Expelled from Expelled!
#1
Suspended
Thread Starter
Expelled from Expelled!
This is too funny.
There's a new documentary coming out called "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," about intelligent design. It's a pro-intelligent design movie. Earlier this week, they had a screening. P.Z. Myers tried to go to the screening.
P.Z. Myers, for those who don't know, is a somewhat famous evolutionary biologist and critic of intelligent design.
So P.Z. Myers shows up a the theater, and ... well, let me let him explain, via his blog entry of last night:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/03/expelled.php
There's a new documentary coming out called "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," about intelligent design. It's a pro-intelligent design movie. Earlier this week, they had a screening. P.Z. Myers tried to go to the screening.
P.Z. Myers, for those who don't know, is a somewhat famous evolutionary biologist and critic of intelligent design.
So P.Z. Myers shows up a the theater, and ... well, let me let him explain, via his blog entry of last night:
There is a rich, deep kind of irony that must be shared. I'm blogging this from the Apple store in the Mall of America, because I'm too amused to want to wait until I get back to my hotel room.
I went to attend a screening of the creationist propaganda movie, Expelled, a few minutes ago. Well, I tried … but I was Expelled! It was kind of weird — I was standing in line, hadn't even gotten to the point where I had to sign in and show ID, and a policeman pulled me out of line and told me I could not go in. I asked why, of course, and he said that a producer of the film had specifically instructed him that I was not to be allowed to attend. The officer also told me that if I tried to go in, I would be arrested. I assured him that I wasn't going to cause any trouble.
I went back to my family and talked with them for a while, and then the officer came back with a theater manager, and I was told that not only wasn't I allowed in, but I had to leave the premises immediately. Like right that instant.
I complied.
I'm still laughing though. You don't know how hilarious this is. Not only is it the extreme hypocrisy of being expelled from their Expelled movie, but there's another layer of amusement. Deep, belly laugh funny. Yeah, I'd be rolling around on the floor right now, if I weren't so dang dignified.
You see … well, have you ever heard of a sabot? It's a kind of sleeve or lightweight carrier used to surround a piece of munition fired from a gun. It isn't the actually load intended to strike the target, but may even be discarded as it leaves the barrel.
I'm a kind of sabot right now.
They singled me out and evicted me, but they didn't notice my guest. They let him go in escorted by my wife and daughter. I guess they didn't recognize him. My guest was …
Richard Dawkins.
He's in the theater right now, watching their movie.
Tell me, are you laughing as hard as I am?
I went to attend a screening of the creationist propaganda movie, Expelled, a few minutes ago. Well, I tried … but I was Expelled! It was kind of weird — I was standing in line, hadn't even gotten to the point where I had to sign in and show ID, and a policeman pulled me out of line and told me I could not go in. I asked why, of course, and he said that a producer of the film had specifically instructed him that I was not to be allowed to attend. The officer also told me that if I tried to go in, I would be arrested. I assured him that I wasn't going to cause any trouble.
I went back to my family and talked with them for a while, and then the officer came back with a theater manager, and I was told that not only wasn't I allowed in, but I had to leave the premises immediately. Like right that instant.
I complied.
I'm still laughing though. You don't know how hilarious this is. Not only is it the extreme hypocrisy of being expelled from their Expelled movie, but there's another layer of amusement. Deep, belly laugh funny. Yeah, I'd be rolling around on the floor right now, if I weren't so dang dignified.
You see … well, have you ever heard of a sabot? It's a kind of sleeve or lightweight carrier used to surround a piece of munition fired from a gun. It isn't the actually load intended to strike the target, but may even be discarded as it leaves the barrel.
I'm a kind of sabot right now.
They singled me out and evicted me, but they didn't notice my guest. They let him go in escorted by my wife and daughter. I guess they didn't recognize him. My guest was …
Richard Dawkins.
He's in the theater right now, watching their movie.
Tell me, are you laughing as hard as I am?
#3
DVD Talk Hero
Kicking Dawkins out would have made it a much bigger story. If you're not a biologist, you don't go to UMM, or you don't read his blog or The Panda's Thumb then you probably have no idea who Myers is.
#4
DVD Talk Legend
I am amused that they don't want the "opposition" to see their apologia. You would think that they would WANT to try to convert them, by showing them the movie.
And, the panda's thumb is right up there with flounders, and nipples on men, to refute Intelligent Design. Sick Humor design maybe...
And, the panda's thumb is right up there with flounders, and nipples on men, to refute Intelligent Design. Sick Humor design maybe...
#5
DVD Talk Hero
#6
Originally Posted by Mrs. Danger
And, the panda's thumb is right up there with flounders, and nipples on men, to refute Intelligent Design. Sick Humor design maybe...
#7
The only species which isn't overall intelligent, is humans. Exclude humans from Intelligent Design, and you have...intelligent design.
We may have two conflicting designers at work.
We may have two conflicting designers at work.
#9
Moderator
Originally Posted by Mrs. Danger
I am amused that they don't want the "opposition" to see their apologia. You would think that they would WANT to try to convert them, by showing them the movie.
I'm fan of Ben Stein -- I'm not sure if his presence elevates this movie's respectability, or lowers his own.
#10
DVD Talk Special Edition
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If you see bits and pieces of what Stein has said about the movie (available on youtube, and such) then you can see it definitely lowers him to the level of a paramecium.
#13
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by shaun3000
Well do you haven an opinion of the film? Did you attend the book-burning, afterwards?
Last edited by MartinBlank; 04-20-08 at 03:01 AM.
