…and this is a 
Now that he's been drummed off the NY Times editorial pages, I guess Ben Stein can throw restraint to the winds.
We have … an entire party, the Democrats, whose primary constituency, besides the teachers' unions, is homosexual men and lesbian women. I hope it won't come as a surprise to anyone that a big part of male homosexual behavior is interest in young boys.
Why, yes, it will come as a big surprise. There is a range of homosexual behavior (just as there is a range of heterosexual behavior), and among both homo- and heterosexual men, there is a significant minority that are focused on youth. Shall we accuse most heteros of being pedophiles, too?
Besides, I think he confused "homosexual" with "Catholic priest".
Oh, and just for that perfect addition to the above nonsense, here's the beginning of the very next paragraph.
Don't get me wrong. My very best friend is gay.
Comments
Posted by: Libbie | September 3, 2009 11:40 AM
OH, for corn's sake. His very best friend is gay.
Jesus Hopscotching Christ, Ben Stein.
Posted by: Blake Stacey | September 3, 2009 11:41 AM
His "very best friend" is gay. . . and clearly has fucking terrible taste in friends.
Posted by: Celtic_Evolution | September 3, 2009 11:42 AM
Ugh... that actually turned my stomach to read. I really am starting to wonder if in fact he has been afflicted with a deteriorating mental condition.. as his diatribes seem to get more and more batshit-loony as more time goes by. I'm quite serious.
Posted by: Blake Stacey | September 3, 2009 11:43 AM
Oh, that article is from 2006.
Posted by: Christophe Thill | September 3, 2009 11:43 AM
Read the stats, Mr Stein. Most cases of child sexual abuse are little girls molested by heterosexual males. Very often a close relative.
And I'm sure your "very best friend" will be delighted to read this, and not hurt at all.
Seems that the small piece of brain he had left is melting with an alarming speed.
Posted by: Matt | September 3, 2009 11:43 AM
I wonder what Ben Stein's "very best friend" thinks about being called a pedophile...
Posted by: jck | September 3, 2009 11:45 AM
Methinks he protests too much.
Posted by: Waydude | September 3, 2009 11:45 AM
He is shilling for Comcast now on commercials with Shaq. I loves me cable, what can I do about this? Write a letter or just cancel and go to dish?
Posted by: Pohranicni Straze | September 3, 2009 11:46 AM
Wow, so evidently public school teachers + gays + lesbians is a sufficiently large part of the population to elect a president and majorities in both houses of Congress. Maybe those gay recruiting efforts I've heard so much about over the years have been more effective than you would expect.
Posted by: truthspeaker | September 3, 2009 11:46 AM
In an ideal America, anybody who had worked for Richard Nixon would be considered beneath contempt and unworthy of attention.
Posted by: KemaTheAtheist | September 3, 2009 11:48 AM
Fundamentalism...
Posted by: tmaxPA | September 3, 2009 11:48 AM
That's some industrial-strength purposeful ignorance, there.
Posted by: Qwerty | September 3, 2009 11:48 AM
Some of my best friends are heterosexual!
Posted by: Ray Moscow | September 3, 2009 11:49 AM
Stein: "Don't get me wrong. My very best friend is gay."
No, that was just someone who mistakenly felt sorry for you. You don't have any friends, Ben.
But thanks for straightening me out. I've voted Democrat since 1990, and I didn't even know that I was gay until now.
Posted by: Walton | September 3, 2009 11:49 AM
To be fair, if you look at the date at the top, this column was written in 2006, a few years before he was axed from the NYT. Clearly he was in the process of going batshit insane even then.
An interesting aside: Spectator.org seems to have dropped the "Hello, I'm Ben Stein! Please donate!" box which pops up when you enter the site. Instead, he seems to have been replaced with Mark Levin. Go figure.
Posted by: Berner | September 3, 2009 11:49 AM
PZ I think it'd have been more appropriate to use Ron Burgandy's other sign off in this case.
"Go fuck yourself, Ben Stein"
Posted by: natural cynic | September 3, 2009 11:50 AM
3 year old dipshittery is still dipshittery. But it's also 3 years old.
Haz you been had, PZ?
Posted by: Alun | September 3, 2009 11:52 AM
PROXIMITY ALERT
HEAD APPROACHING DESK
*BAM*
Posted by: Kirk | September 3, 2009 11:52 AM
He is just an incredibly horrible human being.
Posted by: Walton | September 3, 2009 11:52 AM
Oh, and the page features the worst poll I have ever seen.
"Are you part of a mob? The Democrats say Obamacare opponents are a mob. Are they right? [Yes / No]"
Spectator.org is an embarrassment to conservatism.
Posted by: Michelle R
|
September 3, 2009 11:53 AM
Your best friend's gay? I hope your friend is now your ex-friend cuz you just potentially called him a PEDOPHILE.
As the words of wisdom dictates... Go fuck yourself, Ben.
Posted by: Celtic_Evolution | September 3, 2009 11:53 AM
Oh for crap's sake PZ...
You're gonna have to edit the part about him being drummed off the NY Times editorial pages, as this clearly pre-dates that and is therefor a non sequitur.
He's still an evil little troll...
