Verdict: carrot, with an intense focus on what’s likely Malan’s most controversial article in the collection, his HIV/AIDS odyssey “The Body Count”. Must-read stuff from Kevin Bloom:
On November 10th, Rian Malan launched a collection of journalism under the title Resident Alien, his first book since My Traitor’s Heart was published in 1990. The collection, quite simply, is outstandingly good. It was also supposed to be Malan’s last word on inflated Aids stats. Quite simply, it wasn’t.
When Rian Malan emails group missives to his friends about Aids statistics, as he does from time to time, he titles them something like, “Return of the Aids bore”. The first one I received was in late 2007, and the contents included an update from the United Nations on infection numbers in Africa, which had recently been revised so significantly downwards that mainstream media were too dumbstruck to comment. Of course Malan, ever true to character, was not casting his lot in with mainstream media. He had committed the better part of a decade to uncovering the truth about the disease, had been vilified by activists and denialists alike, had even lost a marriage because of his self-proclaimed “addiction,” and now the numbers were bearing his theories out. Ask yourself: would you have kept quiet?
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November 18th, 2009 @12:57 #
Intriguing review, particularly because the reviewer seems so in awe of Malan’s tenacity and prowess as a writer that he glosses over what, in my opinion, is a key flaw in Malan’s quest to uncover the truth. That flaw is encapsulated in the following excerpt:
“All Malan had to do was “doff the hat to journalistic objectivity and briefly consider the evidence that had led our leader astray.” Not being a scientist, however, many of the arguments were incomprehensible to him, and he quickly figured that the best way to settle the matter was to study the mortality rates in African countries hardest hit by the epidemic.”
Proof is never "briefly considered" or "quickly figured". If science or debate were that easy, every conspiracy theorist could gain scientific credibility by simply doffing their hat to objectivity, claiming that ‘common sense’ should prevail over scientific fact, because it’s all ‘little lies, big lies and statistics’ anyway.
While I am open to all opinions on this topic, including Malan’s contention that we are being fed bullshit on AIDS, I find it impossible to take someone seriously who uses copious capitalization and exclamation marks as a means to emphasize his vague argument that the numbers are wrong because “NOT ONE OF THOSE MOTHERS SAID ANYTHING!!!!!!!!”
I urge Malan and his supporters to make every effort to support their arguments with sound empirical evidence or prepare to be laughed off by the scientific community at large, most of whom do not have a subscription to Rolling Stone.
That said, I'm sure this is a wonderful collection of non-fiction writing.
November 18th, 2009 @13:32 #
Agree; and agree.
November 18th, 2009 @13:53 #
Hmm, Richard, I just read the piece and my interpretation was that Malan at first thought that the science on the matter was so settled that he merely had to doff a hat to it and run with its conclusions, but subsequently found out that more detailed analysis of the data was required and that his initial impressions have been backed up by empirical data provided by the people who study this. I'm not familiar with this controversy so I'm not taking sides, just commenting on your interpretation.
If he's right, it feeds into something I've been noticing about the way people think about the future. If all the apocalyptic predictions being purveyed in scientific/new age/millenarian/conspiracy forums are true, then in the next 20 years we'll be living on an AIDS ravaged, boiling tub of mud, ruled over by a satanic clique, cannibalising the 5 billion odd rotting corpses of those who succumbed to one of mass genocide, financial meltdown, over population, viral epidemics, drought, floods, pollution, shortly after which Jesus & or God/Maitreya/Annunaki/Greys will alight on this planet and rescue/destroy us only for Planet Nibiru/an asteroid/comet/the ozone layer to land in the Atlantic swamp causing a tidal wave of rotting shit to overwhelm the thoroughly confused survivors inhabiting this beleaguered sphere.
November 18th, 2009 @14:08 #
South Park to the rescue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhtITYmL9a0
That guy spontaneously dying from hysteria in the street pretty much sums it up.
November 18th, 2009 @14:14 #
That may certainly be a valid interpretation, Sven, but the point I was trying to make is that no matter how valid Malan's opinion may be, it will only gain scientific credibility if it is presented, together with empirical evidence, in a manner that is acceptable to the scientific world.
That said, I fully subscribe to the opinion you so graphically sketch in your second paragraph. Because I'm sure it's based on empirical research posted hither and thither on the internet.
