Stephen's interview tonight could be quite entertaining. You might remember Don McLeroy:
Americans inclined to read "Texan" as a synonym for "extremist" will be spellbound by Scott Thurman's The Revisionaries, which both finds another example in which a few Lone Star fundamentalists influence the whole country and demonstrates that, contrary to popular perception, many in the state oppose their views fiercely. Engaging and broadly relevant, the doc will play well to festival auds.
Revolving around the State Board of Education's review of textbook standards, the film opens with a worrisome market-based observation: Since Texas and California are the country's largest purchasers of textbooks, anything unlikely to meet Texas standards may well not get published. And since BOE elections are down-ticket races most voters barely even notice, it doesn't take much for an outsider to become one of the most important figures in the U.S. education system.
Take Don McLeroy, a dentist whose strict interpretation of the Bible holds that the earth was created less than ten thousand years ago. Though his only education experience is teaching Sunday School, McLeroy was the chair of the BOE for almost two years -- a period during which the board examined guidelines for the science texts that would mold young minds for years to come.
McLeroy is a decent fellow, and unlike some of Rick Perry's other political appointees (like Forensic Science Commission officer John Bradley, in the recent doc Incendiary) he didn't steamroll opponents with underhanded bureaucratic maneuvers. But whatever he could do in good conscience to weaken textbooks' presentation of the theory of Evolution, he did...
~John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter
The movie is The Revisionaries, and it's showing at the Tribeca Film Festival among others). There are lots of reviews etc. online (many linked at the site & on twitter). Here's the synopsis:
In Austin, Texas, fifteen people influence what is taught to the next generation of American children. Once every decade, the highly politicized Texas State Board of Education rewrites the teaching and textbook standards for its nearly 5 million schoolchildren. And when it comes to textbooks, what happens in Texas affects the nation as a whole.
Don McLeroy, a dentist, Sunday school teacher, and avowed young-earth creationist, leads the Religious Right charge. After briefly serving on his local school board, McLeroy was elected to the Texas State Board of Education and later appointed chairman. During his time on the board, McLeroy has overseen the adoption of new science and history curriculum standards, drawing national attention and placing Texas on the front line of the so-called "culture wars."
In his last term, McLeroy, aided by Cynthia Dunbar, an attorney from Houston and professor of Law at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, finds himself not only fighting to change what American's are taught, but also fighting to retain his seat on the board. Challenged by Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, and Ron Wetherington, an anthropology professor from Southern Methodist University in Texas, McLeroy faces his toughest term yet.
THE REVISIONARIES follows the rise and fall of some of the most controversial figures in American education through some of their most tumultuous intellectual battles.
Here's from a review by Eric Kohn at Indiewire:
Creationists and scientists repeatedly clash in a fascinating war of the words throughout "The Revisonaries," Scott Thurman's enthralling look at the resistance to the theory of evolution among prominent members of the Texas Board of Education. While turning to former head board-member and Young Earth Creationist Don McLeroy as his main subject, Thurman nevertheless utilizes a remarkably even-handed approach, but his portrait contains enough fiery debates to let viewers pick their sides.
For those in agreement with McLeroy's deeply religious perspective on the (very, very brief) history of the world, the cheery southerner maintains a valiant quest to maintain reverence for the Bible in the classroom. Others will sit alternately mesmerized, amused and horrified at his endorsement of biblical theories over hard fact, including the assertion that dinosaurs rode Noah's Ark...
For anyone interested in scientific progress, McLeroy is a charming naif with a menacing agenda, but then he's not alone his convictions (Thurman repeatedly shows board meetings opening with prayer sessions). "This is a microcosm of the real world," someone says about the ongoing debate. Indeed, because "The Revisionaries" uses people in a representative manner, one could easily imagine a popular television series based around its chief characters: A scene in which McLeroy visits the home of anthropology professor Weatherington, and the two earnestly attempt to get along while ending each nicety with a disclaimer, walks a fine line between comedic inspiration and utter uneasiness.
An affable dentist when he's not sitting in the Austin capital building, McLeroy makes a compelling centerpiece to the movie's concerns. "Somebody's gotta stand up to the experts," he says on more than one occasion, one of his many edicts sure to encourage face-planting from secular contingencies and anyone else interested in a more open-minded approach to education...
"The Revisionaries" pulls off the extraordinary trick of distinguishing between McLeroy the man and McLeroy the pundit: McLeroy the man is a good-natured Christian whose inability to find peace with his crusade makes him a figure of sympathy. But McLeroy the pundit is a near-grotesque caricature of Christianity's stranglehold on the American right. As the boardmember falls out of favor, it's easy to feel bad for him while marveling at his complete ineptitude in preventing his personal beliefs from having an impact on the educational system...
From Gabe Toro, also at indiwire:
The most magnetic personality in "The Revisionaries" belongs to Don McLeroy, who describes himself as a Young Earth Creationist. Believing "education is too important not to be polticized," he wields a heavy hammer as the leader of the panel, believing that his views are the only views, while he cordially offers up his thoughts on evolution and other scientific theories. When dealing with challenges to his views that the Earth is 6,000 years old, he appeals to his people, demanding "Somebody's gotta stand up to these... 'experts.'" Much of what his constituents believe, which carries over to the arguments occuring in the court, is that they have to be strategic about their comments -- religion must not be proved, but be presented in a way where it is impossible to disprove. When everything is a theory, nothing is a fact, and when more reasonable viewpoints conquer McLeroy's "we walked with the dinosaurs" philosophy, it's considered a "failure of strategy."
Among these strategies is the idea that evolution must be attacked, and brought down to the level of creationism, an acknowledgement that creationists know they have detractors. It goes beyond repeatedly referring to evolution as theory -- the bulk of the Board of Ed's discussions is dedicated to highlighting evolution's "insufficiencies." McLeroy's response to citizens buying radio ad-time to challenge his views is to attend local radio shows, where he counter-challenges with theassertion that some scientific concepts have yet to yield reasonable explanations in the field of science. We don't know when all it comes to science, he and his cronies argue, but we do know all with the word of the Lord.
It becomes even more eye-opening for the layman when McLeroy and his compatriots tackle the social studies textbooks. We're given glimpses of the representatives leafing through pages, deleting, omitting, and adding words to clarify their viewpoints. President Reagan goes from being a President who enacted change to someone who represented the "values of leadership" with merely a few carefully-placed adjectives. Communism is regarded with even harsher language than previously utilized. Most representatives stand by as McLeroy simply re-writes history according to his own opinionated specifications, indeed, there isn't much opposition until he opts for the removal of hip-hop from text books, instead advocating the teaching of country western music. When a black representative presses McLeroy to explain this replacement, he casually suggests students don't need to learn about hip hop, and struggles to answer when asked exactly what his definition of hip-hop might be...
Yep, could be fun. Also, could be worse. |