Posted by: Qwerty | September 3, 2009 11:54 AM
The article is in a conservative online magazine and right next to Ben Stein's diatribe is an add for gay cruises.\
Hmmmmm.... I guess some conservatives are gay or the cruise line is wasting their advertising dollars.
Posted by: Sarah Trachtenberg | September 3, 2009 11:57 AM
Impeach Nixon's speechwriters.
Posted by: catgirl | September 3, 2009 11:58 AM
I am physically attracted to adult men. Does Ben Stein want to accuse me of pedophilia? Since I'm a woman, he probably wouldn't. Of course I'm not a pedophile because boy children or even teens simply do not look like the men that I actually like, just as I'm sure that Ben Stein's attraction to adult women doesn't make him attracted to little girls. Since gay men like the same thing I like, why assume that the reasoning is any different for them, simply because they also have a penis? The whole thing is just silly when you apply a small amount of logic to it.
Posted by: MaxH
|
September 3, 2009 11:59 AM
Ben Stein better hope I don't meet him in an alleyway. Everytime ANYONE says that 'gay men like little boys' bullshit, WE'RE not listening to him, but SOMEONE is. And everytime someone hears that, it makes them think they're justified in believing that bullshit, which makes my life, and the life of my 'brethren' a little harder.
Posted by: littlejohn | September 3, 2009 12:03 PM
It's OK Ben. Some of my best friends are morons.
Posted by: J. Allen | September 3, 2009 12:05 PM
I can't believe I used to think he was funny. Truly noone is beyond idiocy.
Posted by: middleman | September 3, 2009 12:08 PM
I have made it a point ever since Expelled came out to automatically boycott the products he shills AND to deliberately seek out the competition.
What advertisers see in him is beyond me. He was never funny, is not erudite, and aside from having a slight advantage over "normal" folks in a trivia contest (not me, I would have wiped him out), he doesn't even appear to be that smart.
Posted by: jj | September 3, 2009 12:10 PM
Posted by: Treespeed
|
September 3, 2009 12:10 PM
I believe it was Dan Savage, but I could be mistaken who said, "If you actually have a gay friend, they fucking hate you."
Posted by: Ms. Crazy Pants | September 3, 2009 12:12 PM
Stein is blaming dems for George Allen, but Allen is a republican. Why not just attribute Rush Limbaugh to the Democratic party as well while he's at it?
Posted by: James Sweet | September 3, 2009 12:13 PM
I actually really enjoyed Win Ben Stein's Money, since at the time I had no idea that he was a complete nutter and a bigot. The premise was fun, as was his dry humor.
Also, at the time that show was out, the GOP had not yet gone completely off the deep end, so I didn't hold his political leanings against him.
All of that has changed now....
Posted by: Treespeed
|
September 3, 2009 12:13 PM
Sorry, it was Jon Stewart. Still true.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081117/prop8_video
Posted by: Islander | September 3, 2009 12:18 PM
It shouldn't be long now before someone catches Stein paying a diseased hooker named Larry to blow him in an alley.
Posted by: raven | September 3, 2009 12:19 PM
IIRC, the percentage of the population who describe themselves as gay is like 4% or so. The majority of the voters elected Democrats last election. 53% > 4%.
I've thought for a long time that Stein might have a neurological condition, early onset Alzheimers or similar.
Posted by: Alun | September 3, 2009 12:21 PM
Did anyone see the all gay cruise adds on the spec?
Posted by: Brock | September 3, 2009 12:22 PM
You certainly don't have to be gay to hate Ben Stein and his bigotry. But you might have to be insane to be his friend.
So maybe Ben's gay insane friend took him out for a night of oggling little boys, and Ben's basing his bullshit on that anecdote?
Nah, even that seems unlikely. Simpler explanation is that he's just just an all-out bigot and liar.
Posted by: LinzeeBinzee | September 3, 2009 12:23 PM
These threads trashing Ben Stein are my favourites, anyone else? This guy is such a dick, every time I see his name in a thread title I can't wait to see PZ rip his nonsense to shreds. It's my guilty pleasure.
No wait, I don't even feel guilty for enjoying it!
Posted by: Rick | September 3, 2009 12:26 PM
What a complete idiot... He's really gone senile.
Posted by: Becca Stareyes
|
September 3, 2009 12:26 PM
Gee, Ben, I'd think that an economist would be able to do the math. Let's do a little Fermi problem.
Wikipedia tells me that 42 million people voted for Democratic House seats in the 2006 elections, as opposed to 35 million voting for Republicans and 3 million 'other' for a total of 80 million votes (or 40% of the electorate). That may or may not correspond to party identification -- a Republican from, say. Massachusetts, may be well to the left of most Republicans, and a Democrat from Nebraska will veer right of his party platform. It also leaves out folks that only vote every four years for president. But let's assume 42 million Serious Democrats. The Census tells me that 7 million people are teachers and school personnel. Let's assume all of them voted Democrat -- Ben Stein's teacher's union strikes again. That accounts for 1/6 of the Democratic vote, leaving 35 million voters.
