“Earth (The Book)” is the newest mock textbook released by the writers of the popular Comedy Central news show “The Daily Show”. This book is modeled as a fake textbook meant to teach extra terrestrials the basics of living on our planet. This satirical look at our society and history is not the first of it’s kind. “America (The Book)” came out in 2004 as a “guide” to American history and life. “Earth (The Book)” pokes fun at things like the changes in society, trends of the time, etc. The book also makes use of what is known as “proofiness”. This is when a number or statistic is attached to a “fact” to give it credibility. While “Earth (The Book)” uses this in a fun way that is clearly a joke, many people believe “proofiness” is a dangerous new trend that will eventually spread like an uncontrollable fire. I personally agree. I think people are all too willing to believe anything that seems to have a slight scientific air surrounding it. It’s the scientific and political equivalent to a high school rumor and worse it works on people. The Aliens may not know better but I think people should be a little smarter about how they formulate opinions.
The N.Y. TImes Article can be seen here
I find it rather astounding that the voice of reason and the most intelligent commentary seems to be coming from Comedy Central.