Ben Stein Holds Court

[wautd]

Bumpski

Ben Stein holds court

"There's a lot of your fans out there," Ben Stein was asked, "who may think you've lost your mind."

Stein, the star and writer of his anti-evolution film, "Expelled," was on a conference call for reporters, though it was one of his own cohorts asking the questions.

"And what would you say to those folks?"

"I would say you're right. I probably have," Stein laughed.

Stein held court for an hour -- mostly sounding very serious about a film for which, in publicity pictures, he appears in a tie, jacket -- and shorts with black socks and sneakers.

"I haven't lost my mind," said Stein. "I think I'm engaged in a struggle that's very much uphill, and in which the establishment is very much against me, but I'm a rebel to my core...and happy to be in an uphill struggle."

His questioner asked, "Being as intelligent as you are, how you can you possibly question the intelligentsia who've pretty much already decided that Darwinism is no longer a theory, it is a law?"

Stein: "Well, I mean, the intelligentsia also said at a certain point that Adolph Hitler was the wave of the future, and the intelligentsia at a certain point also said that communism in Russia was the wave of the future, and the intelligentsia have said a great many things that haven't turned out to be true...so the intelligentsia is often wrong, and I'd say they're wrong at least as often as they're right, and we aim to show them they're wrong again.

"And you know what else? We're sick of being pushed around by the intelligentsia, and, even though I am one of the intelligentsia, we don't like being pushed around by other members of the intelligentsia, and I don't even like pushing myself around."

He was asked about the premise of the film.

"My feeling is that Darwinism is only at a best a partial solution, and an extremely dangerous partial solution. I would say, based on the little I know, Darwinism explains microevolution within species quite well. As to its broader consequence and implications, I don’t think it explains individual species evolution at all well."

Stein and the film's producers dismissed accusations that they had interviewed various adherents to Darwin's theory of natural selection, such as the biologist/blogger PZ Myers, under false pretenses, before the project took on the tone it has.

A voice said, "Let's move off the subject of these criticisms of the film" -- and he was interrupted by another voice, saying, "Let's NOT move off the subject. There are a lot of legitimate criticisms to be made...."

"Who is this?"

"PZ Myers." There was laughter. Myers had tried last week to go to a screening of the film, and was thrown out."

"You are a most persistent man," laughed a voice that sounded like Stein's.

Myers was asked to "do the honorable thing" and leave the call, which he did after announcing his e-mail address for anyone who may want his side of the controversy. (Read Myers' version of the call HERE. You can also read the interview invitation he says he got last year from one of Stein's producers HERE.)

And the call went on, but that gives you a taste. Whatever you think of Stein's people and their efforts, there they are in their own words.

based on the little I know

Then shut up

[wautd]

Oops, I originally intented to add to this. Don't know if this warrants a seperate topic.

Regardless of that, is intelligentsia a new buzzword or something? I never heared of it before

[Zac Naloen]

Oops, I originally intented to add to this. Don't know if this warrants a seperate topic.

Regardless of that, is intelligentsia a new buzzword or something? I never heared of it before

I always hear it with regards to war time type fiction.

Never in this context.

[Frank Hipper]

The "intelligentsia" were a group of dangerous anti-patriots who used their minds and education to damage Mom, Apple Pie, and God, and were just as poorly defined by such luminaries as Adolph Hitler and Pol Pot.

It's a propaganda term to smear the so-called educated elite.

"And you know what else? We're sick of being pushed around by the intelligentsia, and, even though I am one of the intelligentsia, we don't like being pushed around by other members of the intelligentsia, and I don't even like pushing myself around."

Oh, well said, Mr. Stein, brah-vo.

[Imperial Overlord]

Yes, he's "a rebel to the core". Since when did serving in the Nixon administration, being a loyal member of the Republican Party, and making a movie that serves the desires the a large and powerful religious establishment make one a rebel?

[Darth Wong]

Ho hum, another Judeo-Christian pretending that Judeo-Christians are the victims of discrimination in American society, in open defiance of the facts. They have the Congress, the Presidency, almost all business leaders, more than 80% of the population at large, their own dedicated TV and radio stations, special tax exemptions for their activities, special exemptions from child abuse laws for their beliefs, they force everyone else to take their holidays, but ooooooh, they're being persecuted because they can't give a wrong answer on a biology test and still get an A.

[Battlehymn Republic]

Remember when we used to think that Ben Stein was Deep Throat? That was funny.

[Darth Servo]

Ben, you're an idiot. But lets run with his logic:

The "intelligencia" isn't always right.

Well, Joe six-pack is right even less. What does that tell you about the two?

[Darth Wong]

Maybe Ben Stein is onto something with this whole "oppression" angle. Let's look at some of the other oppressive ideas foisted by an educated elite onto unenthusiastic students in school by overbearing educators:

- Vaccinations
- Algebra
- Calculus
- Euclidian geometry
- Trigonometry
- Physics
- Chemistry
- History
- Grammar and punctuation
- Proper spelling
- Exams
- Report cards

Just think of how much more enjoyable school could be if these intelligentsia-inspired tyrannical educators stopped oppressing the students! Why, it could be paradise! All those annoying things that students hate and don't see why they need to know or agree with.

[Gil Hamilton]

Did he just link Evolution to Hitler and the Soviet Union?

Oh, Ben Stein... Godwin's Law invoked.