Even if we assume that 'primary constituent' just means 50%+1 and that not a single one of the 37 million non-Democratic voters is gay, that leaves a population of 17.5 million gay voters of 80 million, or about 21% of the public that cares enough to vote for the House of Representatives. Keep in mind, that all the assumptions I made were on the low side given Stein's premise -- assuming some teachers vote Republican or didn't vote, or a higher percentage of gay Democrats, or that some gay folks voted Independent/Republican would raise the number. Unless we're repackaging a conspiracy theory that says that gay folks are small in number but Own Everything.
Well, then, why the hell does Don't Ask, Don't Tell exist? Why the Defense of Marriage Act? Why is same-sex marriage only existing in a tenth or so of states, and civil unions in a tenth more? Why does Barack Obama oppose same-sex marriage even when he was in the Democratic primary if the gay/lesbian vote was so important?
Posted by: wright | September 3, 2009 12:26 PM
I'm beginning to think this batshit-craziness is symptomatic of the Right in the US. It's pretty scary, even if the Steins, Becks and Limbaughs are in the minority. I guess eight+years of unrestrained Right-nuttery at the Federal level encouraged the rest.
Keep calling them on it, make the rest of us look up and ask out loud where the HELL their sanity-pants went. If no one questions their lunacy, it will become acceptable.
Posted by: bladesman | September 3, 2009 12:30 PM
What a despicable excuse for a person Stein is.
Funny story : my young nephew and I watched The Mask recently...or at least I rewatched it, he watched it for the first time. I never realised Stein played the head-shrinker who suggests to Stanley that the mask might represent Loki. My nephew has no idea who he is, but after like 10 seconds of screen time he was like 'whoa, that dude has the most BOOOOORING voice ever!'
Posted by: Ferrous Patella | September 3, 2009 12:31 PM
"Now" is the first word of your blog but Steins article is dated 10/02/06. I could see you missing a small detail like that except that in Stein's first paragraph, he mentions "the surefire favorite for 2006".
Posted by: Moose | September 3, 2009 12:34 PM
I dont understand, this man is clearly mad....
But this is like reading "Mein Kampf" as revelation.
Posted by: Kinzua Kid | September 3, 2009 12:36 PM
I wanted to comment on that article but I just couldn't bring myself to that level of unbridled stupid for an appropriate response. There's only so much one can communicate in single syllables.
Just to make sure I read this right:
-Republicans (Foley) talking dirty to same-sex pages isn't really all that bad, just misguided
-If you've really got "teh gay" you're probably a pedophile democrat predator, and vice versa, not a Republican
-Gay people don't stand up for Foley because he's a Republican, no other reason
-The Confederates were American patriots
-Some people aren't offended by the history behind the confederate flag; really everyone should just impart benign symbolism to these artifacts and if they don't they're being unreasonable
-Democrats in the 1950s were all bigots, therefore Democrats in 2009 are also bigots
-How dare Democrats dissent and judge these innocent people? (Foley, Allen)
I think I've captured the essence here. My 8 year old can construct a better argument with more basis in reality and less history revision.
You'll have to excuse me now; I think my brains just fell out the back side of my head.
Posted by: What | September 3, 2009 12:37 PM
Becca #41
Stein isn't an economist any more than I am a chemist. Difference is, he has been trying to pass himself off as an economist for years. The idiot didn't even think that a housing bubble was brewing in 2007 - after it had burst. Just another con man. I wouldn't be surprised if he was good friends with Bernie Madoff - and that he thinks Bernie is innocent.
Posted by: NewEnglandBob
|
September 3, 2009 12:38 PM
One can not STAY classy if one has NEVER BEEN classy.
Ben Stein is a liar, a fraud, a pompous pile of dung.
Posted by: Larry | September 3, 2009 12:39 PM
OK, now that I have read the whole magazine article, it appeas to me that the American Spectator is in such bad financial shape that they can only dredge up a three year old articles to publish. I would like to suggest that no one should ever waste their time to read such a rag.
Anyone agree?? PZ??
Posted by: a lurker | September 3, 2009 12:40 PM
I thought his best friend was black.
Posted by: ckerst | September 3, 2009 12:41 PM
I find myself attracted to old annoying jewish men.
Posted by: Jérôme ^ | September 3, 2009 12:41 PM
The Ben Stein article is very old. It's from 2006. (The dead giveaway was Hillary having a good shot at being the next President).
Why exhumate it now?
Posted by: NoAstronomer | September 3, 2009 12:42 PM
Not being a US citizen I don't get to vote but apparently my wife is a Lesbian!!!
Bitch! All this time (20 years) and she never once let me join in.
Mike.
Posted by: Brian Rapp | September 3, 2009 12:43 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if Ben's best friend actually is homosexual. After all, the Republican party has many self-hating gays. Just look at Larry Craig.
Posted by: senecasam | September 3, 2009 12:52 PM
Is it really news when Stein gets something else wrong?
Picture this headline: "Ben Stein Admits He's An Ignorant Asshole"
Now that would be news.
Posted by: ursulamajor | September 3, 2009 12:53 PM
I actually wrote a complaint about Stein to Comcast when the ads came out. I was ignored (no suprise), but I slept better that night. It really wouldn't hurt if we all did.
Posted by: Mike Wagner | September 3, 2009 12:53 PM
It's not just a Catholic problem. They're just the ones we caught with a paper trail. There is systemic child abuse within many religions because a) they are in positions of power over unquestioning sheep, and b) they protect each other.
