Indignation And Condescension At The Movies

A few months ago I started getting links from some of my more conservative friends and family to sites containing trailers for Ben Stein's movie Expelled, which purportedly exposes the hypocrisy and wrong-headed thinking of elitist educators who are so thick that they refuse to give any credence to the idea of "intelligent design." I got them because people tend to think of me as someone who appreciates humor, and, I guess, because I must need saving from the heathen ideas that have corrupted our institutions of learning (y'know...like the ones I've taught at for the last fifteen years). I have not seen this movie yet, but from the previews and reviews I've seen, Stein comes across as smug, condescending, and disdainful of anything that does not support the thesis of the film.

Today online, I came across the trailer for a new movie by comedian Bill Maher called Religulous. From the trailer, the movie apparently exposes the hypocrisy and wrong-headed thinking of religious believers who are so thick that they refuse to give any credence to the idea of intelligent thought. This movie isn't out in the theaters yet, but from the preview, Maher comes across as smug, condescending, and disdainful of anything that does not support the thesis of the film.

While I do have definite feelings that favor one side over the other, I find myself rolling my eyes at both these films. Neither one appears at all interested in giving the other side anything that resembles fair representation. All they seem interested in doing is stirring up ill will against those in philosophical opposition to them. Enough, please. I'm fed up with dividing this country into us and them camps. I'm tired of being told one side is evil by advocates of the other. We've had more than a decade of that in politics, and now when we finally have two political candidates who seem to be focusing on what they consider their own strengths rather thane their opponent's potential weaknesses, I don't want it spilling over into full blown religious conflict. History shows those kinds of conflicts don't have happy endings. Ever.

You want to debate religion, fine...debate it. Rationally. No name calling, No mocking the other side. No ad hominem attacks. I don't see it happening though, as rationale discussion doesn't usually make good theater.