November 18th, 2009 @14:17 #
QED
November 18th, 2009 @14:25 #
Well everyone seems to want us to be afraid. Lately that old childrens' song has been coming to mind: 'row your boat gently down the stream, merrily, for life is but a dream.'
November 18th, 2009 @14:39 #
The updated version is: 'row your boat gently to the pole, merrily, into that big, black hole.'
November 18th, 2009 @16:21 #
You guys. First the butchered national anthem (a musicologist's MA thesis waiting to happen), now this.
"Row row row your boat/Gently down the stream/Merrily merrily merrily merrily/life is but a dream."
OR the Moffett version: "Drive drive drive your car/Poison earth and stream/Greedily greedily greedily greedily/life is but a scream."
November 18th, 2009 @16:29 #
Richard I know you’re in a growly phase so I forgive you for dissing caps and exclamations that were quoted from an impassioned letter to the man’s friends. Allow me to comfort you with good news, again: that the book itself doesn’t have anything in caps that shouldn’t be in caps, and while it does have exclamation marks in it (about 9), they’re mostly deployed while quoting Deon du Plessis and Daily Sun headlines.
GET THIS BOOK!!! READ THIS BOOK!!! THIS IS A BRILLIANT BOOK!!!!!!!!
I’m serious.
November 19th, 2009 @10:15 #
Passion may fuel science, ar, but science itself is best served cold. The email contains figures that are intended as further 'proof' of Malan's hypothesis. My advice to him is: seek a scientist who shares your suspicions, preferably someone of sound credibility, and ask him/her to investigate the matter. Then write a critical article on the outcome of the study.
Growly-growl de growl-growl
PS: I need you on my team when my next book is launched. Your capitals and sclamarks are so very convincing.
November 19th, 2009 @20:44 #
Consider me hired, Richard. You can have as many as you want. I've been saving them up for years.
December 23rd, 2009 @17:13 #
No thank you richard for using what you see as major flaw in the book to start off this chaos
"Proof is never "briefly considered" or "quickly figured". If science or debate were that easy.....", q. richard
"Malan at first thought that the science on the matter was so settled that he merely had to doff a hat to it and run with its conclusions, but subsequently found out that more detailed analysis of the data was required and that his initial impressions have been backed up by empirical data provided by the people who study this." to quote sven.
Malan was invited to deliver MBekis head on a plate by rolling stone magazine way back 2000. The result wasnt palpable and watered down, ie the united professional community of dogooders came down on the author,and spread vapours around him like a sack of virusses. Now, 2009, he stands again accused of unsound science and conspiracy theories for practicing his profession with excellence.
Part of that proffesion is lateral thinking, part is Malans stubbornness, part is rebelliousness. Definitely not linear scientific argument, because that would make him part of the paid to be blind tribe.
What does it need other than this wake-up! article by a scientific layman to the professionals, to have another look.
Apparently Einstein saw the whole idea that became e is mc square in an instant. It came to him stepping off a tram in Berlin.
What followed was hard work and proof.
A brilliant book. I hope you have read it by now.
December 24th, 2009 @01:49 #
The contradiction in the last two paragraphs - linear scientific thinking would make Malan part of the "blind tribe" vs Einstein's moment of brilliance followed by hard work and proof - supports the point I'm trying to make. Lateral/creative/intuitive thinking is all well and good, but it only gains credibility if it is supported by hard work and proof. And that credibility is vital if you want to convince the professionals they need to take another look.
December 24th, 2009 @16:18 #
if you had read the book by now, or rather the one specific article you could have saved some words and used them elsewhere. Malan had a hunch and became obsessed.
a layman with a heretical theory up against a 2 billion dollar industry.
who shares your opinion he was asked : no one. his hard work and digging for proof follwed, such dedication cost him his marriage and more etc.
That to me is credibility, to put everything on the line , to follow the thin thread where it takes you no matter what the cost, to find the truth or just peace of mind.
Its going to be very difficult however, to convince the expertocrats to give up their cushy jobs because the apocalyptic writing fell off the wall, and take leave of the star studded aids gravy train.
just an aside as i am new to the page: does one discuss reviews
December 24th, 2009 @16:20 #
or books