Admittedly, the Catholic church has got to me one of the best organized criminal organizations on the planet, hence their fame for repeatedly walking away for it with little more than financial reparations again and again.
Posted by: NoFear | September 3, 2009 12:58 PM
Reading this, I am treated to an advert with Ben Stein's ugly mug as he peddles "free credit reports". I can handle his inane rhetoric, I can handle his picture ... but the two together bring forth a slight queasiness in my gut. A word has not yet been coined to describe his level of stupidity. But let me try ... idiomorobecile.
I want to give Mr. Stein his free credibility report: 0
Posted by: Blake Stacey | September 3, 2009 1:04 PM
Jérôme ^ (#52):
To show that his burning stupid has been aflame for quite some time.
Posted by: jose | September 3, 2009 1:09 PM
And he will burn in Hell for all eternity for being gay. And I approve that. I put religion over my very best friend. Man, I am utterly evil. And that's why I will go to Heaven.Actually, according to the Bible, I should put him to death. But the Bible also says you shall not kill. Oh well.
Posted by: Tenebras | September 3, 2009 1:09 PM
I think Stein's "very best friend" needs to give his buddy a good punch in the teeth for just calling him a pedophile.
Posted by: Zar | September 3, 2009 1:13 PM
Have you seen those awful television commercials for the service? They do an extreme close up on his greasy, bloated, horrible face while words come out. Uuuugh.
Posted by: MattB | September 3, 2009 1:14 PM
This article is from 2006.
Posted by: Nick | September 3, 2009 1:15 PM
Didn't the majority of Americans vote democrat in the last federal election? Does that mean that gay is the majority in the U.S. these days? No wonder the theists are crying "persecution" at every turn.
Posted by: MrArboc | September 3, 2009 1:30 PM
I don't understand how it is possible not to understand what homosexuality is even if you try. A male homosexual is interested in MEN. A young boy is not a man. Why even say something about that, Ben Stein and his peers have the right to hate gays al they want, but do they legally have the right to lie like that? I believe it's called "slander" in english.
But on the other hand - there are a lot of things "certain people" are able not to understand so I shouldn't be surprised.
Posted by: Kobra | September 3, 2009 1:31 PM
Your very best friend likes being called a pedophile? Wow.
Posted by: noru | September 3, 2009 1:32 PM
So, can we conclude that Ben Stein fraternizes with pedophiles?
Posted by: expatina | September 3, 2009 1:36 PM
Stein starts out with a lie before he even gets around to slander. He really is a slimeball. And an arrogant one. He's enough to keep me from ever watching "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" again.
Posted by: Tigerwolf | September 3, 2009 1:41 PM
"Take a look at anyone renting Endless Summer next time you are at the video store."
Ben, Ben, Ben...there's a word for guys who scope out other guys renting certain videos in the local Blockbuster. But that's okay; we won't judge you on how you met your (hee-hee!) best friend (snicker-snicker, bwaaaa-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!).
Besdies, the pedos are all over in the other aisle renting Newsies
;o)~~~
^..^
Posted by: Frymaster | September 3, 2009 1:44 PM
Look, I don't care if Ben Stein wants to engage in straight sex in the privacy of his own home. So long as he ACTS GAY IN PUBLIC!
Posted by: Quidam | September 3, 2009 1:50 PM
Ben has a very flexible standard of what 'barely legal' means.
Monica Lewinsky was 22 when Bill got his blow job. By Ben's standards his first wife was barely legal when he married her in 1968 at the tender age of 24.
Look at the salacious way he describes how Bill "took great pleasure in putting a cigar in her orifice and then smelling it and tasting it, and having her fellate him when in the sacred seat of power of the world's leading Republic." Whooo cold shower time for Ben.
Posted by: Sir Craig | September 3, 2009 1:51 PM
Wow - Ben Stein wrote an article so inane that it took nearly 3 years for someone to even comment on it.
Reading that article made me realize that Stein's slide into irrelevancy began long before Expelled was even a brain fart in what passes as Kevin Miller's grey matter...
Posted by: Moose | September 3, 2009 1:56 PM
This is like an IQ test.
"All male homosexuals are attracted to males. Some males homosexuals are attracted boys."
Please choose the most accurate statement from the following:
a) All homosexuals like boys.
b) Some homosexuals are boys.
c) Some homosexuals are attracted to boys.
d) Ben Stein is a bigoted nonsensical waste of human resources.
Posted by: "Tis Himself | September 3, 2009 1:58 PM
You're not gay, you're either a lesbian or a unionized school teacher.
Posted by: Frymaster | September 3, 2009 1:58 PM
Seriously, these ads on AmSpect boggle the mind. On the right, gay cruise. On the left, book about how awesome the Pope is.
Check it out - http://twitpic.com/gbwc0
Or click the AmSpect link and generate your own kind of fun. Collect them all!
Posted by: Synthaetica | September 3, 2009 2:00 PM
WTF? i'm gay now? i'm so happy Ben Freakin' Stein was here to tell me. Somebody please inform my wife and girlfrieds that we've been mistaken all along? kthxbai.
