On the list of the singularly most ridiculous things that have ever happened... : Pure Pedantry

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Jake Young is a MD/PhD student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in NYC getting a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience. He holds a BS and MS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. If a volcano were to erupt Pompei-style in Central Park, his body would be preserved in a scoliotic posture over his lab desk. Archeaologists would later conclude that he spent most of his day training rats to perform tricks, until he went blind building electrical equipment by hand using a dissecting microscope. But, still, he died happy...because science is cool.

Pure Pedantry is a blog about science -- social sciences and otherwise -- as well as academic and scientific culture. No one can live on science alone, so I also like to dwell on pop culture, periodically explore the humanities, and indulge in other types of geeky goodness.

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On the list of the singularly most ridiculous things that have ever happened...

Category: Religion
Posted on: March 21, 2008 9:04 AM, by NotoriousLTP

...this has got to be in the top ten at least.

I haven't been following this much, but Ben Stein is coming out with a movie called Expelled. The movie purports to challenge Darwinism's monopoly of classroom instruction -- which to me sounds like trying to challenge yellow's monopoly of bananas...yeah, it's all over but reality is rough that way, isn't it.

Anyway, PZ -- our local scourge of creationists -- tried to go see the movie, and lo and behold he was expelled! They wouldn't let him see it. That is just unbelievable.

1) They actually specifically prohibited him, as in they had a cop looking for him and told him to leave. If I were PZ, I don't know if I would be shocked or flattered.

2) What does that say about the caliber of the debate the people who made Expelled intend to have? I mean, come on. I have seen lots of movies whose messages I disagreed with. You sit in the back and stay quiet. Then you come out and hopefully have some cogent debate about them. This is how arguments work in democratic societies. (Furthermore, I have met PZ, and I can't think of anyone who is less likely to raise a fuss or shout at a movie screen.)

Is their intention just to massage the sensibilities of people who already agree with them? If so, that is just pathetic.

3) This is the killer...PZ had a guest to see the movie: Richard Dawkins. And they let him in! If you are going to be exclusionary at least get your shit together.

Unbelievable. I am tempted to go see this movie and make fun of it on PZ's behalf.

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