It appears that some prominent voices in the USA are now
openly advocating a mass rejection of Science and its
findings regarding this planet and its inhabitants.

"The American Civil Rights Union" seems (at first glance)
like it must be a very well-intentioned organization, now
doesn't it?

I've removed the political content from the quote below.
I do not care what party (if any) that Robert Knight
might belong to.

What did catch my attention, is that there appears to
exist a substantial (and concentrated) group of American
citizens who are ripe for marshaling in an effort to
reject and discard the discoveries of Science altogether.
So long as such folks are scattered and disconnected, they
do not concern me much at all.

But, if great amounts of money are funneled into groups
such as "The American Civil Rights Union," so that their
viewpoint can be magnified and promoted, I fear that some
bad outcomes are on the horizon.

[source purposefully not cited -- look it up, if you wish]

>The American Civil Rights Union’s Robert Knight,
>who has been encouraging... social issues such as
>hostility to abortion rights and opposition to
>LGBT equality, now... [recommends] denying the
>existence of evolution.
>
>Citing a Pew poll which shows that belief in evolution
>has plummeted... [among certain Americans] Knight told
>the American Family Association’s One News Now that...
>[people should be] “questioning evolution more than ever.”
>
>He also warns that a belief in evolution “leads to
>terrible things like socialism and communism and fascism
>and Nazism and the more extreme forms of liberalism in
>this country.”

UD

So, which is easier to control:

- Informed educated critical thinkers.
- Dumbed down magical believers.

I'm guessing that many of the monied "controllers"
do not much care whether or not scientific discoveries
are valid -- in fact, they may privately accept them
pretty much across the board.

But -- if a concentrated, inter-connected bunch of
Science rejectors can be brought under "control" they
might well provide a springboard for cunning modern
demagogues, bent upon launching "controlling" careers.

I've seen the same phenomenon in other instances --
people who are not themselves inherently racist, taking
advantage of a certain population's racial fears, in
order to further their own controlling desires and plans.

This sort of thing ought to be exposed, if not combated
with an equally large source of funding.

Billionaires with hidden agendas, hooking up with masses
of ignorant fools.... what could possibly go wrong?

UD

Many don't like considering the possibility.

Now if you really want to get creeped out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrHeg77LF4Y

Long; best watched on stationary bike over days or something.

I don't (yet) agree with everything in it - but it is disturbing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2014 06:55PM by zenjamin.

One thing going for ignorance is that it doesn't recognize itself. If it did, it would soon evaporate.

Mr. Knight is in his 60's and I look forward to his death and the death of his generation. No offense to the baby boomers but a myriad of problems will be solved after your generation has moved on.

That is an odd observation. The baby boomer generation has had numerous laudable accomplishments, both technologically and socially. I hope that my generation can build on the accomplishments of the baby boomers, but from what I've seen from my peers, I doubt we will match what baby boomers have done. Of course baby boomers are not perfect, but I still take my hat off to them.

procrusteanchurch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That is an odd observation. The baby boomer
> generation has had numerous laudable
> accomplishments, both technologically and
> socially. I hope that my generation can build on
> the accomplishments of the baby boomers, but from
> what I've seen from my peers, I doubt we will
> match what baby boomers have done. Of course baby
> boomers are not perfect, but I still take my hat
> off to them.

I have the feeling (based upon observation) that the
generation that came back from WWII and took advantage
of the G.I. Bill, to gain advanced education, were some
of the most open-minded and tolerant people I ever knew.
It was their sons and daughters who became the hippies,
Weather Underground, Black Panthers and radical feminists.

Then, after that brief flickering of light, something
devolutionary happened. I can't quite pinpoint what and
when -- but I saw it fully realized in a neighbor of my
own generation, when told that the Space Shuttle had
been discontinued:

"Good!" he said. "About damn time, that we stopped wasting
the citizens' money and start legislating some tax cuts!"

I was astounded by that reaction -- but even more so by
his follow-up:

"Let the f__king Chinese have the Moon, and Mars, and all
the satellites and stuff. It has all been a waste, ever
since Eisenhower tried to top the Russians' Sputnik."

There's a lot of that sort of thinking among people born
between 1945 and 1955. I'm not sure why that is. I truly
think the very same people were more intelligent and less
bitter just a decade ago.

UD

I think you are noting that "boomer" as a homogeneous generation is nonsense - and you are correct.

"Early" and "late" "boomers" are quite different - the latter having more in common philosophically with the (perhaps somewhat reasonably jaded) "X" generation.

Each gen in study is interesting, and to laud or condemn an entire generation is to miss entirely what is very fascinating.

---

To condemn an entire generation is to miss the human experience entirely.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2014 01:04AM by zenjamin.

Albinolamanite Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mr. Knight is in his 60's and I look forward to
> his death and the death of his generation. No
> offense to the baby boomers but a myriad of
> problems will be solved after your generation has
> moved on.

As a boomer, no offense taken, AL. :)

A myriad of earthly problems will be gone when you depart this plane, as well. :)

Dumb people (willfully ignorant people) are much easier to manipulate!

Belief in religion leads to even worse things.