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I think I can imagine what it might feel like to be a heckler. Let me
quickly explain...

Earlier this year I attended a local event featuring John Mackay, an extreme
anti-evolutionist from Australia. http://www.creationresearch.net/

To a large, apparently receptive audience he rubbished evolutionary science,
he attacked eminent Christians who reject views like his, he emphasised his
own dubious credentials as a geologist, he promoted the whole 'young-earth'
package AND Intelligent Design, and for good measure he urged his audience
to doubt evidence for climate change.

The only thing that restrained me from standing up and yelling at him
angrily from the back row was my respect for his audience. Apart from a
minority, most of them were certainly not anti-evolution activists. Some
were local people I knew. I realised I was surrounded by ordinary, caring
people who were being taught that evolutionary science threatened their
belief in God and all their cultural values. Sitting there I began to feel
more sympathy than anger. This is our target audience for evolutionary
science communication.

But I felt less sympathy with the speaker. At the end of Mackay's talk I was
unable to restrain myself any longer and let rip with some of the things
that needed saying. Well used to dealing with such troublemakers, Mackay
politely shut me up by insisting that I ask a single short question.

So, knowing what it feels like to be an angry heckler, I advise you to let
them know they'll have a chance to speak at the end, and to insist that only
short questions are acceptable, not statements...

More controversially perhaps, I also advise against allowing evolutionary
science to be promoted as an atheistic crusade against religion. This is
clearly playing into the hands of people like John Mackay.

Promoting public engagement with science
through a contagious delight in phenomena
*
[log in to unmask] * http://www.interactives.co.uk
*
Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour.
Awaken curiosity and they feed their own minds for a lifetime.
*
Ian Russell   (Twitter: ianrusselluk)

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