Monday, December 18, 2006

Intelligent Discourse

I don't watch a whole lot of TV, but a few months ago, I discovered that there is now a show that is the equivalent of a tournament of "yo' momma" jokes. I have no idea what the name of the show was, or even what channel it was on (I suspect MTV or something of the like).

What amazed me was that rational discourse is being thrown out the window for hurling insults that are hardly even witty. It definately doesn't help America in terms of knowing a good argument.

And that's precisely what the folks over at the Discovery Institute like: childish insults that have no substance and instead, appeal to those with not intellectual abilities. The DI bitches and moans about how Eugenie Scott, Barbara Forrest and the rest of the prominent evolution proponents portray them as ignorant children who don't know the first thing about science, yet the DI is the ones catering to this crowd and happy to crown itself.

Earlier this year, I posted about DaveScott resorting to "yo' momma" jokes when his readers disagreed with him on whether or not Hovind should be given privlidges to break the law for his religion.

But now this has been kicked up a notch, with the attempt to make all sorts of ad hominem attacks on Judge Jones, complete with farting noises. The farting noises have been since removed with Dembski admitting that those with refined tastes find it inappropriate. I guess this is an admittance that Dembski's tastes are hardly refined? I suppose so

Why the abandoment of real discourse? Well according to Dembski, the kiddies love it. He states:
Rather, my aim was to render Judge Jones and his decision ridiculous in the eyes of many young people, who from here on will never take Darwinian evolution or him seriously.
In other words, argumentum ad ridiculum is the name of the game.

But not to be forgotten, DaveScott chimes back in with his pictoral response to "Girly Man" Dawkins:

Aww... how cute. I just hope DaveScott isn't using his own daughter (presuming he has one). After all, using children to peddle ideological slogans is child abuse. Everyone says so...

1 comment:

nullability said...

I have noticed that Christianity seems to have a powerful obsession with "innocence," culminating in a kind of reverence for the childish mindset. It is likely that this aspect of the Christian value system has evolved specifically to favour qualities like obedience and faith in its followers. As DaveScott said, "we can't stay young in body but we can sure stay young at heart." I don't think he means that we should drink plenty of red wine.