I don’t think more than an hour or two can go by without someone sending me a note about a friend, relative, or coworker who thinks the Moon landings were faked. I still think the overall percentage of people who think the hoax is real is still really low, but there are enough people in the world that the total numbers can still be high.
Skepticism, it seems, is still something of a precious commodity.
Which is why I am not surprised when some celebrity buys into some dumb conspiracy theory. The latest is Marion Cotillard, who just won an Oscar for a movie I didn’t see. Evidently, a year or so ago she did an interview with a French mag, and said
“I think we’re lied to about a number of things,” she said, singling out September 11.
[…]
Turning to America’s space programme, she said: “Did a man really walk on the moon? I saw plenty of documentaries on it, and I really wondered. And in any case I don’t believe all they tell me, that’s for sure.”
As far as being lied to, well sure. A lot of conspiracy proponents lie, all the time.
Oh, she means by the government. Well, sure, they lie too. But it’s generally best to look at the evidence. In this case, I doubt strongly that 9/11 was an inside job by the Bush Administration. For one thing, it would involve intelligence, planning, and an ability to actually think things through. Trying to pin that on this Administration is ridiculous. C’mon! We have a President who has a hard time eating pretzels here.
And as far as the Moon Hoax goes, well… feh. Just, feh.
At least she said that she doesn’t believe everything she hears, which is a start. Unfortunately, a line like that is usually used by people poised to believe in conspiracy theories, not those who really are weighing the evidence rationally.
What’s funny is how the comments of this actress are causing a minor stir; I expect skeptical blogs and such to comment — that’s red meat to us — but why does it get a story in the MSM? Sure, they get a lot of press coverage and such, but honestly, do we expect actors to be any different than the general public when it comes to critical thinking?
I don’t. A lot of them are smart, thoughtful, and good folks. And a lot, well, aren’t. Just like the rest of us.
