quotemine

[Joel S. Berson]

At 4/23/2011 05:26 AM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
>P. Z. Myers at Pharyngula comments on NYT profile of Andrew Wakefield:
>
>http://goo.gl/Qy0ou
>>Jesus did say "suffer the little children," though, which we can
>>*quotemine* to apply appropriately to these promoters of childhood
>>mortality.
>
>"Quotemine" is interesting. The idea is similar to "trolling"
>(originally http://goo.gl/70A3R ).

More from "data mining", I think.  (Is "to data mine" a verb
yet?)  And see my comment below.

>http://www.anevolvingcreation.net/collapse/
>>
>>So how exactly did Dr. McLeroy manage to convince a majority of his
>>fellow Board members to support his attempt to diminish the organizing
>>principle of modern biology?
>>
>>He used a common tactic among those who seek to cast doubt on
>>evolution: the "quote mine."
>>
>>A "quote mine" is a misquotation that skews or contorts the meaning of
>>the original author. Such gems are often "mined" from authoritative
>>literature and presented without the context that explains their
>>intended meaning. Often, the "quote miner" will use the material to
>>ostensibly bolster his or her argument while secretly excluding or
>>otherwise obscuring further exposition that is at odds with it.

Urban Dictionary actually has a definition for "data mining" that
parallels the selectivity and distortion of "quote mine" above:

>2. data mining
>A kind of research which studies existing research, with the motive
>of repurposing it to promote a certain interpretation.
>
>A common means of developing spin for a story.
>"Using data mining, I was able to make the last several wars look
>like clear US victories.

Although to me "data mining" means "the collection and analysis of
large amounts of information, often with the purpose of identifying
and targeting individuals who fit certain characteristics."

Joel

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