[TheBigSalad]

I think almost everyone realizes dark matter is a placeholder for the unknown. It doesn't mean we shouldn't explore the possibility of special dark matter particles that don't interact with regular matter. In fact, there's not much else to do.

[benreesman]

I think this is the most honest-sounding reply to a layperson.

Our data doesn’t fit GR with the boundary conditions that make sense more locally. Positing a bunch of non-interacting mass/energy is closer to observations than doing nothing.

Calling it a placeholder seems honest, reasonable, and productive.

Getting pushy about WIMPs and stuff (which is deeply intertwined with the refusal to give up on supersymmetry because, careers) in a world where Michio Kaku is on TV talking about quantum computing and AI in a way that’s less scientific than Matt Gaetz yelling about UFOs on C-SPAN to distract from the child-trafficking charges is icky.

[throwawaymaths]

There are two historical dark matter theories in early cosmology. Neptune and Vulcan. One of them turned out to be real. It would do to remember that the other one did not.