Two of my students came into homeroom this morning all excited to tell me what they did this weekend. They finally saw the movie Iron Man, and as I make no secret of my affection for comics in general and this movie in particular, they were bursting to give me their thoughts. Both said it was the best movie they'd seen all year and were extremely impressed with Robert Downey, Jr.'s performance. They said he was smart, funny, witty and "so cool." Then one of them said "And then we turned to each other and said, 'that's Mr. Lane!'" I'll take that.

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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.

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The surreal aura surrounding the McCain campaign continues. According to an article on the Huffington Post, a McCain aide sideswiped the real issue of the hate speech and utter crassness at the McCain rallies and tried to make out the criticisms as attacks on McCain's war record.

"Look, Chris, I think we have to take this very seriously," Davis told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace. "And the kind of comments made by Congressman Lewis, a big Obama supporter, are reprehensible. The idea that you're going to compare John McCain to the kinds of hate spread in the '60s by somebody like George Wallace is outrageous. Where was John McCain when George Wallace was spreading his hate and segregationist policies at that time? He was in a Vietnam prison camp serving his country with his civil rights also denied."

It sounded extremely familiar to me, but I couldn't place it all day. Then this evening I was cleaning out the shelf of DVDs under the TV, and I came across my copy of Animal House. Instantly it hit me; This was the classic "Delta House v Faber College" defense.

The scene was set during the Civil Rights Era of American History, and in dramatic moment reminiscent of Inherit The Wind, Delta's council, Eric 'Otter' Stratton, stood up against the injustice and blatant smears of the establishment represented by Dean Vernon Wormer and his stooges Greg Marmalard and Doug Neidermeyer and gave this impassioned and brilliant speech:

Eric 'Otter' Stratton

Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules or took a few liberties with our female guests.

We did.

But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few sick, perverted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg, isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do what you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you bad-mouth the United States of America! Gentlemen?

With that Stratton and his co-defendants marched out of the courtroom, refusing to play a part in that sham of a kangaroo court. It was a Pyrrhic victory, but a victory nonetheless. It's easy to see why those who support an esteemed presidential candidate would choose to go for such a classic legal move. After all, the rest of their campaign seems to have been devised during a drunken frat party as well.

 

 

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