Expelled!

[bascule]

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/03/expelled.php

 

PZ Myers, the blogger behind Pharyngula, was almost arrested when he tried to attend a showing of Ben Stein's new anti-Evolution movie Expelled.

 

However, they completely missed his guest...

[swansont]

Such delicious irony.

[Phi for All]

What a hoot! Obviously they couldn't see the forest for the trees. It probably never occurred to them that two of the people on their not-wanted list would be together. Thick-skulled, myopic creationists!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Now I'm just left wondering why they banned him from the theater in the first place. What were they expecting him to do, lob a grenade at the projector booth?

[Phi for All]

Now I'm just left wondering why they banned him from the theater in the first place. What were they expecting him to do, lob a grenade at the projector booth?

Worse. Critical examination and death by blog!

[ydoaPs]

Worse. Critical examination and death by blog!

 

He could host a guest post by Dawkins

[ecoli]

I'm just speechless.

 

My worst fears about Ben Stein have been confirmed.

 

btw.. Is this blogger that famous, that they would have recognized him and not Richard Dawkins?

[CDarwin]

I'm just speechless.

 

My worst fears about Ben Stein have been confirmed.

 

btw.. Is this blogger that famous, that they would have recognized him and not Richard Dawkins?

 

I've heard of him from Panda's Thumb. My guess is that they knew he was coming to do a story and so someone had a picture.

[ydoaPs]

I've heard of him from Panda's Thumb. My guess is that they knew he was coming to do a story and so someone had a picture.

He was in the movie and even thanked in the credits.

[swansont]

I'm just speechless.

 

My worst fears about Ben Stein have been confirmed.

 

btw.. Is this blogger that famous, that they would have recognized him and not Richard Dawkins?

 

He has a fairly popular blog and is a professor in the same state. Oh, and the little matter of the American Atheists conference, so his appearance might have been expected.

[CDarwin]

He was in the movie and even thanked in the credits.

 

Ah, that might be something.

[iNow]

And for anyone curious to read the response of Dr. Dawkin's after being let in, he sums it up quite nicely here in an article he published yesterday:

 

http://richarddawkins.net/article,2394,Lying-for-Jesus,Richard-Dawkins

[antimatter]

And for anyone curious to read the response of Dr. Dawkin's after being let in, he sums it up quite nicely here in an article he published yesterday:

 

http://richarddawkins.net/article,2394,Lying-for-Jesus,Richard-Dawkins

 

Now that's funny

[K-Kool]

Man.. Ben Stein will do anything for money/popularity.

 

I'm going to go read Dawkins response right now... thanks!

[5614]

ha, that's just ridiculous! To be expelled, because of your views, from a film that tries to talk-down exclusion based on views. And it's a film that he starred in. And they didn't seem to notice Dawkins! Just stupid!

 

Myers and Dawkins having a chat about the whole thing, here:

http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2008/03/myers_and_dawkins_speak_out_on.php

although it's pretty much all repeated in blogs and Dawkin's article, so if you've read them you won't gain much from the video.

[antimatter]

It's still making me laugh

[Animal]

Now I'm just left wondering why they banned him from the theater in the first place. What were they expecting him to do, lob a grenade at the projector booth?

 

If I was as paranoid and uneducated as Mathis I wouldn't want Myers there for the Q&A either.

[CDarwin]

Richard Dawkins is definitely a fun read.

[antimatter]

Richard Dawkins is definitely a fun read.

 

Agreed.

Somethings are just plain entertaining.

[iNow]

Agreed.

Somethings are just plain entertaining.

 

I find the whole situation rather disturbing, really. While I do chuckle once or twice at our reaction to the intelligent and biting rebuttals we are presented, on a much deeper level I find it rather depressing that such movies are made, and further, that audiences for them still exist in the year 2008.

 

 

Oh well. Natural selection applies to ideas as well, so perhaps my disheartenment will not be chronic.

[antimatter]

I find the whole situation rather disturbing, really. While I do chuckle once or twice at our reaction to the intelligent and biting rebuttals we are presented, on a much deeper level I find it rather depressing that such movies are made, and further, that audiences for them still exist in the year 2008.

 

 

Oh well. Natural selection applies to ideas as well, so perhaps my disheartenment will not be chronic.

 

Right, you have to remember, such people are a minority that is slowly yet surely getting smaller.

Don't feel disheartened, feel proud you're part of the group that is above Ben Stein and the rest of the intelligent design-ers...

[CDarwin]

Right, you have to remember, such people are a minority that is slowly yet surely getting smaller.

 

Mm, I would take issue with that. In the US the ID sympathetic are at most a majority and at least a strong plurality, as demonstrated by numerous polls.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/22/opinion/polls/main657083.shtml

 

http://www.pollingreport.com/science.htm

 

I don't think a global poll has ever been done, but considering the shoddy nature of science education most places outside of Western Europe, I'd say scientifically silly and inaccurate ideas about the origin of the universe analogous to Christian Creationism persist pretty widely.

 

Not that people aren't entitled to their myths (and I even use the term respectfully). If you want to believe some way about the universe in the face of evidence, then that's perfectly fine. I disagree and think that's a crumby way to live but I'm not going to go busting your door down and throwing empiricism in your face.

 

It's the hypocrisy, dishonesty, and total lack of respect for my convictions in the power and worth of science that the Creationism movement displays that 'really grinds my gears,' as it were.

[antimatter]

You're right, so then iNow, a more consoling thought...minority in the SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY!

Evolution-95%

Flying Spaghetti Monster- 4%

I.D.- 1%

 

right?

hehe

[iNow]

I'm not exactly crying in my milk, antimatter, but I completely appreciate your desire to help. I know you are not as bitter as I, and recognize that you want the best. I thank you for it.

 

CDarwin raised a great point. Part of the problem is that I'm perfectly willing to respect their views as an individual, but don't sense the reciprocal coming from them.

 

I'm tired of it, frankly. This is the kind of view that would persist in 1008, yet in America, in 2008, this type of thing is not only accepted, it's viral. It makes me throw up a little bit... in my mouth. It's not my intention to be elitest, but when my views are put relative to such ignorance, they cannot help but be anything else.

[CDarwin]

You're right, so then iNow, a more consoling thought...minority in the SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY!

Evolution-95%

Flying Spaghetti Monster- 4%

I.D.- 1%

 

right?

hehe

 

I can actually find that statistic too.

 

http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA111.html

 

That's an old poll, and I'd be interested to see an update. I'm not sure if that number of non-evolutionists would go up or down.

 

I've been scanning through these polls, and I'd really like to draw attention to this one:

Gallup Poll. Nov. 7-10, 2004. N=1,016 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

 

"Just your opinion: Do you think that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is a scientific theory that has been well-supported by evidence, or just one of many theories and one that has not been well-supported by evidence, or don't you know enough about it to say?"

 

11/04

Well-Supported: 35

Not Well-Supported: 35

Don't Know Enough: 29

No Opinion: 1

 

2/01

Well-Supported: 35

Not Well-Supported: 39

Don't Know Enough: 25

No Opinion: 1

 

That 29% is hope. Those are the ones that we can do something about.