When did the term skeptic change meaning from an open-minded person who questions everything that isn't proven, INCLUDING mainstream sources, and come to mean someone who always takes the side of the mainstream account and categorically rejects anything that requires a non-materialist explanation, or even an explanation that is taboo or non-mainstream in a certain culture?

Self-styled 'rationalists' are really not skeptics but rather cowardly defenders of the status quo and establishment. For example, many religious people have no problem believing in miracles or angels but maintain an inconsistent skepticism when it comes to UFOs or bigfoot, simply because the mainstream culture is more accepting of believing in angels than in believing we aren't alone.

It's definitely not only or even primarily religious people though, the atheist quote on quote 'rationalists' are the worst. They refuse to accept the possibility there is anything more than the physical which is ironic because all empirical observations are made by the spiritual phenomenon that is consciousness! The only thing we can be 100 percent sure of is that we have consciousness. We can't be totally sure the physical world exists. So there is no reason to assume a non-physical explanation is automatically wrong.

Even when it comes to conspiracy theories that require no magic and work perfectly well within our physics, such as say those related to 9/11 or the Kennedy murder, the self-styled skeptics will always side with the mainstream account, simply because it is more conventional and thus 'must be right'.

I agree that UFOs, 9/11 truth, Bigfoot, etc still have a LOT of ways to go before they can be proven empirically, but most self-styled skeptics assume they are all plain WRONG, they don't even accept the possibility they might be true. When they investigate them, they always start out with the premise they are right and the paranormal explanations are wrong. Especially Mythbusters, they are always cracking obnoxious 'tin foil hat' type jokes whenever they try to bust a paranormal thing (this is coming from the people who blew holes into houses in my childhood neighborhood with a cannon

Which makes them no better than paranormal investigators, in some cases even worse. Basically they are just party pooping grumps who wish everyone would 'grow up' and stop 'believing in fairy tales' and share their cynical view.

My favorites are the people who put bigfoot, aliens, and ghosts in the exact same category. These are the same people who will look at me like I'm crazy because I mentioned this.

But think about it: bigfoot is easily within the realm of zoological possibility as just another undiscovered primate. There's nothing really supernatural about it.

Aliens would be really weird and require some funky physics, but there is at least some small chance that it is within the realm of natural possibilities.

Ghosts are completely in the realm of the supernatural.

Yet they lumps these 3 things together and then laugh at anybody who considers even one of them, while at the same time declaring themselves logical.

Originally posted by lampsalot

Self-styled 'rationalists' are really not skeptics but rather cowardly defenders of the status quo and establishment.

Right on. Sometimes that's just what they amount to. I listen I believe in freedom of speech but when it comes down to it, they are restrictive.
Good rant.

Thanks much for sharing.

Totally

Those self styled pricks annoy me so much lol.