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Maybe it's because I'm not American but I don't understand what "the woo" is exactly here. The closest thing I can think of is the verb "to woo" which ... doesn
by liedra 16y ago
Maybe it's because I'm not American but I don't understand what "the woo" is exactly here. The closest thing I can think of is the verb "to woo" which ... doesn't really make sense here. Could you possibly explain it?
- JulianMorrison 16y agoIt's a shorthand term for "hokey religions, mystical mumbo-jumbo, pseudoscience, quack medicine and magic". Not sure of the derivation - I'm guessing it's from "woo", the stereotypical ghost noise.
- wjy 16y agoNo, no no. If you're guessing wildly like that, don't bother. In this case, "woo" refers to the "softer" attributes often associated with women - nurturing, caring, feeling.
- JulianMorrison 16y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woo "Woo woo, a term used by scientific skeptics for pseudoscience, alternative medicine and New Age beliefs."
- wjy 16y agoBut the article wasn't talking about pseudoscience, alternative medicine, or New Age beliefs. It was talking about women in scientific fields. Just because a word has multiple definitions doesn't mean you can pick one that doesn't apply and call me wrong.
- bitwize 16y ago"Woo" is slang within the online skeptic community, popularized I believe at James Randi's forums. It's short for "woo woo", referring to the theremin-like sound heard in old B movies when "otherworldly phenomena" took place. It refers to beliefs and purported phenomena which are "out there" and lacking in rational, scientific basis.