STITCH vs. STITCH

[tikistitch]

With apologies to Antonio Prohias.

Also, look what idiocy greeted us in the online version of the LA Times this mornin':

Testing Darwin's Teachers

LIBERTY, Mo. — Monday morning, Room 207: First day of a unit on the origins of life. Veteran biology teacher Al Frisby switches on the overhead projector and braces himself.

As his students rummage for their notebooks, Frisby introduces his central theme: Every creature on Earth has been shaped by random mutation and natural selection — in a word, by evolution.

"Isn't it true that mutations only make an animal weaker?" sophomore Chris Willett demands. " 'Cause I was watching one time on CNN and they mutated monkeys to see if they could get one to become human and they couldn't."

Frisby tries to explain that evolution takes millions of years, but Willett isn't listening. "I feel a tail growing!" he calls to his friends, drawing laughter.

Huh? If "mutations only make an animal weaker," why are we (including PRESIDENT BUSH) all terrified of Bird Flu mutating? Duh.

And what the hell program was this Willett kid watching on CNN? Anderson Cooper's 360 Mutated Monkey Hour? WTF?

Look, this isn't a "debate." This is some just moron disrupting class. Send the little idjit to the priciple's office until he learns to be respectful.

Comments

[twotone]

"mutated monkeys to see if they could get one to become human". Uh...huh. Nice MAKING SHIT UP SO YOU CAN GET ATTENTION, boy.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

The really sad thing is, as you may know, some churches actually have classes to train these little creeps how to be disruptive. I'm so glad I'm old enough to have had biology class back in the Dark Ages, back when you actually had to shut up and learn something.

[twotone]

I read the entire article and quietly seethed.

There are times when I wish I'd been raised with a specific faith, so that I have some spiritual center to my life. But when faith and belief are turned into blindness like this, it quietly enrages me. Plus part of me feels like... dude, you can't force Creationism down other people's throats AND YET not keep kosher. That's not fair. Either follow the whole book (even the parts that contradict the other parts) or accept that it's not literal.

[mmymoon.livejournal.com]

OMG. THOSE CHILDRENS NEED A SLAPPIN.

Heh, see, it's funny -- as I've said, I've been raised in the Super Protestanty climate, with friends who were Wiccan and Buddhist and all sorts... but... I have a spiritual void. Not like a void that needs to be filled, but just... dude. I so don't care. About ANY of those supposedly big questions re: the meaning of life, nature of the universe, ultimate creator, etc. etc. I just like stuff! And stuff is okay! I want to eat and crap and die! I don't care what happens after that, I'll be dead!

Whereas I have several close friends who seem to have the "wanderer" personality type -- they weren't raised with a specific faith (or they were, and rejected it) and know that something is out there, but don't know what. But like... nope, nope, I was totally raised to be Christian and just... have never cared.

Creation science, though, man. Back when I was young and doe-eyed and was intending on majoring in biology (*sniffles for her innocent past self*) lots of well-meaning friends of the family heaped all sorts of magazines full of "evidence" that evolution was false. HAS NO ONE EVER BEEN TO THE SMITHSONIAN?! Augh!

And it's not even MACRO-evolution that pisses me off -- sure, fine, if you want to act like a little smart-ass and make the same idiotic "humans aren't monkeys!" jokes, fine, you do that. But a lot of that stuff gets so fanatical you cannot even talk about micro-evolution without them pitching a fit. DOG BREEDS. BIRD FLU. GUESS WHAT? Things EVOLVE.

Yarg yarg yarg, bad memories. *twitch, twitch*

[twotone]

And... yeah. I just hate the fact that harassing and being disruptive is being equated to "sharing other perspectives". Yelling "No it's not!" and "LIES!!!" is not intelligent debate. It's... it's ZIM-level logic.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

But it's what we've all kind of grown used to in public discourse. I remember a really sweet clip of The Situation Room I saw recently, with Wolf Blitzer blabbing with some other reporter about whether things look bad in Iraq because of THE MEDIA. I mean, seriously debating it. Then they switched to Jack Cafferty for his bit, and he said something to the effect of, are you guys SMOKING CRACK?? It was just *bracing* to hear somebody finally cut through all the bullshit. But, it was so unusual.

[mmymoon.livejournal.com]

LIES!!!!! Hideous, filthy LIES!!! Listen only to M!!!

... I'm going to do that the next time someone tries to talk Creationism with me. *giggles*

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

"Isn't it true that mutations only make an animal weaker?"

Does anybody else hear this in the voice of that damn kid from the opening scene of Young Frankenstein?

[mmymoon.livejournal.com]

Apparently they've never met the goddamned Batman Wolverine.

[toast-ghost.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't normally believe that kids could be so completely inept, but apparently they can. My boyfriend was telling me today that it took one of high school classes an entire semester to read "The Scarlet Letter."

It's crap like this that makes me remember why I spent most of my high school years attending night courses at community college.

BLECH!

chalanging evolution

[(Anonymous)]

Wow This is Daniel Read from the article and those are some harsh words. The artical really presents us badly. We never interupted, in fact Mr.Frisby told me he didnt even hear the comments made. The fact of the matter is anyone would not be happy if they had to sit through hours of learning about somthing they dont belive. Also it is stuff I have heard befor. My father is a ex-biology teacher and evolutionist. My best friend is a athiest and evolutionist.I know both sides. I was not tring to be disrespectfull but bring up a alternitive that gives hope and love in Jesus Christ.