Muscleheads are dumber than advertised

[CelticMuscle]

At least that is the option of an online news report that was quoted on Current TV today in the United Kingdom. I didn't have a chance to jot down the site name, but the main allegation was:

We asked 5,000 bodybuilders on an online forum for their opinion of the new supplement Dihydro Oxide that could generate up to 50lbs of lean muscle over the course of a six week usage. 86% said they wanted to trial it for us. We replied: "You are a dumbhead! Dihydro Oxide is WATER!"

Should these types of surveys be dismissed out of hand, or should we reserve judgment until the actual message appears?

[Ragetiger]

They need to be careful with that cause it would had fallen under "false advertisement". Most people that haven't taken a chem class, would not have known that is the same thing as H2O. (if only i could put that "2" offset to the line without making it look odd)

Maybe we should try telling them [journallists] that sodium chloride (NaCl) . . . mmm i can't really thing of anything that would fall under "believeable enough for them to be tricked that salt can do much of anything beyond what it does"

[amauiguy]

I'm pretty sure a lot of bodybuilders would answer 'yes' to try something that advertised:

the new supplement XYZ that could generate up to 50lbs of lean muscle over the course of a six week usage.

Who cares what it's called!

It's just too bad the reporter didn't have anything better to do with his (or her) time.

Hmm... but now that I think about it, _I_ would love to do a survey like that, only I would do it in person rather than use an online forum. Oh, yeah, interviewing 5000 bodybuilders in person...

[Jaypat]

This news report is confusing ignorance with stupidity. I can forgive the ignorance of the bodybuilders but not the stupidity of the news reporters.

[Rarity]

Originally Posted by Jaypat

This news report is confusing ignorance with stupidity. I can forgive the ignorance of the body builders but not the stupidity of the news reporters.

What Jay said.

[V.R.Goh]

I gotta agree with amauiguy and jaypat.

On one hand, if I were to advertise a "miracle muscle-building serum that is a combination of iodized sodium chloride and dihydrogen monoxide," there would be a throng of people looking to buy it, only for them to walk away with a bottle of salt water.

On the other hand, however, the reporters, not only led them on with this trick, but also insulted them for not knowing what "dihydro oxide" is.

[Jaypat]

There?s a certain element of cowardice to this, too. I doubt any of these news reporters would have tried this trick had the bodybuilder been standing right in front of them.

[Ravemobile]

I think the reporters got it wrong. If they weren't gonna use dihydrogen monoxide then wouldn't d hydrogen oxide be 2(HO) or H2O2. I think the reporters were stupid since they don't have a clue either.
http://www.dhmo.org/

[TheMM]

Originally Posted by Ravemobile

I think the reporters got it wrong. If they weren't gonna use dihydrogen monoxide then wouldn't d hydrogen oxide be 2(HO) or H2O2. I think the reporters were stupid since they don't have a clue either.
http://www.dhmo.org/

I quite agree, they didn't only get it wrong, and called the bodybuilders "dumbheads" about it as well, this is just a typical dihydrogen monoxide hoax. I say ignore these "dumbheads" if they can't even get right the thing they're trying to fool people with.

[Digibacker]

And to add a bit more ammo against the people perpetrating the stunt, "Dihydro Oxide" would likely have been interpreted as a product name by the people responding to the survey. So the point they're trying to make is meaningless.

[WhoDunIt]

This has to be one of my favorite clips on this subject.....

YouTube- Penn And Teller Get Hippies To Sign Water Banning Petition

Most people wouldn't know what it is!

[Mad Dog]

Reminds me of an episode of "The Man Show" where they got women to sign a petition banning women's suffrage.

[DragoniteXY]

Originally Posted by Digibacker

And to add a bit more ammo against the people perpetrating the stunt, "Dihydro Oxide" would likely have been interpreted as a product name by the people responding to the survey. So the point they're trying to make is meaningless.

Exactly. Nobody says 'I'm using sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids'. People say 'I use soap'.

[reidboy09]

Originally Posted by Ravemobile

I think the reporters got it wrong. If they weren't gonna use dihydrogen monoxide then wouldn't d hydrogen oxide be 2(HO) or H2O2. I think the reporters were stupid since they don't have a clue either.
http://www.dhmo.org/

Actually, H2O2 is Hydrogen Peroxide, but you are right about H2O being Dihydrogen Monoxide not Dihydrogen oxide as the report said. I'm not positive about this but I took 2 years of Chemistry in high school and I remember my teacher mentioning something about dihydrogen oxide not existing or something like that and that the name the oxide must have mono in front of it. I dunno, just thought I'd try to correct these stupid reporters. and again dihydro isn't even the right name so they look just as stupid. Ending rant...now.