Posted by: lordshipmayhem
|
September 3, 2009 2:07 PM
Isn't Ben a little, I don't know, OLD to have an imaginary friend, gay or not?
Posted by: sav | September 3, 2009 2:10 PM
Oh Ben, let's not confuse gay male interests with your own, you fucking projecting prick.
Posted by: jsoutofbiblepgs
|
September 3, 2009 2:17 PM
*Jaw drops to floor*
Wow....wow.
Posted by: Carl Buell | September 3, 2009 2:18 PM
"Democrats...homosexual men and lesbian women." Damn, this is worse than I thought... all these years I've been a lesbian! That DOES explain a few things.
Posted by: porco dio | September 3, 2009 2:37 PM
my somewhat wise parents said more than once, "people that dig graves for others tend to fall into them"
too bad there isn't a hell for people like ben stein to burn for eternity.
Posted by: crispyfinger | September 3, 2009 3:14 PM
i'm from britain. please could someone explain to me how this man (Ben Stein) is credible
Posted by: MAJeff, OM | September 3, 2009 3:17 PM
Don't get me wrong. My very best friend is gay.
and that Uncle Mary needs to be expunged for hanging around with Ben's miserable ass...or kick Ben out of his fucking house, forever.
Seriously, what kind of self-respecting LGBT person would allow someone who writes this kind of bullshit into their homes? I certainly wouldn't.
Posted by: IamMyownLeprechaun | September 3, 2009 3:28 PM
"God bless Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Mike and his friend Kevin, who we're not supposed to talk about..."
He's been in movies and on television so he's a celebrity. You know Americans are about celebrities, just look at Spencer and Heidi*. Everyone but rethuglicans have forgotten his Nixon Admin. CV.*(Spencer & Heidi aka "Spidey" are no talent twenty-somethings from privileged Hollywood families who have become famous for no reason other than they appear on cable shows and humiliate themselves publicly.)
Posted by: D. C. Sessions | September 3, 2009 3:29 PM
But at least he's not a Democrat, so Ben can rest easy. Although he does lock the door.
Posted by: Tyler | September 3, 2009 3:30 PM
The joke about the catholic church was really uncalled for. What's the purpose of this slander? Ben Stein isn't even catholic but jewish.
Posted by: Gyeong Hwa Pak | September 3, 2009 4:09 PM
Ben Stein statement echoes what the hatemonger pastor Steve Anderson recently ejaculated. You know, the one that states that all gays are pedophiles despite the fact that the majority of pedophile cases involve heterosexual men. Except the dumb pastor goes further by wishing that we all receive brain cancer.
Posted by: Kent Geek | September 3, 2009 4:13 PM
"...among both homo- and heterosexual men, ..."
Hey-hey-hey! Women can be pedos, too, right?
Seriously, Ben's gone completely 'round the bend. He's one of those media folk whose time has passed, and in order to maintain his ability to make money with no physical labor, he has to get outrageous enough that we'll continue to pay attention. Of course, he believes he's being sincere, and would deny any charge of pandering.
Posted by: arachnophilia | September 3, 2009 4:14 PM
ben stein pals around with pedophiles!
Posted by: spaghettimonster | September 3, 2009 4:27 PM
Tyler, #86:
Hi! You must be new here.
Posted by: W. | September 3, 2009 4:36 PM
Posted by: Tyler | September 3, 2009 3:30 PM
The joke about the catholic church was really uncalled for. What's the purpose of this slander? Ben Stein isn't even catholic but jewish.
SLANDER?!? Um, it is FACT. Fact cannot be slander.
Posted by: ron | September 3, 2009 4:36 PM
This wrong about everything a-hole is going to be the keynote speaker at a convention I'm attending in Chicago later this month.
http://www.namaexpo.org/national09/Public/SessionDetails.aspx?SessionID=68
"join us Thursday morning to hear more about Ben Stein especially his comments on the current economic status and his perspective on what is ahead."
I cant wait.
Posted by: Crash Chloride | September 3, 2009 4:40 PM
Just when you thought Stein couldn't be more of a d-bag.
"Hey some of my best friends are 'fill in the blank'"
That statement is sure telltale sign of a bigot.
Posted by: Carlie | September 3, 2009 4:48 PM
That makes me almost wish I wasn't in a teacher's union, just to prove him wrong. Damn. Does it count if I was a Democrat before I joined the union?
Posted by: 'Tis Himself
|
September 3, 2009 4:50 PM
Listen to what Stein says and then act as if the exact opposite was true. Based on Stein's past economic track record, this strategy will be a winner.
Posted by: jen | September 3, 2009 4:56 PM
I love that some people get all offended and self-righteous when someone says that all homosexual men are pedophiles, but then turn around and make the exact same ridiculous statement about all Catholic priests. Sigh.
Posted by: Richard Eis | September 3, 2009 4:57 PM
-ben stein pals around with pedophiles!-
The pedophiles are insulted. As if they would be seen hanging around with him.
I can't believe this is from 2006 and this is the first time it's been aired. I bet his gay friend isn't any more.
Posted by: Aaron | September 3, 2009 4:59 PM
It's been stated many times already but I feel as though I need to have some input as well: Stein's article is from 2006.
