.

Here’s how Mike Reed described this inhabitant of online discussion forums:

Ferrous Cranus is utterly impervious to reason, persuasion and new ideas, and when engaged in battle he will not yield an inch in his position regardless of its hopelessness. Though his thrusts are decisively repulsed, his arguments crushed in every detail and his defenses demolished beyond repair he will remount the same attack again and again with only the slightest variation in tactics. Sometimes out of pure frustration "Philosopher" will try to explain to him the failed logistics of his situation, or "Therapist" will attempt to penetrate the psychological origins of his obduracy, but, ever unfathomable, Ferrous Cranus cannot be moved.

Next is the original PRATT image I created for this forum, using a character from Calvin and Hobbes created by Bill Watterson. This character is referred to in the comics as “Dad”; I don’t think the reason I used him requires any further explanation.

Next we have Timo Kokkila’s character Peräsmies aka Phartman, a Finnish superhero who talks out of an orifice that isn’t usually used for talking:

And last but not least is the Prattmaster, a character of my own creation, using his favorite debating tactic: a PRATT list.

It’s too bad this forum doesn’t have some sort of alarm that goes off when a PRATT gets posted. You know how you can report posts as rule violations? Right next to that button there could be another button labeled “report as PRATT”, with the penalty that the person in question won’t be allowed to post new threads until he or she has addressed whatever refutations there are of the PRATTs he or she has posted already.

Nothing wrong with a little wishful thinking, I suppose.

 

[Ryal Kane]

Here's a few of my images on the matter.

Because I've never come across a creationist who actually undertood what evolution says.
Speaking of straw men...

And if all else fails. (or if they already posted the PRATT in a dozen OP's in the last week)

Just point and laugh

 

[Chalnoth]

Is that Emma Watson?

 

[Asimov]

I just beat em up.

 

[tocis]

Cute stuff everyone

And yes, I'd like to know too - who's that girl? She looks kinda familiar, but my mind can't make that final connection right now...

 

[WingsOfTheNeophyte]

What is a PRATT???


(I actually dont know, I only came across this forum, 3 weeks back, and since then figured out its probably a list of creationist disprovals of science, but what does it stand for?)

 

[shernren]

What is a PRATT???


(I actually dont know, I only came across this forum, 3 weeks back, and since then figured out its probably a list of creationist disprovals of science, but what does it stand for?)

Points Refuted A Thousand Times.

 

[Aggie]

From my website:

PRATT stands for “Point Refuted A Thousand Times”. It’s a creationist argument such as the claim that nobody has ever observed the formation of a new species, which is completely false, but creationists keep using it anyway. So, what’s a creationist to do when each of his arguments against evolution can be refuted in about ten minutes? To those of them who use PRATT lists, the answer is to list 60 or so of these PRATTs, and hope that nobody wants to spend the ten hours it would take to refute them all.

Does anyone else here think there ought to be a Wikipedia article explaining what a PRATT is? There’s already one about Poe’s Law, and I think PRATTs are every bit as common as parodies of creationism that get taken seriously.

 

[Steezie]

I think the Pratt label is used to put a negative tag on someone who is devoted to a particular idea or cause.

For instance. I am a staunch IRA supporter. I have had dozens of people try to convince me that that is wrong. However I still believe that the IRA fight for freedom from a foreign occupation.

So I become an idiot simply because I refuse to just abandon a particular belief or cause?

 

[Aggie]

I think the Pratt label is used to put a negative tag on someone who is devoted to a particular idea or cause.

For instance. I am a staunch IRA supporter. I have had dozens of people try to convince me that that is wrong. However I still believe that the IRA fight for freedom from a foreign occupation.

So I become an idiot simply because I refuse to just abandon a particular belief or cause?

Well, it depends on your reason for refusing to abandon it. If you think the logic of people who disagree with you is flawed, and you’re able to explain how, then the fact that lots of people disagree with you doesn’t automatically make you wrong. One of the defining characteristics of PRATTs, though, is that the people use them completely ignore all of the times their claims have been refuted before.

Back when Colossians was posting here, he would continue to use an argument against evolution that had been refuted earlier in the same thread. Whenever one of us pointed out what was wrong with his arguments, he would refuse to respond to what we said about that, and then just keep using them. That’s part of what I intended for the “Ferrous Cranus” picture to refer to.

 

[MrGoodBytes]

I think the Pratt label is used to put a negative tag on someone who is devoted to a particular idea or cause.

For instance. I am a staunch IRA supporter. I have had dozens of people try to convince me that that is wrong. However I still believe that the IRA fight for freedom from a foreign occupation.

So I become an idiot simply because I refuse to just abandon a particular belief or cause?

Determining who is right or wrong in politics is an impossible task. In science, if someone claims that the 2nd law of thermodynamics disproves evolution, he is demonstrably wrong. Therefore he is (probably) an idiot, while you are not.

 

[Dr.GH]

From my website:



Does anyone else here think there ought to be a Wikipedia article explaining what a PRATT is? There’s already one about Poe’s Law, and I think PRATTs are every bit as common as parodies of creationism that get taken seriously.

Absolutly. I can't imagine why there isn't a PRATT entry on Wiki.

 

[Ryal Kane]

Is that Emma Watson?

Yep

 

[Kahalachan]

Post a link to a thread or other source where it has already been addressed.

 

[Dr.GH]

There are several good PRATT lists. (In a slightly declining series).

http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/index.html

http://www.kent-hovind.com/

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/quotes/mine/project.html

http://members.cox.net/ardipithecus/evol/lies/

http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/oese/Quotes.html

http://www.geocities.com/lflank/

 

[Wiccan_Child]

I've made a wiki for PRATT's:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRATT

 

[Dr.GH]

I've made a wiki for PRATT's:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRATT

Post my PRATT link list.

 

[Aggie]

I probably ought to register a Wikipedia account at some point. I keep seeing articles there that I think could be made clearer, but I’m too lazy to edit them myself.

I also think that the article ought to mention what a PRATT list is, though. “PRATT list” could redirect to this article, and you could also include a link to a well-known example of a PRATT list, such as Durang0’s 75-item bonanza halfway down this page.

 

[Aggie]

Well, I finally decided to go ahead and register there to edit it myself. If anyone else thinks the article should include any additional information, let me know.

I think “PRATT list” should redirect to this article, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to set up a redirect there. Does anyone here know how to do that?

 

[Dr.GH]

You cannot link a Wikipedia to a BB thread.

The links I gave above should be OK. I know that TalkOrigins.org is OK. and I am fairly sure that the others will "pass muster."