A friend of mine shared an eyebrow-raising article on Facebook. The linked story was along the lines of “private planes stolen by terrorists in the Middle East, and an attack is imminent”. The sensible people among his friends good-naturedly mocked him. They ribbed him about how ridiculous the prediction was. And all you had to do was consider the source.

My friend had shared the story from a notoriously crackpot Facebook page. The post lacked any merit, save a few tenuous and unrelated pieces of actual news. This behavior was typical of this particular page. Often, these types of pages hook you with a kernel of truth, and then wrap it in layers of idiocy.

When confronted, this friend said, “well, we’ll see who’s right in time.” The prediction by Natural News has failed to become reality almost a year later.

The Facebook fan pages below have a habit of spitting scientific inquiry and reason in the eye. They also have an unreasonably high number of fans who share their inanity. Shares from the following pages deserve a serious eye roll and shaking of one’s head.



#10 Alex Jones

Facebook fans: 856K

What He Says About Himself

“Documentary Filmmaker, Nationally Syndicated Radio Talkshow & Prisonplanet.tv Host – Free video/audio stream”

What He Really Does

Mr. Jones uses a ton of hyperbole, conspiracy theories, and a loose connection to reality, to whip up fear and loathing in his audience.

Recent Ridiculousness



Whatever your feelings are on using legislation to increase vaccination rates, you won’t find any legitimate support for implications that vaccines contain toxic doses of chemical. Nor that there are aborted fetal cells in any of the shots we get.

Sample Fan Comment



World government, population control, fluoride hysteria, GMOs, illegal cancer cures, and chemtrails. This comment has it all.



#9 Food Babe

Facebook fans: 938K

What She Says About Herself

“Vani Hari started FoodBabe.com in April 2011 to spread information about what is really in the American food supply. She teaches people how to make the right purchasing decisions at the grocery store, how to live an organic lifestyle, and how to travel healthfully around the world. The success in her writing and investigative work can be seen in the way food companies react to her uncanny ability to find and expose the truth.”

What She Really Does

Ms. Hari, the “Food Babe”, parrots Dr. Mercola and cobbles together cherry-picked blurbs from questionable studies and Wikipedia. She uses the term “investigation” to excuse the fact that she often gives medical advice without having any education in the life sciences. She picks the weirdest ingredients to go after.

Recent Ridiculousness



This from the woman who claimed to have cured all her allergies with acupuncture and “clean eating”.

Sample Fan Comment



On Facebook, it’s only a matter of time before someone pulls out the EO sales kit.



#8 Eat Clean. Train Mean. Live Green.

Facebook fans: 1M

What She Says About Herself

“Rebel Dietitian and Proud Texas Girl Ready to Rock Your Gypsy Soul.”

What She Really Does

Ms. McDonald mixes some common-sense dietary advice with a shot of “detox” and disordered eating, GMO and fluoride fearmongering, and pondering about chemtrails. She even claims that honey is medicine. Proof that even registered dietitians can be wacko.

Recent Ridiculousness



Genetically Modified Organisms are safe to eat. They go through extensive trials to prove that before they end up on our plates.

Sample Fan Comment



Wait. What, exactly, are you threatening to do?



#7 Dr. Joseph Mercola

Facebook fans: 1M

What He Says About Himself

“I am an osteopathic physician who believes that proper nutrition, not medicine, is the key to good health. I seek to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms. I offer you practical health solutions without the hype.”

What He Really Does

Dr. Mercola, by virtue of his credentials and large fanbase, is possibly one of the most dangerous people on Facebook. Because he generates fear around science-based medicine, he discourages people from seeking real help for illness. He also scares people away from vaccinations, fluoride, GMO food, pasteurized dairy, and dental fillings. But you know, buy his line of supplements and all will be well.

Recent Ridiculousness



I like walking barefoot. I grew up in California, where it’s pretty common. But the idea that it’s necessary for optimal health is pretty silly. And in some environments, it’s a good way to pick up a soil-borne parasite.