Whilst it no doubt is proof that Stein has been a lil' shit for a very long time, it does make your post somewhat moot.
You can claim that Stein once held pathetic views regarding homosexuals, for he may or may not have changed his views since then. After all, it was roughly 3 years ago when he posted the article.
jussayin'
Posted by: bishophicks
|
September 3, 2009 5:06 PM
I switched from Republican to Democrat in 1992. At the same time, I apparently became a gay pedophile. Who knew? Since then I've gotten married and had a family. Apparently, my life is a lie.
What a dick.
Posted by: MadScientist | September 3, 2009 5:19 PM
"Don't get me wrong. My very best friend is gay."
So Ben Stein is admitting that he's one of those self-loathing homosexuals? Shame on you Ben, you should get your boy lovers to give you better fashion tips!
Posted by: Bill in Spring | September 3, 2009 5:25 PM
A TV show that I once loved to watch was "Win Ben Stein's Money". It was a pretty intelligent quiz game show and had Andy Richter on it also - bonus.
It wasn't until many years later that I learned that Ben Stein is a racist bigot flat-earther. Screw him very much.
What a sorry excuse for a human being.
Sadly, almost half of the American people are right there with him.
Mike Judge nailed it with the movie "Idiocracy". We are living it NOW, it is not something to be dreaded in the future.
I don't advocate violence so I hope that he just dies a lingering and painful death, say, stomach cancer.
As far as I know, I'm not gay and don't even have any gay friends anymore (kind of lost track of each other over the years) but I believe they should have all the rights that I have. All humans are created equal. Some end up kind of messed up, though, like Ben Stein.
Bill in Spring
Posted by: truthspeaker | September 3, 2009 5:30 PM
Jen, nobody claims all Catholic priests are pedophiles, just that many of them are pedophiles with the full assistance and support of the bishops, cardinals, and pope.
Posted by: toth | September 3, 2009 5:34 PM
"Now, Keith, don't be mad! You know you're my best friend! All I said was that you are vastly more likely to be a pedophile than, you know, normal people!"
With friends like Ben Stein...
Posted by: The Chimp's Raging Id | September 3, 2009 5:37 PM
Dear old Ben's claim not to be homophobic reminds me of people who complain loudly about "illegals" and then insist that they're not racist.
[Link is NSFW!]
Posted by: Feynmaniac | September 3, 2009 5:45 PM
You people are being too hard on Ben Stein. Do you have any idea how hard it is for him not to link his opponents to genocide? He shows incredible restraint here by merely associating them with racists and pedophiles.
Posted by: Travis | September 3, 2009 6:00 PM
I haven't had a "very best" friend since I was in third grade.
Posted by: Itspiningforthefjords
|
September 3, 2009 6:12 PM
..
Posted by: Itspiningforthefjords
|
September 3, 2009 6:18 PM
Maybe he's suffered from whatever infection of batshitcrazy-itis Pat Buchanan is now frothing aat the mouth with.
They are likely friends, even soul-mates, from waaay back, after all, and Pat B. is now defending Hitler and blaming the start of WWII entirely on Poland and the entire war (and the Holocaust) upon Britain.
And we here talk about Pat D. being crazy!
Posted by: Syd | September 3, 2009 6:48 PM
What I find interesting (for values of interesting that include up-close examination of noxious substances, for example), is that, while the article is three years old, there appear to be no comments earlier than July 2009--and of the first four comments, three look like spam. The first one that says anything substantive is dated September 1, 2009.
Does American Spectator purge comments on old articles, I wonder? Or do you suppose that it really didn't get ANY comments until now?
Posted by: jeronimusrex | September 3, 2009 6:48 PM
Says Stein: "To millions of our fellow citizens, this flag has zero to do with racism. It is entirely about respect for a time of unbelievable horror in our society, The Civil War, and respect for men who fought so brilliantly for a cause that was unquestionably -- by decent standards -- a bad cause."
Nice argument douchebag. Based on that logic, Americans with German ancestry should proudly display swastika flags to honor the memory of their brave ancestors who fought for a 'bad cause' in WWII. I don't doubt their were brave confederates, or even brave nazis. That's not the point. The point is that these symbols, have become inseparable from associations to racism and hatred, and have no place in civil society - much like the majority of Stein's writing.
Posted by: anonymouse | September 3, 2009 7:11 PM
Let me get this straight...Ben Stein's best friend is a pedophile who likes young boys?!?! That really should have been the headline...
Posted by: Rey Fox | September 3, 2009 7:28 PM
"Spectator.org is an embarrassment to conservatism."
That's the company you keep. I mean, I'd like to reassure you that these types of sites are the fringe, but no, this is pretty much mainstream conservatism.
Posted by: pdferguson | September 3, 2009 7:56 PM
Ben Stein blathered:
We don't get him wrong, we know he's wrong. He's wrong about science, he's wrong about religion, he's wrong about politics, and he's wrong about homosexuality (and it has nothing to do with his "very best friend").
When two opposite points of view are expressed with equal intensity, the truth does not necessarily lie exactly halfway between them. It is possible for one side to be simply wrong.
