The Tactic of Quenching

The tactic of quenching occurs when a deliberate attempt is made to keep any opinions other than the favored opinion from receiving any attention. This is a form of message control and the opposite side of spamming.

Examples of the Tactic of Quenching

Bill Nye was actually criticized by his fellow atheists for debating a creationist. Dr Jerry Coyne, professor of ecology at the University of Chicago, says that:

The response from the evolutionist side is clear: let’s not give creation any exposure.

Atheist, Jerry Coyne: “… he [Bill Nye] should just continue to write and talk about the issue on his own, and not debate creationists. By so doing, he gives them credibility simply by appearing beside them on the platform.”

Atheist, Richard Dawkins: “I agree that to do this on Ham’s home turf was a mistake, and indeed it is almost always a mistake to give wingnuts [note the typical Richard Dawkins ad hominem fallacy] the oxygen of publicity, and the respectability of being seen on a platform with a real scientist, anywhere.”

Chicago Sun-Times: “Bill Nye wastes his time debating creationists”

An unknown commenter on the Atheist PZ Myers’ Blog: “I think the extreme emotional reaction … to the idea of debating Creationists shows that the debate really isn’t about science vs. religion, but is one religious view-(Atheism) pitted against another.”

“The overall reluctance of atheists to debate creationists was never more evident than in 2009 when the World Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia rejected CMI-Australia’s challenge to debate, as documented in this article. As our Australian office had a wealth of Ph.D. creation scientists on staff, and the leading lights in atheism would be converging in one place, it seemed to be an ideal time to match up. But as one commenter on notorious atheist PZ Myers’ blog said at the time:” Answers in Genesis

The complexity of God’s Way understood in a single diagram

Obey your flesh and descend into darkness

How can we know anything about anything? That’s the real question

Other Pages in this section

Message Control

Sanctioning the Devil

Dominating the Conversation

Spamming

Propaganda

Subversion

Needling

Hostile Takeover

Intimidation

Argument by Question

Argument by Rhetorical Question

Discrimination

Popular Image

Storytelling

Misreporting in Mass Media

Association

Suggestion

Neuro Linguistic Programming

Scare Tactics

Hate Mongering

Stonewalling

Politicking

Failure To State

Lobbying

Brainwashing

Shotgun Argument

Debate Mindset

Willed Ignorance

Refusing to Look at Evidence

Pious Fraud

Demanding Impossible Condition

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Self-Sealing Argument

God Wildcard

Science Wildcard

Moving the Overton Window

Filibustering

Now I\'ve Got You

Fait Accompli

Spin Doctoring