PZ Myers = Death

There was something bothering me about Nisbets latest boom-boom.

It felt so… familiar.

And not in the sense that Nisbet is like Britney Spears ‘Gimme More‘ stuck on repeat.

In the sense I heard this story before somewhere else.

I figured it out last night: Hogfather.

Nisbet is Teatime– “I do so hope we’re going to be friends…” “We’re all friends here!”

“I’m an atheist…but a friendly atheist.”

PZ is Death– Remember that scene at the end, where Teatime is trying to make the little kids afraid of Death?

Teatime: “Ive caught this bogeyman!… A nasty, creepy, horrible skeleton!… A creepy man in a black robe!”
Little girl: “… Hes eating a biscuit.”
Little boy: “Its only a skeleton.”

—

Nisbet: “They’re usually angry, grumpy, uncharismatic male loners with a passion for attacking and ridiculing religious believers. Any fellow atheist who disagrees with their Don Imus rhetoric, they label as appeasers.

These “new atheists” are the dark under belly of atheism. In books, blogs, and public statements, they sell us ideological porn, sophomoric rants that feed our dark sides and reinforce our own unfair stereotypes about the “other,” i.e. the religious.”

Us: “… Hes holding a stuffed panda.”

LOL!

Comments

#1 Aaron
August 12, 2008

That is an AWESOME picture of PZ.

tee-hee!

I’m still waiting for the day when Nisbet throws us all for a loop and starts referring to Evolution as “Just a theory” and that asking us if we’ve heard the good news.
#2 MartinDH
August 12, 2008

Pterry? Children’s literature?! ZOMG!!11!! I don’t think so.

Martin
#3 John S. Wilkins
August 12, 2008

Yeah, but he’s eating a baby…
#4 Jeff Darcy
August 12, 2008

PZ is an “angry, grumpy, uncharismatic male loner” eh? Angry and grumpy I’ll grant, but he seems to have attracted quite an audience (satisfies a working definition of “charisma”) and has a family (so much for “loner”). Does Nisbet really want to get into a discussion of who the “uncharismatic loner” is here? Do the members of Grothe’s captive audience look thrilled to be there? Even if we ignore the cherry-picking of the most flattering Grothe image vs. the least flattering PZ image, “better dressed” and “charismatic” still aren’t the same thing. Nisbet’s (not very) professional jealousy became tiresome long ago.
#5 Josh
August 12, 2008

I thought that second photo in Nisbet’s post was much, worse. Those girls look so bored… Definitely not the image we want to be projected. I said as much on Nisbet’s blog, but surprise! He didn’t approve my comment.
#6 Jeff Darcy
August 12, 2008

Yep, same here Josh. Looks like all that stuff about being “nice” and “civil” and so on is a rule that only applies to those Nisbet presumes to consider his professional rivals, and not to himself.
#7 Gregory
August 12, 2008

For the next 20 minutes AT LEAST, you are my favorite person, just for using a Discworld analogy to explain Nesbit’s knuckleheaded comments.

I have this sudden urge to read Small Gods again.

“REMIND ME AGAIN, he said, HOW THE LITTLE HORSE-SHAPED ONES MOVE.”
#8 Coriolis
August 12, 2008

Yeah I just re-read Feet of Clay for the nth-time yesterday.

If I remember right, the next thing the kids said on the part you quoted was

“Mister you’re kind of creepy”

Yep, Nisbett alright.
#9 The Backpacker
August 12, 2008

I have always thought that PZ was a terrible dark lord of the under world. I think we need a new one, Cheney will be out of a gig soon.
#10 Dustin typed this because he's sure he can run faster than Abbie
August 12, 2008

And not in the sense that Nisbet is like Britney Spears ‘Gimme More’ stuck on repeat.