#14
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
I should have added
But considering it's a movie that totally rejects the scientific evidence in favor of a made-up story, I wouldn't say it's very far removed from a book burning. (The film even goes so far as to discredit Christians who believe in a "theistic evolution," that is that evolution was the tool used by God. That's my personal opinion, to boot. There is no evidence that life just *poof* appeared but I believe it had something guiding it beyond pure chance...)
But considering it's a movie that totally rejects the scientific evidence in favor of a made-up story, I wouldn't say it's very far removed from a book burning. (The film even goes so far as to discredit Christians who believe in a "theistic evolution," that is that evolution was the tool used by God. That's my personal opinion, to boot. There is no evidence that life just *poof* appeared but I believe it had something guiding it beyond pure chance...)
Last edited by shaun3000; 04-20-08 at 03:10 AM.
#15
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Originally Posted by Groucho
I'm fan of Ben Stein -- I'm not sure if his presence elevates this movie's respectability, or lowers his own.
#16
DVD Talk Special Edition
NYT Review
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
Published: April 18, 2008
One of the sleaziest documentaries to arrive in a very long time, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” is a conspiracy-theory rant masquerading as investigative inquiry.
Positing the theory of intelligent design as a valid scientific hypothesis, the film frames the refusal of “big science” to agree as nothing less than an assault on free speech. Interviewees, including the scientist Richard Sternberg, claim that questioning Darwinism led to their expulsion from the scientific fold (the film relies extensively on the post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy — after this, therefore because of this), while our genial audience surrogate, the actor and multihyphenate Ben Stein, nods sympathetically. (Mr. Stein is also a freelance columnist who writes Everybody’s Business for The New York Times.)
Prominent evolutionary biologists, like the author and Oxford professor Richard Dawkins — accurately identified on screen as an “atheist” — are provided solely to construct, in cleverly edited slices, an inevitable connection between Darwinism and godlessness. Blithely ignoring the vital distinction between social and scientific Darwinism, the film links evolution theory to fascism (as well as abortion, euthanasia and eugenics), shamelessly invoking the Holocaust with black-and-white film of Nazi gas chambers and mass graves.
Every few minutes familiar — and ideologically unrelated — images interrupt the talking heads: a fist-shaking Nikita S. Khrushchev; Charlton Heston being subdued by a water hose in “Planet of the Apes.” This is not argument, it’s circus, a distraction from the film’s contempt for precision and intellectual rigor. This goes further than a willful misunderstanding of the scientific method. The film suggests, for example, that Dr. Sternberg lost his job at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History because of intellectual discrimination but neglects to inform us that he was actually not an employee but rather an unpaid research associate who had completed his three-year term.
Mixing physical apples and metaphysical oranges at every turn “Expelled” is an unprincipled propaganda piece that insults believers and nonbelievers alike. In its fudging, eliding and refusal to define terms, the movie proves that the only expulsion here is of reason itself.
“Expelled” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It has smoking guns and drunken logic.
Published: April 18, 2008
One of the sleaziest documentaries to arrive in a very long time, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” is a conspiracy-theory rant masquerading as investigative inquiry.
Positing the theory of intelligent design as a valid scientific hypothesis, the film frames the refusal of “big science” to agree as nothing less than an assault on free speech. Interviewees, including the scientist Richard Sternberg, claim that questioning Darwinism led to their expulsion from the scientific fold (the film relies extensively on the post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy — after this, therefore because of this), while our genial audience surrogate, the actor and multihyphenate Ben Stein, nods sympathetically. (Mr. Stein is also a freelance columnist who writes Everybody’s Business for The New York Times.)
Prominent evolutionary biologists, like the author and Oxford professor Richard Dawkins — accurately identified on screen as an “atheist” — are provided solely to construct, in cleverly edited slices, an inevitable connection between Darwinism and godlessness. Blithely ignoring the vital distinction between social and scientific Darwinism, the film links evolution theory to fascism (as well as abortion, euthanasia and eugenics), shamelessly invoking the Holocaust with black-and-white film of Nazi gas chambers and mass graves.
Every few minutes familiar — and ideologically unrelated — images interrupt the talking heads: a fist-shaking Nikita S. Khrushchev; Charlton Heston being subdued by a water hose in “Planet of the Apes.” This is not argument, it’s circus, a distraction from the film’s contempt for precision and intellectual rigor. This goes further than a willful misunderstanding of the scientific method. The film suggests, for example, that Dr. Sternberg lost his job at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History because of intellectual discrimination but neglects to inform us that he was actually not an employee but rather an unpaid research associate who had completed his three-year term.
Mixing physical apples and metaphysical oranges at every turn “Expelled” is an unprincipled propaganda piece that insults believers and nonbelievers alike. In its fudging, eliding and refusal to define terms, the movie proves that the only expulsion here is of reason itself.
“Expelled” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It has smoking guns and drunken logic.
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Mrs. Danger
I am amused that they don't want the "opposition" to see their apologia. You would think that they would WANT to try to convert them, by showing them the movie.
#23
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by sracer
It was an initial screening. Considering that this guy "couldn't wait" to post his exploits on his blog, it seems like he would spend all of 5 nanoseconds after watching the film before posting all of his objections to the content.
#25
DVD Talk Legend
ID doesn't even hold up to its own logic.
http://feeling-bloggy.blogspot.com/
The whole thing makes me think of those UFO believers that point to anything and everything as evidence of alien spacecraft. There may be real evidence, but it is lost in the sea of silliness.
http://feeling-bloggy.blogspot.com/
The whole thing makes me think of those UFO believers that point to anything and everything as evidence of alien spacecraft. There may be real evidence, but it is lost in the sea of silliness.