I have always reguarded Glenn Reynolds, a.k.a. the Instapundit, to be a staunch defender of science and technology.
No more.
I haven't seen Ben Stein's Expelled, and I regard "Intelligent Design" theory as pernicious twaddle. But it's interesting to see Stein clobbering Morgan Spurlock in box office. At any rate, according to the comments, at least, there's more to the film than I.D. twaddle.
Then he updates the post with an extremely favorable review by Ed Morrissey.
He was not going to include any negative reviews of Expelled until I forced him to.
Even though I have been sending him negative reviews and background material since the 11th of April.
You can read my post with the gmail he sent me here.
I can't include the gmail screenshot here, because it isn't approved.
I was ganked by the Instapundit.
to gank:
The term gank has several meanings:
- When an overwhelmingly large or more powerful group or party kills you and/or your group. Commonly used as a verb.
- Where a single player purposely attacks a player of the opposing faction who is of substantially lower level.
- When a single player attacks a player of equal or lesser level who is in the middle of a fight with something else and is handicapped by that fight and unable to deal with the ganking enemy.
Certainly I am a player of lesser level. And I feel betrayed and ambushed by this.
I always thought Dr. Reynolds was a straight arrow that stood his intellectual ground on science. He has defended nanotech, and stood against the odious "bioethics" council. But he turns out to be just another IQ-baiter and theocon shill.
I have been sending him link after link on Expelled. He sent a mail saying that "it was too bad Ben Stein was making a fool of himself."
You can see it in the corner. April 11th.
This page has at least 20 negative reviews from people that have seen Expelled.
And what review does he link?
Capn Ed's.
I fisked that review and sent it to Dr. Reynolds.
In another email Dr. Reynolds said he was "trying to be fair" by linking Captn Ed's highly favorable review.
I mailed back that I had sent him at least 30 unfavorable reviews in the past week.
And that if he was fair he'd link at least one negative review.
What changed his mind about Stein?
I think I know.
Expelled is not an exposee of scientic antipathy towards freedom of inquiry.
It is simple IQ-baiting.
It is a smackdown against science and academe for thinking the religious right are stupid. IQ is a cultural stereotype just like race.
And perhaps even more difficult to talk about.
Great.
"Culture war politics."
Just what we need.
More polarization.
UPDATE:
under pressure from readers Dr. Yes links Expellexposed.
Yes, I was the "rabid asshole" that forced him to link.
But he ganked me first.
I think this debunks any naive notions that Dr. Reynolds is anything but a panderer to the religious right and the "theocons".
And I am not an atheist. I am a believer, like Dr. Miller and Dr. Collins, two fine scientists who are observant catholics and also notably missing from Expelled interview footage.
I'm just not a believer in Ben Stein's dishonest IQ-baiting.