It looks like it. It's about status.
No, it's a Bayseian update based on "the probability that something is true, conditional on being enthusiastically promoted by nonscientists and rejected or ignored by scientists, is really really low". That's what you use Bayseian updates for. Science works; it may not do so with complete certainty, but the odds heavily favor it.
It's no more about status than wanting to go to a medical doctor instead of a faith healer is about status.
A lot of things get ignored by scientists because you don't get funding for studying the topic. Xrisk would be a good example. FHI finds it hard to raise money via the traditional way for the subject.
Science works
It works through empirical investigation. It doesn't do much prior to empirical investigation.
It would be a powerful tool to be able to dismiss fringe phenomena, prior to empirical investigation, on firm epistemological ground.
Thus I have elaborated on the possibility of doing so using Bayes, and this is my result:
Using Bayes to dismiss fringe phenomena
What do you think of it?