Ben Stein's pro-ID movie

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2008-01-13 03:18pm

I ran across an ad for this on the Darwin Awards website. Turns out that Ben Stein is making a movie about how "Big Science" is banishing ideas like intelligent design from its classroom. He interviews several "persecuted" scientists who've been told to "shut up" by Big Science.

The trailer is one of the most vomit-inducing pieces of shit I've ever seen. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm surprised about this. I always knew Ben Stein was a conservative, supply-side apologist. But he's just gone over the top with this one. The trailer starts with the typical ID trash of "Some people believe that we're just a bunch of mud that came about from random chance, while I think we're the beautiful products of a loving god" and just goes downhill from there.

The sad part is that, if this gets popular enough, it will probably garner up a lot of public support for the ID fraud. It pushes all the right buttons. It paints evolution as a doctrine and at the end, Ben Stein tells you that, if you're a scientist who hopes to have a career ahead of him, don't see this movie because the establishment will, like, knock you down, man.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2008-01-13 03:20pm

I forgot that Nixon's right-wing old rich white guy speechwriters and political apparatchiks are being oppressed by the Establishment. Silly me.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2008-01-13 03:51pm

I would be very interested to find one of these apathetic types who doesn't particularly care about the issue one way or another, show him this film, and see what his reaction is.

Would he find it totally compelling, and be converted? Would he see the obvious propaganda elements in the film? Or would he take the standard Middle America view and say "Meh, both sides make good points" and tell himself that he's, like, super-reasonable?

Pulp Hero · Post by **Pulp Hero** » 2008-01-13 06:27pm

I find that most "middle-ground" people will vote for religion when push comes to shove because it is the statis quo and they figure that religion probably has a point, even if they don't see it or care about it.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2008-01-13 08:32pm

Why do people think Ben Stein is smart, anyway? The guy is a B-list actor who always sounds like he's doped up on Valium, and whose only notable skill seems to be that he knows a lot of trivia. His educational credentials are in economics and law: two of the biggest bullshit factories in the world, neither of which has anything to do with science at all.

SpacedTeddyBear · Post by **SpacedTeddyBear** » 2008-01-13 08:52pm

Darth Wong wrote:Why do people think Ben Stein is smart, anyway? The guy is a B-list actor who always sounds like he's doped up on Valium, and whose only notable skill seems to be that he knows a lot of trivia. His educational credentials are in economics and law: two of the biggest bullshit factories in the world, neither of which has anything to do with science at all.

Stein has a couple of letters following his name, courtesy of his degree. To your common Joe, he's qualified to talk about whatever fields of subjects he doesn't know.

Pulp Hero · Post by **Pulp Hero** » 2008-01-13 10:10pm

Darth Wong wrote:Why do people think Ben Stein is smart, anyway? The guy is a B-list actor who always sounds like he's doped up on Valium, and whose only notable skill seems to be that he knows a lot of trivia. His educational credentials are in economics and law: two of the biggest bullshit factories in the world, neither of which has anything to do with science at all.

He looks smart.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2008-01-13 10:29pm

Pulp Hero wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Why do people think Ben Stein is smart, anyway? The guy is a B-list actor who always sounds like he's doped up on Valium, and whose only notable skill seems to be that he knows a lot of trivia. His educational credentials are in economics and law: two of the biggest bullshit factories in the world, neither of which has anything to do with science at all.
He looks smart.

He does? He looks pudgy and dull to me. Maybe he just looks "smart" because he's so obviously un-athletic, and he's rather obviously been un-athletic his entire life.

Pulp Hero · Post by **Pulp Hero** » 2008-01-13 10:38pm

He looks like a stereotypical nerdy professor, therefore, smart to people. Look I didn't say he is smart, I'm just putting the reason out there why a lot of people will listen to him.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2008-01-13 10:46pm

Pulp Hero wrote:He looks like a stereotypical nerdy professor, therefore, smart to people. Look I didn't say he is smart, I'm just putting the reason out there why a lot of people will listen to him.

Ah, so it's his horrible tweed jacket fashion sense that makes people think he's smart.

Zablorg · Post by **Zablorg** » 2008-01-13 10:53pm

I think it was posted a while ago that a very similar thing is being done by Matthew Broderick. Same basic "o noez teh establishment eez eevilz!" attitude.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2008-01-13 11:01pm

Zablorg wrote:I think it was posted a while ago that a very similar thing is being done by Matthew Broderick. Same basic "o noez teh establishment eez eevilz!" attitude.

I don't know about Matthew Broderick, but I do know that Kirk Cameron is doing videos like this. He didn't just sign on to those "Left Behind" movies for the paycheque.

CmdrWilkens · Post by **CmdrWilkens** » 2008-01-14 10:01am

Darth Wong wrote:
Zablorg wrote:I think it was posted a while ago that a very similar thing is being done by Matthew Broderick. Same basic "o noez teh establishment eez eevilz!" attitude.
I don't know about Matthew Broderick, but I do know that Kirk Cameron is doing videos like this. He didn't just sign on to those "Left Behind" movies for the paycheque.

Cameron was also part of one of the "we can prove God exists" debates a bit back though damned if I can remember who hosted that one. That and his super fundie web prosletyzing.

Davis 51 · Post by **Davis 51** » 2008-01-14 12:36pm

CmdrWilkens wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:
Zablorg wrote:I think it was posted a while ago that a very similar thing is being done by Matthew Broderick. Same basic "o noez teh establishment eez eevilz!" attitude.
I don't know about Matthew Broderick, but I do know that Kirk Cameron is doing videos like this. He didn't just sign on to those "Left Behind" movies for the paycheque.
Cameron was also part of one of the "we can prove God exists" debates a bit back though damned if I can remember who hosted that one. That and his super fundie web prosletyzing.

IIRC, Cameron said he has proof of God without referencing the bible. When the time came, he used a variation of the watchmaker/coke can argument involving a painting, and then proceeded to start naming the 10 commandments.

Civil War Man · Post by **Civil War Man** » 2008-01-14 01:26pm

Darth Wong wrote:He looks pudgy and dull to me. Maybe he just looks "smart" because he's so obviously un-athletic, and he's rather obviously been un-athletic his entire life.

Pretty much. His look is basically the awkward high school nerd all growed up. Since there are probably a lot of people out there who don't realize that a significant percentage of nerds actually grow up to be interesting and dynamic people, Ben Stein is associated with smart because the stereotypical smart kids had a similar (albeit younger) look.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2008-01-14 07:12pm

Darth Wong wrote:
Pulp Hero wrote:He looks like a stereotypical nerdy professor, therefore, smart to people. Look I didn't say he is smart, I'm just putting the reason out there why a lot of people will listen to him.
Ah, so it's his horrible tweed jacket fashion sense that makes people think he's smart.

To Joe-sixpack, out-ward conformity with stereotype is all that matters.

Lusankya · Post by **Lusankya** » 2008-01-14 07:23pm

Darth Wong wrote:Why do people think Ben Stein is smart, anyway? The guy is a B-list actor who always sounds like he's doped up on Valium, and whose only notable skill seems to be that he knows a lot of trivia. His educational credentials are in economics and law: two of the biggest bullshit factories in the world, neither of which has anything to do with science at all.

It's because people only get a certain number of points to allocate to their Sims, and he clearly didn't allocate any to the looks or athletics stats, so ergo he put all of his points into brains.