-- Richard Dawkins
Posted by: Frank Zappa | September 3, 2009 8:13 PM
69 (don't you just love that number!) million people voted for Obama. If we remove a few hundred thousand teachers and 20 million independents that leaves 49 million gays and lesbians.
Therefore, as an overwhelming majority the gays and lesbians need take the offensive and press the vote to amend the Constitution making Same Sex Marriage the LAW OF THE LAND.
Let's go girls and boys!
Posted by: Gregory Greenwood | September 3, 2009 8:18 PM
Ben Stein:- quite literally a man not worth the oxygen he breathes.
So, his 'very best friend' is gay. I wonder if he also claims to have a black best friend? Maybe a muslim one too? (Not a scary muslim, a nice might-convert-to-a-proper-faith-one-day type of muslim). Could he even have an atheist best friend? Or are we baby eating heathens a godless bridge too far?
Posted by: Alan Kellogg | September 3, 2009 9:58 PM
One of my online friends is a transexual, doesn't mean I have to go around dissing her. I mean, even if she wasn't a transexual dissing her for being my friend would still be wrong.
'Sides, it's my Aspergers that makes me uncomfortable around people until I get to know them.
Posted by: DLC | September 3, 2009 10:05 PM
Dear Ben. Thanks much for repeating the gay equivalent of the blood libel. It is not, never has been true.
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/HTML/facts_molestation.html
One would think that a former Nixon speechwriter, fan of Ronald Reagan and Supposed Austrian School economist would know better, but I should have realized that the first of those qualifications would have long ago ruled out any connection with the truth.
Posted by: efrique | September 3, 2009 10:08 PM
If Stein's best friend is gay, Stein should also try to be a decent friend in return.
Step one would be "stop being a prejudiced asshole".
Posted by: WMDKitty | September 3, 2009 10:48 PM
"Don't get me wrong, my best friend is [fill in the blank: black, gay, disabled, a Furry]...."
"I'm not [hater], but [hateful statement]...."
It's all the same bullshit, just a different pile.
Posted by: Tim | September 3, 2009 11:14 PM
Shall I interpret this as Anecdotal Evidence that Ben Stein is a bigoted ass? Anecdotal evidence with no data is apparently the sort of thing his readership accept as valid argumentation, so I will make a special exception for this bigoted ass. Ben, grow up.
Posted by: Vince Whirlwind | September 3, 2009 11:16 PM
It's all very well disagreeing with somebody because you don't like his politics, but as a sceptic that simply doesn't wash with me - what are the facts?
As far as I know, 30-40% of paedophilia victims are boys, 97% of paedophiles are men, and the rate of homosexuality in the general population is between 1-5%.
Maths.
Intuitively (which is always more interesting when it's wrong...but anyway...), it makes sense that homosexuals are less restricted by social norms and therefore more likely to go beyond them.
And nobody likes an anecdote, but I've experienced just one childhood, and dodging predatory homosexuals was not exactly an uncommon experience for me. I'm sure I'm not alone. (Disappointingly at the time, I was not once faced with a predatory heterosexual to not dodge...).
Facts can be ugly, but that is no valid reason to blind yourself to them.
Posted by: Gyeong Hwa Pak | September 4, 2009 12:44 AM
@ 121
I (we) never said that there wasn't any homosexual pedophiles. But as you pointed out, homosexual pedophiles are out numbered by heterosexual pedophiles.
And what Ben Stein said is a blanket statement, as if to say that ALL gays were pedophiles. Now, I've hanged out with a lot of LGBT folks and I can tell you that none of them have ever desired young boys.
Posted by: Wm. McDevitt | September 4, 2009 1:05 AM
Ben Stine is nothing but a shill for the greedy,right wing nuts, and the stupid!
Posted by: Ian | September 4, 2009 12:05 PM
This may have been pointed out already, but Stein's point in this article is to criticize Democrats for not "circling the wagons" and defending Republican Congressman Mark Foley for sending suggestive emails to young congressional pages.
This is how his diseased mind works: All Democrats are gay, Mark Foley is gay, and therefore the Democratic gays (like "one of my favorite congressmen, Barney Frank") should have stuck up for the Republican, since apparently all gays are on the "same team."
The fact that they failed to do this earns them Stein's scorn as "hypocrites."
What a scumbag.
Posted by: Marc Abian | September 4, 2009 12:34 PM
Odd how there's so much comically mismatched friends out there. It seems everyone has a best friend who happens to be a minority they don't like.
My theory is there's a single black disabled gay muslim woman who's best friends with almost every bigoted public figure in the world.
Normally they'd hate her because of her backround, orientation, culture etc. but golly she's just so nice.
Posted by: marilove | September 4, 2009 1:50 PM
"And nobody likes an anecdote, but I've experienced just one childhood, and dodging predatory homosexuals was not exactly an uncommon experience for me. I'm sure I'm not alone."
You mean men tend to sexually harass and sexually assault in high numbers? No! I am SHOCKED!
Wait, as a woman, I’m not even a little shocked.
As a woman, I have been dodging predatory straight men since I was a child. Most women have done the same their entire lives.
There are certainly women who are sexual predators, but a much higher percentage of sexual predators are men. Of all sexual orientations. Pinning it only on gay men is pretty ludacris.
