Ben Stein, Reason eludes you, your'e expelled for being dangerous

I was at the movie rental store last night and saw that Ben Stein's movie eXpelled was on DVD now. I actually saw that movie in the theater, I love arguments, and intellectual pieces even if I don't agree with them. I watch "the other sides" arguments to see if they have any merit, and to keep up on how the dialogue of interesting issues is coming along, even if most programming today is directed at people who already agree with a position than giving reason to think a position is correct. See Fox news, and MSNBC for prime examples of directed content. On a side note sort of along these lines I had to go to the independent small theater to see Religilous by Bill Maher, while Stein's movie was in the major cinema. That's what I get for living in a conservative part of the country, oh well, not too big a deal.

As I stood in the movie store I remembered expelled as being one of the most intellectually dishonest films I had seem in quiet some time, maybe ever. It is never a good sign when you compare and make direct allusion to those who disagree with you being Nazis, or the fact that well over 90% of scientist agree with evolution theory with the Berlin wall. Come on, good propaganda is more subtle Ben.

It is not the fact that Stein made such a terrible film, but the fact that so few people actually know how to make rational arguments. I thought Stein was a reasonable intelligent man before this film. This of course goes hand in glove with Stein's anti-intellectual contempt. Really, why is it that so many American hate those who received an education, those that might just know what they are talking about instead of going with the gut? America was founded during the enlightenment, a time when a major part of entertainment was debates, and going to an establishment having a drink and discussing contemporary ideas of science, politics and philosophy. I guess American Idol hadn't been invented yet.

It saddens me today that all ideas get lumped together in a smorgasbord of pick and choose, where all ideas are equally valid. A world where, "well that's what I believe" gets people off the hook for holding moronic and dangerous ideas. I'm not a superstitious person, and if peeps could somehow segregate their beliefs into religious (private, and not to be forced on others), and public (ideas that are used to vote on public policy) I'm cool with that. It doesn't happen. Nope, the religious want prayer in public schools and everywhere else, abortion made illegal, even though they know such a thing would lead to the deaths of many women, that we pretend creationism is a science, oppression of gays and women, Christianity is the only religion that matters, and I know I'm leaving other equally destructive positions out but there is a sampling of how religion is dangerous.

Even worse religion masks itself as an authority on morality. You think all those peeps fighting to have the 10 commandments placed on government property is innocent. Only two of the ten commandments are actually illegal in the U.S., and I guess I have enough respect for humanity to think we can come up with: don't steal my shit and I will not kill you all on our own. Yeppers, theft and murder, I don't know how we would have come up with that without talking snakes, and guys that walk on water. Thanks religion!

This stuff was plausible and even acceptable in a time before we figured out why it rained, and other natural phenomenon. People need answers to things, and religion gave the ancients those answers. We however know the truth; we do not have the same excuse. Thor doesn't make thunder and lightning. It is time we grow up, stop the anti-intellectualism, read a nice book, and enter into grown up conversation.

Ah I feel better
Alexandria