Washblog

Expelled was promoted through Evangelical churches across the country.  The movie claims in its first half to be about academic freedom:  creationists (Creation Science-ists, aka Intelligent Design-ists, aka teach-the-controversy-ists) are being unfairly excluded from academic positions.  The complaints have nothing to do with religion--just an earnest desire for our universities to be places of open inquiry.  Seattle-based Discovery Institute staff are featured in interviews.

Then, abruptly, the focus changes.  In the second half, Stein wanders around concentration camps trying to make connections between the evolutionary biology and the final solution (and a host of other godless evils).  The academic balance agenda vanishes, replaced by fear mongering:  It doesn't matter what's real, if people accept the findings of the biological sciences (evolution via natural selection) they will have no morals and will kill each other, just like the Nazis.  (Never mind Hitler's appeals to religion to justify his priorities.) My head was reeling a bit by the end.  I had expected the producer to stick with compatible ploys.

Multiple reviewers derided Expelled as a propaganda piece, on top of which it got terrible ratings.  One of the few positive reviews came from Christianity Today.   But that didn't stop the Discovery Institute -with Susan's vote of approval?-- from offering private screenings for legislators as part of their anti-evolution campaigns  called Academic Freedom bills .

Academic Freedom: the freedom to teach astrology, alternative physics, and intelligent design.  Just what we need.  Not.  With Seattle Public Schools straining to lower graduation standards, and with US students in general falling behind their international peers in science and math, I personally don't want public officials in any capacity who support a race to the bottom.

It's unfortunate that Hutchison's own science education wasn't adequate to let her differentiate science from religion.  Then again, we all have points of ignorance and ideological blind spots.  The question is, can she learn.  Or, as in the past, is she forever at risk of putting her energy behind poorly thought out and ideologically based priorities?