Premise Media Loves Cranks

Anyone who has been reading Scienceblogs knows that the creationists are all in a tizzy over their new movie expelled, which plans to unite the superstar power of Ben Stein with the superscience power of creationism.

My favorite part of the whole thing, based on my appreciation for quality crankery, is the built-in persecution.

You see, it's not enough to make a movie about the supposed persecution of people like Richard Sternberg (who clearly was not persecuted despite unethical behavior). They have to be persecuted for even coming up with the movie. They have to be persecuted for everything they do, 24 hours a day, because to be a crank, one has to be like Galileo.

Hence we have headlines like:
Hollywood Gets the Message About Suppression of Intelligent Design
New Ben Stein Flick, Expelled, Blows the Whistle on the Darwinist Inquisition. (an Inquisition!)
Can Ben Stein's Expelled be sued by angry Darwinists?
What Happened to Freedom of Speech?

It's really amazing the gall of people who promoted a textbook, in which they did a find-and-replace of "creationism" and "Intelligent Design", who admitted in a federal court that ID is no more scientific than astrology, complain that they are being suppressed for "free speech". They're being suppressed because they don't have any science to back up their claims - just the classic nitpicking of denialists - and because they are liars. It's just that simple.

This new push for their movie is great stuff though. Classic crankery. Which brings me to my next point. The money behind this silliness is Walt Ruloff's Premise Media and promotion by Paul Lauer's Motive Entertainment. So, they've gone from Mel "the Jews cause all wars" Gibson, to the DI. Maybe some crank magnetism here? Or just a fondness for those with a persecution complex?

Next they should do a movie on Peter Duesberg. They can call it "Intolerance: The true story of how science can't stand bullshit."

Any other suggestions for future titles? Think of your favorite crank, or your favorite denialist topic, and then what Premise Media would title a movie about their crankery.

More like this

Reading You Are Dumb's take on Ben Stein and expelled, I found out they have a blog for the movie! I'm so excited, because it's clear that Ben Stein, in his introductory post, shows he's done his research and read the Crank HOWTO. Check it: Some of the greatest scientists of all time, including…
The New York Times has taken notice of the promotional tactics being used for the creationist propaganda flick, Expelled. As you all know, they are trying to filter screenings, allowing only ideologically friendly people to see it, and keeping out the serious critics who might actually evaluate it…
By now I'm sure you've all heard about Ben Stein's upcoming Christian Crusade against us Devilutionists, Expelled, and as February approaches I'm sure we'll be seeing more hype about the films theatrical release. Indeed, just like movies like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Nativity Story, and the…
You know, even though I know he's been a Republican talker for a long time, that he worked for the Nixon administration as a speechwriter and lawyer, I've always kind of liked Ben Stein. My wife and I used to like to watch Win Ben Stein's Money, and he was quite amusing as the principal in Ferris…

Aquatic Apes: How Science Suppresses the True Reason for Male Pattern Baldness.

By afarensis (not verified) on 27 Aug 2007 #permalink

A True American Hero: The DaveScot Springer Story

Watch as Dave, a brave ex-Marine, yells Ready- Fire - Aim and shoots himself in the foot! Time after time after time!

View the Evil Darwinist Conspirators at the ATBC blog http://www.antievolution.org/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?s=46d311c2…

holding him up to public ridicule day after day as the obese, truck-drivin', dog-ownin' Texan struggle to stay afloat at the Floatin' Command Center.

Thrill to the stirring thrashing and spanking administered to Dave by SciBlogster ORAC as Dave's DCA Cures Cancer Noble goes up in flames!

View with horror the excessive brown-nosin' Dave does with Noted ID Saint Dr. Dr. William Demsbksi!

It's all here America! Evil Evolutionists! Beautiful hawt sexy Kansas Housewives with fingers in their ears!

If you see one movie a year - DON't see this one! If you are an autodidact with an IQ "somewhere North or 150" - you owe it to yourself to Thank God this is NOT you!

Duesburg had the nerve to challenge Robert Gallo, when Gallo was head of the NIH.

Strangely enough, Duesburg isn't he one who's been caught stealing other people's work and presenting it as his own.

I guess that doesn't matter though. You seem like a person who would be comfortable with the scientific fraud and censorship surrounding HIV/AIDS.

How about haveing a smidgen of scientific integrity, and studying the people who "have hiv" who don't take your poisons and are healthy and well after 10, 15, 20 years ?

You only use political terms like "Denialists" because you are too cowardly to honestly look at your own precious, flawed, corrupt hypothesis objectively.

I'm sure it'll make you a boatload of moeny, though.
depp=true
notiz=[disemvowelled for tedious HIV/AIDS crankery]

Water World II: Attack of the Homeopaths!

Wait a minute, that's a big-budget disaster flick...

By Melissa G (not verified) on 27 Aug 2007 #permalink

Nobody expects the Darwinist Inquisition!!

Free Energy: Our God-given birthright
Starring Ben Stein in the role of Sterling D. Allan

By Tegumai Bopsul… (not verified) on 27 Aug 2007 #permalink

Death from above: the lurking threat of the moon men

Apes a-poppin': How Dave Scot overturned a robust scientific theory supported by overwhelming evidence using a magic wand, fairy dust and Ben Steins insufferable boredom.

@Cain:

Our chief weapon is surprise! Surprise and fear... Fear and surprise. Our two weapons are fear and surprise. And ruthless efficiency. Our THREE weapons are fear and surprise and ruthless efficiency... and a almost fanatical devotion to Pope Dawkins.

Funny you should say that Vague. I wrote a piece on just that problem yesterday and it should have gone up this morning.

@Joshua:

Bring out...the COMFY FOSSIL RECORD!!! Muhahaha!

You are Educated Stupid and Evil: The True Story of Timecube's Suppression by Evil One-Cornered Teachers

Bring out...the COMFY FOSSIL RECORD!!! Muhahaha!

Is this the right room for an argument?