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There are so many things disturbing, to me, about this interview. I particularly enjoy how they pat each other on the back for their high intellect and then swipe at Dawkins.

"Darwinism can not explain gravity." Hmmm.... What is the point of stating this? Surely Stein is aware that evolutionary theory doesn't attempt to explain gravity. What is the point of stating this? It just appears as if it's stated to confuse the viewers.

Blood is going to shoot out of parents eyes when their children go to college? ?? Higher learning is some conspiracy of liberal, godlessness?

Standing ovations? That is terrifying.

"These people" (those that accept evolution?) are miserable, close minded, not really concerned with science, deny God out of fear of judgment, no morals, and apparently live in a little teeny box.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o7OSNDqY9g

What a bunch of crud.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePHL2Mbf ... re=related

[MODERATOR NOTE: This post's title refers to Glenn Beck, not Martha Beck.]

Moni,

Most news shows on the air are giant op ed pieces, so you can't take them at their word. You have to read through their rhetoric. (Kinda like reading the posts on this board)

Conservatives are of the opinion that colleges these days pump their children full of liberal gobblety gook and distort the viewpoint they spent the last 19 years instilling in their child. Its like the parent who taught their child good family values only to have them come home for christmas a lesbian. that's what he meant by the "bleeding out the eyes" comment.

The gravity comment represents the arguement of evolution vs science taken to its extremes. It was meant to be heard by an audience already used to the arguements.

Its a culture war.

Moniker wrote:Higher learning is some conspiracy of liberal, godlessness?

Stein is a hypocrite. A good portion of his cred comes from his ivy league degrees. Duh!

The funny thing is that the New York Times review of the movie was apparently supposed to look way over the top, and yet it sounds like it's spot on.

Ben Stein might be a very smart guy, but when it comes to evolution and ID, he's very stupid. And disingenuous, too. I say that because he either knows full well, or ought to know full well, that evolutionary theory has nothing to do with gravity, thermodynamics, or anything other than the mechanism by which species came to be and separated from each other over time. Period. Throwing that in there is just pandering to the idiots who cheer wildly at such logic as "you wouldn't throw a bunch of sand into a box, shake it up, and pull out a laptop computer, so of course evolution is a stupid idea!"

The intended audience for such ignorant backslapping and yucking it up about "big science" can only appeal to the same crowd who think that the banana serves as a proof of the existence of God.

Atheists' worst nightmare indeed.

Sethbag wrote:Atheists' worst nightmare indeed.

I guess what bugs me about the whole thing is that so much attention, as per usual, is given to the silly extremes on both sides. Chris Hitchens and Ben Stein may be happy to prostitute themselves and their pretend intellectuality in order to aggrandize themselves or pander to the ignorant, but all it gets the rest of us in the end is a continuing polarization of a very complex issue--and one of no slight importance in our world.

The more I see of Glenn Beck, the more I wonder how he continues to stay on TV... but then I remember the kind of audience he attracts, and it makes me sad about the general state of humanity.

As for Stein, that guy is simply disingenuous. He's so entirely full of s***, it's embarrassing to watch him.

Trevor wrote: I guess what bugs me about the whole thing is that so much attention, as per usual, is given to the silly extremes on both sides. Chris Hitchens and Ben Stein may be happy to prostitute themselves and their pretend intellectuality in order to aggrandize themselves or pander to the ignorant, but all it gets the rest of us in the end is a continuing polarization of a very complex issue--and one of no slight importance in our world.

Well, at least Hitchens is entertaining (although I suppose that makes some of the extreme things he says even more damaging to the cause of fighting prejudice against non-theists).

But I'm not sure what you mean by "complex issue." It's seems pretty straightforward to me. There either is/was a creator, or not. People clinging to mythological details doesn't really make the issue more complex (this is a stab at what you may have meant, but I admit I really don't know).

Some Schmo wrote:But I'm not sure what you mean by "complex issue." It's seems pretty straightforward to me. There either is/was a creator, or not. People clinging to mythological details doesn't really make the issue more complex (this is a stab at what you may have meant, but I admit I really don't know).

The complex issue would be how to maintain civil society in the face of deeply divisive issues.

Trevor wrote:

Some Schmo wrote:But I'm not sure what you mean by "complex issue." It's seems pretty straightforward to me. There either is/was a creator, or not. People clinging to mythological details doesn't really make the issue more complex (this is a stab at what you may have meant, but I admit I really don't know).

The complex issue would be how to maintain civil society in the face of deeply divisive issues.

Or, in other words, letting the religious types down easily so they don't turn to their default course of action in the face of an inevitable loss to straightforward logic: violence.

Yes, I agree; that is a complex issue.

Gazelam wrote:Moni,

Most news shows on the air are giant op ed pieces, so you can't take them at their word. You have to read through their rhetoric. (Kinda like reading the posts on this board)

Conservatives are of the opinion that colleges these days pump their children full of liberal gobblety gook and distort the viewpoint they spent the last 19 years instilling in their child. Its like the parent who taught their child good family values only to have them come home for christmas a lesbian. that's what he meant by the "bleeding out the eyes" comment.

The gravity comment represents the arguement of evolution vs science taken to its extremes. It was meant to be heard by an audience already used to the arguements.

Its a culture war.

I can't watch a lot of news programs on cable without feeling ill, usually. It's actually insulting to the audience, and appears to be more sensationalized journalism meant for entertainment than anything else. I actually used to listen to lots of talk radio and listened to Beck a few times in the car -- yet, I recognized it as entertainment, yet, when it's on a news channel you would expect a bit more substance.

It's an election year and the lines seem to be drawn again, everyone in their bunkers, and such rhetoric! It seriously just makes me want to tune out sometimes. I recognize what is going on with the talking points, the quips, the entertainment factor, yet, it is disheartening, to me, to recognize that many Americans just watch Hannity, O'Reilly (he makes me fume, at times -- I fume at my t.v.!), and are being psychologically manipulated to view things as us. vs. them.

I just don't understand the seemingly dishonest tactics being used. And they know what they're doing! I just can't believe that intelligent, educated men and women wouldn't recognize that what they're saying is a bunch of nonsense meant to rally their troops. Our sides core beliefs are so important that we'll be disingenuous, use inflammatory rhetoric, distortions, lies in an effort to win whatever.

I feel sick.