On Austringer, Wesley Elsberry discusses Michael Shermer's (Scientific American) posting how during the showing at Pepperdine University, 'extras' were brought in as 'students' since the movie producers were concerned that there would otherwise not be enough attendees.
Elsberry points out the irony of how gluing moths to a tree for educational purposes is somehow fraudulent but bussing in 'extras' to serve as 'students' isn't. Food for thought As an interesting sidenoteIt was with some irony for me, then, that I saw Ben Stein’s antievolution documentary film, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, opens with the actor, game show host and speechwriter for Richard Nixon addressing a packed audience of adoring students at Pepperdine University, apparently falling for the same trap I did. Actually they didn’t. The biology professors at Pepperdine assure me that their mostly Christian students fully accept the theory of evolution. So who were these people embracing Stein’s screed against science? Extras. According to Lee Kats, associate provost for research and chair of natural science at Pepperdine, “the production company paid for the use of the facility just as all other companies do that film on our campus” but that “the company was nervous that they would not have enough people in the audience so they brought in extras. Members of the audience had to sign in and a staff member reports that no more than two to three Pepperdine students were in attendance. Mr. Stein’s lecture on that topic was not an event sponsored by the university.” And this is one of the least dishonest parts of the film.
— Shermer
In 1974 I matriculated at Pepperdine University as a born-again Christian who rejected Darwinism and evolutionary theory—not because I knew anything about it (I didn't) but because I thought that in order to believe in God and accept the Bible as true, you had to be a creationist. What I knew about evolution came primarily from creationist literature, so when I finally took a course in evolutionary theory in graduate school I realized that I had been hoodwinked. What I discovered is a massive amount of evidence from multiple sciences—geology, paleontology, biogeography, zoology, botany, comparative anatomy, molecular biology, genetics and embryology—demonstrating that evolution happened.
— Shermer
14 Comments
Ricardo · 14 April 2008
If the criticism wasn't thorough enough, even webcomic illustrator Jeff Rowling is getting on it.
this link
Torbjörn Larsson, OM · 14 April 2008
It is indeed food for happy thought.
But unfortunately I'm pretty sure that the creationists will claim that they don't glue students to their seats as the evilutionary 'Darwinism' establishment 'would do'.
Torbjörn Larsson, OM · 14 April 2008
Ricardo, what a find!
"Ben Stein, poopin' puppy stufsz in ur offize!"
Nigel D · 14 April 2008
Yeah, there is a difference:
Peppered moths positioned on tree trunks illustrate a point, and therefore serve a genuine purpose.
Extras paid to act as an audience for Ben Stein are only there for the money - the only purpose they serve is to deceive Expelled viewers by making it look like he has an audience. So this is deliberate deception.
Dave Wisker · 14 April 2008
Wells has no grounds for complaint about staging anything. From a review of the premiere of the video for 'Icons of Evolution':
"The DH [Roger DeHart]segments contain shots of the audience from the "Banned in Burlington" talk and scenes from CNN footage of our BECSE meeting. There is even a picture of Carl with Supt. Jones and DH in one of the Skagit Valley Herald front-page articles. One scene depicted DH supposedly teaching biology in Burlington. However, it wasn't in Burlington, the textbook shown wasn't Burlington's, and most of the "students" have been identified as Roger DeHart's son's friends. (And Wells has issues with peppered moths glued to trees?) BECSE has learned that that DH and the DI may have used the Mount Vernon Christian school for the footage of fake classroom drama. Regardless, a DeHart supporter said at a Burlington-Edison School Board meeting that the classroom scene was filmed in Mount Vernon. "
http://www.antievolution.org/people/wells_j/cj_icons_premiere.html
dhogaza · 14 April 2008
Burlington. Edison. Mt. Vernon. Skagit Valley and Samish Flats.
Winter days with tens of thousands of snow geese ... hundreds of trumpeter swans ... great grey owl and gyrfalcon on the same day ... five falcon days (kestrel, prairie, merlin, 'grine, gyr)... shorebirds galore ...
And DI operatives working the local school board? You just ruined my day, dude!
caerbannog · 14 April 2008
If the criticism wasn’t thorough enough, even webcomic illustrator Jeff Rowling is getting on it.
It looks like Rowling misspelled "cdesign proponentsists".
Christopher Heard · 14 April 2008
Does anyone who has actually seen Expelled know whether the film identifies Pepperdine University as the site of Ben's big auditorium speech? I remember getting back to campus late last summer and seeing posters all over the place advertising for extras. Everybody who showed up was given a raffle ticket for some iPod model or other. I remember thinking, "Most of my students already have their own iPods. You'll have to do better than that." Lots of filming goes on at Pepperdine during the summer. I was kind of hoping that the auditorium would just seem to be a generic college campus. (Full disclosure: I'm an associate prof of religion at Pepperdine.)
mark · 14 April 2008
Not only did the Evilutionists glue moths to trees, but they also made an animated film showing the inner workings of a cell! How unethical!
Ichthyic · 14 April 2008
But unfortunately I'm pretty sure that the creationists will claim that they don't glue students to their seats as the evilutionary 'Darwinism' establishment 'would do'.
oh?
what's a church but a bunch of long benches with glue on the seats?
Torbjörn Larsson, OM · 14 April 2008
"What's a church but a bunch of long benches"
Hmm. Seems I need to get a glue stick.
Henry J · 14 April 2008
But their still moths!!111!!!one!!eleven!
Henry J · 19 April 2008
wiggles · 15 February 2009