I think that whole song is stuck on repeat, anyway. It’s almost as repetitive as “Supermassive Black Hole”.
#11 The Chimp's Raging Id
August 12, 2008

Hehehe, nice analogy.
#12 The Chimp's Raging Id
August 12, 2008

@Dustin

Yeah but Supermassive Black Hole isn’t anywhere near as annoying…
#13 Dustin
August 12, 2008

Nisbett should have used this picture. Actually, as soon as PZ’s wikipedia entry isn’t semi-protected, I’m going to replace his picture with that one.

And how can Nisbett type so much crap with such tiny little hands? They’re so small. They’re like doll’s hands. Fragile little porcelain doll’s hands.
#14 Dustin
August 12, 2008

*sigh*
I tipe html gud.
#15 The Chimp's Raging Id
August 12, 2008

I’m constantly disappointed that PZ does not look like
this.
#16 maxi
August 12, 2008

maxi hearts ERV for hearting PTerry
#17 Dustin
August 12, 2008

Yeah but Supermassive Black Hole isn’t anywhere near as annoying…

Says you. This is the best music video ever.
#18 Ross
August 12, 2008

“It’s pronounced Teh-ah-tim-eh”

1000 cool points awarded to ERV for the Discworld reference.
#19 Zarquon
August 12, 2008

Spooky resemblance
#20 Dustin
August 12, 2008

This, on Edwards, from one of Nisbutt’s latest posts:

With his southern charm and his trial lawyer poise, I thought it was a brilliant performance, though questions obviously linger about payments to his mistress and whether or not he really is the father of the child.

I think Nisbet should toss out his tabloids and read some real books. That way, rather than obsessing over the Miley Cyrus/Selena Gomez spat or whether Adrian Grenier and Isabel Lucas are still knocking boots, he’d actually fill his empty head with something useful.
#21 ERV
August 12, 2008

I didnt notice the doll hands before.

I was too concerned about the font color/text placement.

Im going to have nightmares now, Dustin. Thank you.

Also– Everyone check out the pics at Zarquons. LOL Nisbet is soooo Teatime LOOOOOL!
#22 eddie
August 12, 2008

Of course, we can tell those girls are bored. To nesbit, that’s how girls always look.
#23 Zarquon
August 12, 2008

Not my blog, I just found the pics by googling. I think the PZ resemblance is spot-on too.
#24 Nick Sullivan
August 12, 2008

Heh, I can’t get the image out of my head of Nisbet sounding just like Teatime… Brilliant analogy is brilliant.
#25 richbank
August 13, 2008

Hogfather is (with the possible exception of Interesting Times) my absolute favorite Discworld novel. Yay!
#26 wazza
August 13, 2008

A book of Pratchett beneath the bough,
A cup of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou…

ERV! Come live with me and be my love, and we will build a house in the wilderness where we can research viruses all day and read comedic fantasy… well, I was going to say all night, but at least into the early evening…

BTW, does this mean Skatje is Susan Sto Helit?
#27 wazza
August 13, 2008

I was going to say Ysabell, but she’s not that chubbeh…
#28 haram
August 13, 2008

Actually, as soon as PZ’s wikipedia entry isn’t semi-protected, I’m going to replace his picture with that one.

“Semi-protected” just means non-registered IPs can’t edit it. If you register an account, you’ll be able to edit it right now. Or in a couple of days. I think there is a delay to discourage trolls.
#29 Dustin
August 13, 2008

The idea is to use many proxies to make rvs to the funny version after other people rv back to the unfunny version. Also, because it’s being watched for vandalism, it isn’t as productive.
#30 Moses
August 13, 2008

Ha ha. You know the survey that Seed ran recently? When they asked what could be improved I said addition by subtraction – Get rid of Nisbit.
#31 Blake Stacey
August 14, 2008

Moses (#30):

Misery, they tell us, loves company. I once hosted an informal survey of what people thought was broken with science blogging. Among several interesting responses to the question “What’s wrong?” I received a one-word answer. . . .
#32 Nimravid
August 14, 2008

Coincidentally, I just finished reading that book yesterday.