“Take the only tree that's left and stuff it up the hole in your culture” – Leonard Cohen, The Future
"Be uncomfortable; be sand, not oil, to the machinery of the world." — Gunter Eich.
Watching this video should probably get your teeth gnashing, mostly because it’s chock full of the regular idiocies that the creationists spread among us, like when foreign settlers handed out smallpox-ridden blankets to the Native Americans (if you’ll pardon the metaphor).
For the most part, the beauty queens in this video are playing the diplomacy card, and give equal weight to the crazies. Among the inanities:
A. This is a NON-DEBATE. An empty question. Evolution is taught in schools regardless. In fact, biology classes would not exist without it.
B. The ‘Fair Play’ Debate is. Just. Plain. Stupid. Science has never been about democracy. It isn’t. Reality isn’t decided by popular vote. “We should teach the kids every idea, and let them decide.” Really? Have any of these women had kids? Taught them? Does everybody just grow a blank spot about how effin’ confused they were as children, let alone teenagers? Newsflash: there aren’t any kids around who are as sharp as the ones in those coming-of-age movies. Sorry.
C. This one always sets my teeth on edge: Evolution is just a theory. Let’s just toss out gravity and relativity too, while we’re at it.
I realize this is a re-occurring motif for me, so sorry if I harp on this, but (I feel) it can’t be emphasized enough: an opinion is just a statement, unless it has evidence to back it up. Then it becomes a statement of fact (or facts). What is mind-boggling, is that the improper use of language can spin anything into “it’s just your opinion.”
But in America, we mince. We tip-toe on eggshells. We cave based on the precepts of diplomacy. That feelings are such fragile things, they need to be nurtured, and if those feelings are religious? Roll out the red fucking carpet and throw a freakin’ ticker-tape parade, and shout it from the rooftops.
What utter milquetoast horse manure.
Or to quote Howard Beale from the movie Network: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore." So I’ve undertaken my own personal mission: every time someone starts out with “Well, I believe [insert bizarre fringe nonsense here]…”, I interrupt them with “It doesn’t matter what you believe.” Go ahead and try it sometime. Likelihood is, you’ll get some serious glaring, maybe even the occasional maniacal glint. People will be offended (I gave up worrying about that decades ago: the years have taught me, that somebody somewhere will be stoked no matter what), their feelings will be hurt. You may even get some accommodationist who’s been suckered in by the ‘every opinion is valid’ nonsense jumping right in and telling you ‘you can’t say that!’ (I tell those folks to have me arrested then. What? You can’t? Then I guess I CAN say it.)
One of the other problems that leads into this, is what I like to call ‘Pretty Face Syndrome’. If it’s on TV (or in a movie), and it’s emoted by someone attractive, it gets accepted almost automatically. Because really, who would listen to an utter moron mouth complete stupidity unless it’s packaged properly? There really isn’t any other reason people listen to idiots like Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, or Jenna McCarthy unless the presentation gives most men erections. And yeah, it’s still a man’s world, so this crap floats in under the radar because most guys (myself excluded) tend to listen with half an ear while slobbering over cleavage. Conversely, I’m willing to bet there’s a lot more female Scientologists because Travolta and Cruise are floating around on the Good Ship Lollipop spreading their little meme disease.
So here it is, July Fourth, Happy Birthday America! And what better way to celebrate your First Amendment rights than by spreading dissent and practicing your freedom FROM religion.
Because there is no freedom of religion, unless there’s freedom from religion.
Have a safe and happy Fourth, and give ‘em reason for me!
Till the next post, then.
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