Posted by: marilove | September 4, 2009 1:54 PM
LMAO. That should be ludicrous, not ludacris the rapper.
Posted by: marilove | September 4, 2009 2:02 PM
Also, I am highly amused at his using Endless Summer as some sort of Gay Resource.
I guess I'll just refer to Lolita whenever talking about the sexual urges of straight men, eh?
Posted by: Paul A. | September 4, 2009 5:16 PM
Holy Crap Batman, didn't he go to Harvard? I actually liked his quiz show years back, now I think Harvard should take his degree back.
Posted by: Tadgh | September 4, 2009 5:52 PM
I'm a registered democrat... I'm Gay... and I'm a teacher (sometimes). OMG! Ben must be right.
Posted by: strange gods bless 'merica | September 4, 2009 5:59 PM
Biases.
Sexual orientation does not relate to choice of victim in child sex abuse. Rather, it's opportunistic, like prison rape. Or were you so stupid as to think that all those men who rape men in prisons are actually gay?
http://www.springerlink.com/content/tr7388256l7437xh/
Facts. You might have heard of them, if you were a sceptic.
Posted by: The Cynic Sage | September 5, 2009 1:41 PM
To paraphrase Jon Stewart:
"That gay friend of yours, he thinks your a jerk."
Posted by: Nick | September 6, 2009 9:52 PM
I'm gay, but still had to google Endless Summer
Posted by: Ross Olson | September 8, 2009 12:41 AM
"strange gods bless 'merica" tells us that about 30 - 40% of sexual abuse cases victimized by men are boys and that 1 - 5% of the male population is homosexual then asks us to do the math. The math ought to come out that homosexual molestation is at least 10 - 20 times more likely than heterosexual molestation. Then the author explains it away as the acts of regressed heterosexuals.
For anyone who wants more to think about than the "Jerry Springer" type interaction of the typical blog, read Pedophila Chic at http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/329pdstm.asp and http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/001/330nanxg.asp and http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/001/334juixf.asp
Ross S. Olson MD
Posted by: strange gods before me | September 8, 2009 12:48 AM
No Ross, you hateful bigot, I said none of what you quoted.
You're an MD? And yet you piss on empirical scientific data. The peer-reviewed scientific study I cited found that all those child molesters were heterosexual in their relationships with adults.
Your response is to cite the Weekly Standard, a conservative rag. Mmm. Not impressive, except as further evidence that conservatives hate everyone.
Posted by: wasd | September 8, 2009 12:21 PM
How dare Ben Stein accuse, without a shred of evidence mind you, Ted Haggerd being a closet democrat? Doesn`t Ben know how damaging rumours like this are to Ted`s career? And what about Larry Craigh, huh? How is he supposed to explain voting for that young charismatic and athletic Obama instead of McCain?
You have got to give to to Ben though, he is right on the pedophile thing. I mean the revelation that there are homosexual pedophiles really brings a whole new angle to the Mark Foley story doesn't it?
Also I have pass along this link to Sarah Palin so she can put it on her facebook page. Just think about it: if homosexuals (plus the socialist Naderites of course) are the base of democratic party, Obama is elected with 52,9% vs 45,7% and only 10%-20% of the population is homosexual ( and thats counting bisexuals and those recently converted to heterosexuality who rate same sex sex as more attractive than heterosexual sex but are afraid of telling their “therapist” of the liberal inclinations ) well... then clearly ACORN stole the election by recycling the paper from Obamas birth certificate combined with the bodies of recently euthanized elderly and used the chlorine free paper for ballot stuffing!
The Suede denim secret police, has come for your uncool niece! All natural poison gas! You will jog for the master race... Mellow out or you will pay! Your kids will meditate in school!
Chicago, Über Alles!
Chicago, Über Alles!
/note to self, must remember not to sing along with kill the poor in the train
Posted by: Ross Olson | September 8, 2009 1:07 PM
Hmm, so favorably quoting a passage is not equivalent to endorsing it? And because if where something you don't like is published, you can ignore it?
Multiple surveys of adult gay men going back to Kinsey indicate that they admit to sex with boys under 16 when they were over 21, in numbers of about 25%, See for instance, Bell, A. and Weinberg, M., "Homosexualities," NY, Simon and Schuster, 1978.
And if it does not happen why do so many gay defenders have an answer for it -- that the boy is gay and is the sexual aggressor?
Posted by: aratina cage
|
September 8, 2009 1:15 PM
Ross Olson, take your ex-gay rhetoric and shove it.
Posted by: Gyeong Hwa Pak | September 8, 2009 1:56 PM
Ross, the "research" you presented is wroth shit except that it promotes the conservative agenda of fucking everyone else over. Plus, it's cherry picking, a big no-no in the scientific community.
You can wank over your MD all you want, it doesn't impress me much.
Posted by: 'Tis Himself
|
September 9, 2009 8:51 PM
What is it with the sudden spate of MDs (or people claiming to be MDs) pushing a creationist or homophobic agenda? Do these guys think we'll be impressed that they have graduate degrees which have no connection with the particular points they're trying to make? Do they think that being forced to memorize the names of all the bones in the hand means they're automatic experts on everything?
Ross Olson thinking a medical degree gives his homophobia extra authenticity is pure arrogance.