Manufactroversy

What a great new term, manufactroversy:

1. A manufactured controversy that is motivated by profit or extreme ideology to intentionally create public confusion about an issue that is not in dispute.
2. Effort is often accompanied by imagined conspiracy theory and major marketing dollars involving fraud, deception and polemic rhetoric.

Although it's unfortunate that it had to be invented at all. This article shows how this wonderful concept weaves together the equally sad but otherwise seemingly disparate issues:

• global warming skepticism
• AIDS dissent in South Africa
• the intelligent design movement’s “teach the controversy” campaign including Ben Stein’s new misguided movie, Expelled
• the link showing that smoking tobacco causes cancer

And for those "open-minded" folks who are quick to remind us that there are always two sides to every argument... yes, we know there are; but please note that the truth is not equidistant from each extreme. Sometimes, one side is right and the other is just plain wrong.