[mewletter]

Sad that most average people forgets what they had learn in science class and some marketing people love to abuse that. This clip really reminds me that how important chemistry is.

YouTube- Animaniacs - "Be Careful What You Eat"

[DaBigGuy1]

Why didn't that same reporter ask that same question to 500 regular people and say that the compound would be ideal for weight loss, or for kick starting their libido?

I can guarantee the results would be the same, so what was the point of that ridiculous exercise?

Sad, the low levels to which reporters and the news media will go these days...

Ron III---III

[wolfotehmoon]

Current? The same channel that does Vanguard? Either it's a joke, we're not talking about the same channel, or you're misrepresenting the way that this was done; I've never seen Current resort to tactics like that. They generally have a moderately high standard for journalistic integrity unless they're running a joke segment. :/

[Mdlftr]

Seems to me, on a slow news day/week/month, there are always a few "stories" that are sure to capture readers' attention:

1. Cute kids and /or animals doing something adorable, appropriate to the season: frollicking in fall leaves, playing in snow, running on summer grass, etc.

2. "Scandal" involving government contrators, employees or elected officials

3. Social "scandal" involving some celebrity

4. Story reinforcing a favorite stereotype: Such as: Big, muscular, "alpha male" bodybuilder types are intellectually deficient; weak, scrawny, fat types are intellectually superior; people who have notable achievements or accomplishments in EITHER arena, that is, physical or intellectual, are correspondingly deficient in the opposite quality.

Using this prejudicial logic, all atheletes are stupid, all intellectuals are physically weak, fat, skinny or out of shape.

Sounds like this article fits under Category "4"!

Mdlftr

[mewletter]

Didn't Collegehumor dispel about the athlete / dim-wit sterotype myth?

YouTube- POV: Gym

Maybe someone should post this to that reporter? LOL

[wolfotehmoon]

Originally Posted by Mdlftr

Seems to me, on a slow news day/week/month, there are always a few "stories" that are sure to capture readers' attention:

1. Cute kids and /or animals doing something adorable, appropriate to the season: frollicking in fall leaves, playing in snow, running on summer grass, etc.

2. "Scandal" involving government contrators, employees or elected officials

3. Social "scandal" involving some celebrity

4. Story reinforcing a favorite stereotype: Such as: Big, muscular, "alpha male" bodybuilder types are intellectually deficient; weak, scrawny, fat types are intellectually superior; people who have notable achievements or accomplishments in EITHER arena, that is, physical or intellectual, are correspondingly deficient in the opposite quality.

Using this prejudicial logic, all atheletes are stupid, all intellectuals are physically weak, fat, skinny or out of shape.

Sounds like this article fits under Category "4"!

Mdlftr

I'd say this thread falls under 2 or 3. ;P Seriously, stop getting so defensive. I'll say it again: Current wouldn't run BS like that unless it was part of a joke segment like

http://www.youtube.com/v/icHgF2W_Oso

There's no way they're trying to pass that off as legitimate reporting. CM, Current posts the majority of their segments online, could you at least give us a name so we can go watch it ourselves?

[growingbigger]

Originally Posted by Mdlftr

Seems to me, on a slow news day/week/month, there are always a few "stories" that are sure to capture readers' attention:

4. Story reinforcing a favorite stereotype: Such as: Big, muscular, "alpha male" bodybuilder types are intellectually deficient; weak, scrawny, fat types are intellectually superior; people who have notable achievements or accomplishments in EITHER arena, that is, physical or intellectual, are correspondingly deficient in the opposite quality.

Using this prejudicial logic, all atheletes are stupid, all intellectuals are physically weak, fat, skinny or out of shape.

Sounds like this article fits under Category "4"!

Mdlftr

I would agree. The dihydrogen monoxide thing has been done numerous times before:

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

[Ragetiger]

Originally Posted by reidboy09

Actually, H2O2 is Hydrogen Peroxide, but you are right about H2O being Dihydrogen Monoxide not Dihydrogen oxide as the report said. I'm not positive about this but I took 2 years of Chemistry in high school and I remember my teacher mentioning something about dihydrogen oxide not existing or something like that and that the name the oxide must have mono in front of it. I dunno, just thought I'd try to correct these stupid reporters. and again dihydro isn't even the right name so they look just as stupid. Ending rant...now.

acutally the mono- can be dropped depending on case-by-case basis so dihyrogen oxide is also a correct way to say it. It is listed in the wikipedia site for this hoax. At anyrate, it doesn't really matter a hoax is just that - a hoax.