[Darth Servo]

Did he just link Evolution to Hitler and the Soviet Union?

Many creationist morons do.

[SpacedTeddyBear]

Just think of how much more enjoyable school could be if these intelligentsia-inspired tyrannical educators stopped oppressing the students! Why, it could be paradise! All those annoying things that students hate and don't see why they need to know or agree with.

Amen. Going through E/M would've been a lot easier if I'd accused my instructors of being tyrannical because they docked points off my exam for butchering a derivation of Poynting's vector.

Stein and his ilk are nothing but a bunch of parasites. The reason why most of civilization has grown culturally and technologically, is because of the few intellectual elite. How often is it that some bumpkin from the ass end of nowhere had been able to guide the development of technology and society?

[DaveJB]

"My feeling is that Darwinism is only at a best a partial solution, and an extremely dangerous partial solution. I would say, based on the little I know, Darwinism explains microevolution within species quite well. As to its broader consequence and implications, I don’t think it explains individual species evolution at all well."

Congratulations, Benny! You just admitted that the theory of evolution is valid, and since it doesn't differentiate between "micro" and "macro" evolution, you've also admitted that it explains how we came to be!

[Hotfoot]

You know, I thought this was going to be a small blip on the radar, but no, the advertisements are EVERYWHERE. Fucking hell, who is funding this crap? The fucking commercial practically plays like a Chick Tract, with the distraught, wild-haired scientist fumbling for words to Ben Stein's Superego in retarded clothing.

[xerex]

its being marketted like the next superbad or bill and ted.

that could cuase some backlash when people actually see it.

[Darth Wong]

And they still keep saying that all of the money is behind evolution. I'm so sick of dealing with people who CONSTANTLY FUCKING LIE! Is it really so much to ask that people have a goddamned ounce of integrity?

[Alyrium Denryle]

And they still keep saying that all of the money is behind evolution. I'm so sick of dealing with people who CONSTANTLY FUCKING LIE! Is it really so much to ask that people have a goddamned ounce of integrity?

yes. Honestly I am probably going to see it just so i can write a scathing comedic review to spread like a meme on the internet....

[Rye]

"Intelligentsia" is also a word Chomsky uses to describe the rulers of the media empires, as well as a shorthand description of the "old boy network" in which you get into positions due to what school you went to and who you know, with lots of minor hegemonic groups filling out into the producers of the overall hegemonic forces.

And I have no idea who this Ben Stein guy is, thankfully. Of course, it comes as no surprise that the new spokesman for anti-evolution is a faith-addled liar just like the malign demagogues, hypocrites, racists and conmen that came before him.

[Darth Servo]

And I have no idea who this Ben Stein guy is, thankfully.

Actor known for being incredibly bland and boring. Most famous for playing a dull monotonic history teacher in "Ferris Buhler's Day Off" and did commercials for eye medication. "Wow"

Had a gameshow named after him "Win Ben Stein's Money" which was your basic 'answer trivia questions' thing which apparently was a large source of his over-inflated opinion of his own intelligence and knowledge.

[Illuminatus Primus]

He was also the history teacher in Wonder Years.

However, he was also a Nixon staffer and speechwriter. He is a hardcore long-time Republitard.

[Elmca]

The National Center for Science Education just put up their rebuttal site for Stein's movie yesterday.

Expelled Exposed

Some relevant Stein quotes:

Some, like Richard Dawkins and Michael Shermer, were interviewed by the host of the film, Ben Stein...Dawkins recalled Stein being unusually aggressive in his questioning...Shermer found Stein “rude and arrogant”.

PS: I'm glad this board has a preview function. I apparently suck at quote tags!

[Wicked Pilot]

Speaking of courts, has anyone else expecting the almost inevitable copyright suit from Harvard University?

[Kanastrous]

Had a gameshow named after him "Win Ben Stein's Money" which was your basic 'answer trivia questions' thing which apparently was a large source of his over-inflated opinion of his own intelligence and knowledge.

I tried out for his show, years ago.

Aced the written test, and wiped the floor with my mock-game opponents.

They didn't put me on the show, though.

I'm very un-telegenic.

[Darth Onasi]

"And you know what else? We're sick of being pushed around by the intelligentsia, and, even though I am one of the intelligentsia, we don't like being pushed around by other members of the intelligentsia, and I don't even like pushing myself around."

First he makes up some sort of faction of super-inteliigent people who look down on others because they're sooo intelligent, then he claims membership in it, then he says he's against their status quo making him a rebel and more intelligent than them because they're all wrong and just too stubborn to admit it.
All hail Stein the super genius who'll save us from the Intelligentsia and their cruel oppression of the legitimate and valid belief that all humanity is descended from two naked people in a garden.

"I haven't lost my mind,"

You can't lose what you obviously never had.

[TithonusSyndrome]

I would say, based on the little I know, Darwinism explains microevolution within species quite well.

So wait - you admit that you're not an authority on the subject and as such shouldn't probably be making any films on it, yet off you go? Good job, you know-nothing cuntsore. Fuck your aloof nasal-sneering shtick and your vast breadth of petty non-technical knowledge on how to be a myopic Republitard stooge, you contemptible little cockwart. I hope the crucifix at your church comes off the wall and bashes your empty head while you're kneeling in self-prostration and you have to try to hide your humiliation and your hurt pride with your stoic, apathetic face yet again, you smug twit. "Member of the intelligentsia" indeed.