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Friday, May 13, 2005
Punks You Hated Seek to Keep You Dumb, or, Revolution by Jerks
After several posts already this week even I am burning out on the whole evolution debate. But of course that is part of the hope of the wingnuts, that we will get tired and stop paying attention. This Salon article about the mock trial of evolution going on in Kansas is one of the better ones I've come across in a while so I figured I should at least link to it.But I have to ask, or at least ask myself, don't these people ever feel foolish? Do they even notice that in no place else in the civilized world do educated people give creationism an ounce of respect? Will they eventually look back on their arguments and think "Man I was an idiot, what the hell was I thinking?" Will they someday feel the way people my age feel when they come across that old REO Speedwagon album in a box in the basement?
But the best (and that term should maybe in quotes) part of the article was where we learned a Muslim activist from Turkey named Mustafa Akyol told the court (and that REALLY should be in quotes) that the teaching of evolution is one of the reasons for anti-western feelings in the middle east. Excuse me, is that really the type of testimony the creationists want to be presenting? That pre-modern oppressive fundamentalist theocrats don't like evolution? Hey, you convinced me. If the madras and the Taliban don't like evolution, by all means don't let our kids learn about it.
8 Comments:
I thought that if you considered the motivation of Islamic extremists, the terrorists had already won?
It is fascinating and horrific to watch this process. It reminds me of Sebastian Haffner's book, Defying Hitler, in which he describes from a very personal perspective how Germany slipped into Nazism. Haffner laments over and over again about how such a basically good and intelligent nation could be dupped into supporting the Nazis.
I am sorry, but I am developing increasing contempt for those who raise the Christian Banner as an excuse for mindless adherence to the dogmas of their "mullahs" (and the president) and as a justification to treat others unfairly. In fact, I am becoming more and more proud of the fact that I am not a christian or follower of any religious sect.
Finally, my contempt for this mindlessness is of little value if I don't find strategies to challenge it. And this is where I must admit that I am at a loss.
By 
, at
4:21 PM
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I am also reminded of the old Sinclair Lewis book "It Can't Happen Here" about how fascism sneaks its way into America. Sadly I don't think this is still in print but you might come across it in a used bookstore sometime.
And yeah, finding a way to fight these ridiculous people is a challenge. I used to think that their irrationality was so obvious that all it would take would be a public airing of their comments and they would be laughed out of town. That is obviously not the case. At least not in Kansas. Or Ohio. Or Georgia, or..
[Joseph now has me so spooked about typos I had to delete the first version of this comment to fix a few]
I guess that I don't see the creeping menace of fascism in the evolution debate.
That's not true. I see a nascent totalitarinism in a minority controlling the facts a majority may learn. I guess it's Nazism that I don't see.
I can't speak for anyone else posting here but I made the Sinclair Lewis reference not as a warning about either fascism or Nazism per se, but rather as a comment on how a major change (for the worse) comes about in such a way that people who aren't paying awfully close attention don't really notice until it is too late. The religious right has been quietly getting their members on school boards for a couple decades now. I follow these things much more closely than most and I couldn't tell you the name of a single member of the Minneapolis school board. I read a little about the candidates right before the election to make sure no one sneaks past me but aside from that I'm as oblivious as the next guy.
I saw Hitler mentioned in comments here and on another post, which brought it to mind.
Actually, I feel pretty good when I come across old REO Speedwagon albums.... I listen to 'em all the time, and don't keep 'em in a box in the basement.
By , at
3:31 PM
