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Dihydrogen monoxide hoax (Why a water hoax?)

Designer225

By Designer225
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Designer225

Designer225

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Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrogen_monoxide_hoax

The dihydrogen monoxide hoax involves calling water by an unfamiliar name, "dihydrogen monoxide", followed by a listing of real effects of this chemical, often presented as an argument that this substance should be regulated, labeled as hazardous, or banned. The hoax is intended to illustrate how the lack of scientific literacy and an exaggerated analysis can lead to misplaced fears.[1] "Dihydrogen monoxide", shortened to "DHMO", is a name for water that is consistent with basic rules of chemical nomenclature,[2] but is not among the names published by IUPAC[3] and is almost exclusively used in a satirical context.

A popular version of the hoax was created by Eric Lechner, Lars Norpchen and Matthew Kaufman, housemates while attending University of California, Santa Cruz in 1990,[4] revised by Craig Jackson (also a UC Santa Cruz student) in 1994,[5] and brought to widespread public attention in 1997 when Nathan Zohner, a 14-year-old student, gathered petitions to ban "DHMO" as the basis of his science project, titled "How Gullible Are We?".

"Dihydrogen monoxide" may sound dangerous to those with a limited knowledge of chemistry or who hold to an ideal of a "chemical-free" life (chemophobia).[6] The only familiar common usage of the term "monoxide" is in the highly toxic gas "carbon monoxide", and the simplified term "monoxide poisoning" is commonly used to refer to poisoning by this colorless and odorless substance.[7]

The joke has been frequently extended over the years. For example, a material safety data sheetâ€â€a list of information about potentially dangerous materials used in research and industryâ€â€has been created for it.

Good question: How gullible are we for believing that water is bad? Why does some people feared that all monoxides are bad? (Water is a monoxide.) :rolleyes:

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Awaras

Awaras

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Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrogen_monoxide_hoax

Good question: How gullible are we for believing that water is bad? Why does some people feared that all monoxides are bad? (Water is a monoxide.) :rolleyes:

Well, it IS the main constituent of acid rain and toxic effluent from many factories. Also, it can be lethal if inhaled, and in it's solid state it can cause tissue damage if touched... Pretty nasty stuff when you think about it. :D

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Kryten

Kryten

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Well, it IS the main constituent of acid rain and toxic effluent from many factories. Also, it can be lethal if inhaled, and in it's solid state it can cause tissue damage if touched... Pretty nasty stuff when you think about it. :D

Don't forget the intensely addictive qualities. Symptoms of withdrawal include coma and death...

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Designer225

Designer225

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Everything said in the Dihidrogen Monoxide hoax campaign was in fact, true. They just didn't call it Water.

They are true, but they are only looking at the negative effects. Imagine a world with no one drinking Dihidrogen Monoxide (water).

Yes, water contamination level should be regulated to protect our health, but there is always a limit.

Edited by Designer225
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Tex_NL

Tex_NL

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People are by nature idiots. As long as you use the right words they will believe everything. It's a classic sales technique and it works pretty much every time.

Round the turn of the century I was working as a waiter in one of the many local restaurants. Two ladies came in an ordered coffee and apple pie. One of the ladies asked me if we made the apple pie ourselves. "No" I told her "'it's made by the brother of one of our chefs." She was elated and enjoyed her apple pie even more.

I had not lied, everything I told her was true. What I didn't tell her was that the chef's brother was working for an industrial bakery and he indeed was responsible for the apple pies. Nearly every restaurant within 25 kilometers was selling that exact same pie.

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Tex_NL

Tex_NL

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Why did they buy the same pie? Because they have the fear of contaminated pie from the restaurants?

???

The point I was trying to make is that you can convince people of anything you want by focusing on certain details and leaving others out. It tricks people in believing DHMO is dangerous and it also convinced the ladies in my example they had something special.

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Designer225

Designer225

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"Leaving some details out and having the key things in" is what those anti-DHMO (anti-water) people are doing now. They start a petition that states bad things about water and leave good things out. In case if they passed the petition, start storing water. Just kidding, many have been marked as hoaxes and are rejected.

Edited by Designer225
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magnemoe

magnemoe

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They are true, but they are only looking at the negative effects. Imagine a world with no one drinking Dihidrogen Monoxide (water).

Yes, water contamination level should be regulated to protect our health, but there is always a limit.

Add that chemicals are dangerous and bad.

One hilarious was the anti nuclear (either power or weapons) activist in Scandinavia who wanted their town to be free of atoms, directly translated.

Yes it did not sound smart to anybody in this forum, upside it would shut up the protesters, downside is that it would be pretty hard to do.

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NovaSilisko

NovaSilisko

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Not sure I get what the original purpose of this thread is about - the whole DHMO thing is supposed to be a joke, making people scared of a completely innocuous substance by using intimidating chemistry words and accurate descriptions of its effects (it can be fatal if inhaled)

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pxi

pxi

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Robert Anton Wilson had a bit he was rather fond of repeating in many of his lectures that seems rather relevant here:

You know how dumb the average guy is? Well mathematically half of them are even dumber than that.
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Designer225

Designer225

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Add that chemicals are dangerous and bad.

One hilarious was the anti nuclear (either power or weapons) activist in Scandinavia who wanted their town to be free of atoms, directly translated.

Yes it did not sound smart to anybody in this forum, upside it would shut up the protesters, downside is that it would be pretty hard to do.

Free of atoms? *shiver...* Imagine space with only dark matter... or even... nothing...

Anyway, we contains atom, being free of atoms means free of everything but dark matter. Why? Because almost everything (except the so-called dark matter) wouldn't exist, which means the universe won't exist because of that!

To everyone: ignore those "scientists", they performed poor science. Yes, science can be done poorly.

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Skyrunner27

Skyrunner27

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Free of atoms? *shiver...* Imagine space with only dark matter... or even... nothing...

Anyway, we contains atom, being free of atoms means free of everything but dark matter. Why? Because almost everything (except the so-called dark matter) wouldn't exist, which means the universe won't exist because of that!

To everyone: ignore those "scientists", they performed poor science. Yes, science can be done poorly.

Just wondering you know all of these things are a joke........right?
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Scotius

Scotius

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Yeah, human stupidity is shiver-inducing sometimes. Hmm...when i think about it, oxygen is pretty dangerous too. It's poisonous, highly corrosive, it creates fire hazards. Too bad there is no fancy, obscure name that can be used to poke fun at gullible scaredy-cats :D

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Awaras

Awaras

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Yeah, human stupidity is shiver-inducing sometimes. Hmm...when i think about it, oxygen is pretty dangerous too. It's poisonous, highly corrosive, it creates fire hazards. Too bad there is no fancy, obscure name that can be used to poke fun at gullible scaredy-cats :D

Dehydrogenated DHMO?

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