Sample Fan Comment



Mix in a dash of Round Up fearmongering, and you’ve got an audience that can’t make a move without cross-referencing all the boogeymen—and seeking help from the guru.



#6 Prevention Magazine

Facebook fans: 1.3M

What They Say About Themselves

“Love your whole life! Get tips from our experts on natural cures, health, nutrition, recipes, beauty, mind-body, weight loss, and fitness.”

What They Really Do

Recent Ridiculousness



Everyone that promotes “natural cures” above all else seems to jump from one cure-all to another. WebMD specifically states that there is insufficient evidence for at least three items on their list.

Sample Fan Comment



In this case, a commenter calls them on their bullshit and offers a warning.



#5 NaturalNews.com

Facebook fans: 1.4M

What They Say About Themselves

“NaturalNews.com is an independent news resource that covers the natural health and wellness topics that empower individuals to make positive changes in their personal health. NaturalNews offers uncensored news that allows for healthier choice.”

What They Really Do

NaturalNews.com is arguably the most balls-to-the-wall looniest page on Facebook. They have never met a conspiracy theory they don’t love.

Recent Ridiculousness



Basically, if you are a well-known scientist, you are a shill.

Sample Fan Comment



Yup.

Bonus Post







#4 Collective Evolution

Facebook fans: 1.7M

What They Say About Themselves

“CE is an organization that inspires change. Action is everything, both inside each of us and in our communities.”

What They Really Do

All the misinformation, all the time.

Recent Ridiculousness



No. Coke is not like a poison.

Sample Fan Comment



Really? Citation needed.



#3 MindBodyGreen

Facebook fans: 2M

What They Say About Themselves

“We are a conversation about health. Opinions expressed are those of the author, who is a real person. Please keep that in mind when you comment!”

What They Really Do

The “conversations about health” are decidedly in favor of “natural remedies” that are not supported by scientific research. People who waste their time mucking about with ineffective alternative treatments often die much sooner.

Recent Ridiculousness



Spoiler: it prevents cancer, and cures Alzheimer’s, depression, obesity and pretty much everything else. Except it doesn’t.

Sample Fan Comment



Of course they do.



#2 Spirit Science

Facebook fans: 4.7M

What They Say About Themselves

“The Science of Spirit, in the Spirit of Science, coming together to create something new.

“This is our world to create, so lets get started!”

What They Really Are

Most of their posts are harmless new-agey spiritual stuff and kookiness. But sometimes they veer into unsupportable natural remedies and outright pseudoscience.

Recent Ridiculousness

Sample Fan Comment



It’s not every day that someone recommends that you stare at the sun.



#1 The Mind Unleashed

Facebook fans: 6.6M

What They Say About Themselves

“We seek to break the chains of conventional thinking and inspire others to get involved and help create big change on the planet. We believe that we are in the midst of a massive paradigm shift, and many are starting to realize that business as usual means that we will travel down a path of half-conscious self destruction. Here you will find a healthy mixture of information related to activism, awareness, and personal growth.”

What They Really Do

They’re a good example of slipping in a bit of bullshit here and there amongst the standard viral Facebook stuff. There’s a theme of immature hippy-style mistrust of any and every authority. What are you rebelling against? What have you got?

Recent Ridiculousness



So cultures are bad.

Sample Fan Comment



Word salad, with a touch of Armageddon thrown in.

Bonus Post





Ernest Hemingway coined the term Crap Detector to refer to the little mechanism that ought to be working inside each person’s brain.

The most certain way to develop this ability to discern truth from baloney is education. In particular, an education in science will help protect you from the charlatans and cranks of the world.

I highly recommend starting with one of the many free online resources, such as Crash Course: Biology, Crash Course: Chemistry, and Crash Course: Anatomy and Physiology.

UPDATE May 11 2015: Ten Facebook Pages You Need to Stop Sharing From Part 2

UPDATE June 25 2015: Ten Facebook Pages You Need to Stop Sharing From Part 3