I have NO respect for researchers that start a conversation or dialog with "If you do not believe what I say....you must be blind or deaf".
Sounds like kooks from a tree hugging club that have a set agenda, and with information that I am skeptical from the start, in regards to their professionalism, approach, and attitude of others.
It's not at all clear that the researchers said any such thing ... more likely, it was the description from bloggers or who ever described the research. The link goes to something that is only in Italian (which I don't speak), so I can't say for sure.