Expelled from Expelled (Richard Dawkins got in!)

Alric

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Alric
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PZ Myers, biologist & associate professor at the University of Minnesota, was expelled from a showing of Expelled , the creationist propaganda movie, but they didn't notice who was with him, Richard Dawkins, Dawkins got in! Posted on Myers blog, Pharyngula.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/03/expelled.php

Digg it!

http://digg.com/general_sciences/Expelled_from_Expelled

This is particularly funny because a big point of the movie is "supposed censorship" by academia. Irony is what will eventually defeat contrarians...
 
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The irony is so thick I can barely see through it... I can't wait to read Dawkins' review!
 
FWIW, Dawkins is on Bill Maher's show tomorrow. I think it's live, so maybe he'll say a word or two about the movie.
 
Happy Day!

I haven't felt this giddy since Haggard's gay meth scandal...

(PZ is going to be at TAM!)
 
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This is the funniest thing I have seen for ages.

There is a follow up post by PZ here.
 
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Alric,
Can you add some Expelled related tags so we can keep track of the threads discussing the film and reactions to it? ("expelled" would be an obvious one :))
 
Making a big ol' Creationist Movie: Millions
Hiring a Rent-a-Cop and throwing out a critic: $12/hour
Letting the public face of atheism to slip by unnoticed: Priceless!

What's really amazing is that you had to show credentials or ID to enter, so they must've had PZ on a "local troublemaker" list, but had no idea who Richard Dawkins was????!!!!!
 
Yeah, we can laugh, but...think about the mindset behind such a decision.

"Hey, we made a movie about our own views! We want as many people as possible to see it! But not one of our staunchest critics! Hire some cops in case Myers comes along! Throw him out!"

What for?

To prevent Myers from making a ruckus at the screening? That would be idiotic of Myers, and of course he wouldn't do that. If this is the reason, then they should specifically invite him, in the hope that he would make a fool out of himself.

To prevent Myers from seeing the movie, so he can critique it? Wait a few days, and it'll pop up as a torrent somewhere. If this is the reason, then they want to silence their critics. These are not people who like freedom of speech.

Yeah, we can laugh, but there is also cause for concern. These people are dangerous.
 
I guess this was a preview showing, since the movie isn't "opening nationwide" until April 18. It's interesting that Shermer was on their local watch list at the Mall of America, while Dawkins wasn't recognized, but in fairness, I doubt the theater owner has a dog in the fight. Does Shermer live nearby? I'm sure it was the filmmakers who instructed the theater owner to exclude him, and they probably just didn't consider that Dawkins might be in town for the show. It sounds like he came in expressly to get an advance look.

I can't discern what advantage they thought they were securing by denying him access for a few weeks. Certainly when it "opens wide" (about 1000 theaters, if I recall correctly), they won't be able to ban him everywhere. What's the point?
 
CFLarsen said:
Yeah, we can laugh, but...think about the mindset behind such a decision.

"Hey, we made a movie about our own views! We want as many people as possible to see it! But not one of our staunchest critics! Hire some cops in case Myers comes along! Throw him out!"

What for?

To prevent Myers from making a ruckus at the screening? That would be idiotic of Myers, and of course he wouldn't do that. If this is the reason, then they should specifically invite him, in the hope that he would make a fool out of himself.

To prevent Myers from seeing the movie, so he can critique it? Wait a few days, and it'll pop up as a torrent somewhere. If this is the reason, then they want to silence their critics. These are not people who like freedom of speech.

Yeah, we can laugh, but there is also cause for concern. These people are dangerous.
Click to expand...

Apparently their goal is to satirize their own position.
 
bokonon said:
I guess this was a preview showing, since the movie isn't "opening nationwide" until April 18. It's interesting that Shermer was on their local watch list at the Mall of America, while Dawkins wasn't recognized, but in fairness, I doubt the theater owner has a dog in the fight. Does Shermer live nearby? I'm sure it was the filmmakers who instructed the theater owner to exclude him, and they probably just didn't consider that Dawkins might be in town for the show. It sounds like he came in expressly to get an advance look.

I can't discern what advantage they thought they were securing by denying him access for a few weeks. Certainly when it "opens wide" (about 1000 theaters, if I recall correctly), they won't be able to ban him everywhere. What's the point?
Click to expand...


Shermer? It's PZ Myers. (And yes, he's a local notable - teaches at U of Minnesota.)
 
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bokonon said:
I'm sure it was the filmmakers who instructed the theater owner to exclude him, and they probably just didn't consider that Dawkins might be in town for the show. It sounds like he came in expressly to get an advance look.
Click to expand...

Actually Dawkins is in town to speak at the American Atheists convention this weekend. AA announced their speakers at least a month ago, so the producers would have known if they'd bothered to find out.
 
Here is an article from another attendee from the same showing PZ Meyers was kicked out of.

http: //www(dot)expelledthemovie(dot)com/chronicle(dot)php?article=11

These two paragraphs do not seem to fit with Meyers account…

Dawkins asked a simple question: Why was one of his colleagues interviewed in the movie denied a chance to come see this movie and protest it and in fact was escorted out by security prior to admittance to the theatre? The irony apparently escaped Mr. Dawkins that he himself was a gatecrasher to the movie and was uninvited; nevertheless, he wanted to know why his colleague was turned away even though he himself was admitted as were his colleague’s family.
I just happened to be standing directly in line behind Dawkins’ academic colleague. Management of the movie theatre saw a man apparently hustling and bothering several invited attendees, apparently trying to disrupt the viewing or sneak in. Management then approached the man, asked him if he had a ticket, and when he confirmed that he didn’t, they then escorted him off the premises. Nowhere was one of the film’s producers to be found, and the man certainly didn’t identify himself. If a producer had been nearby, it’s possible that he would have been admitted, but the theatre’s management didn’t want to take any chances.
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If he did not have tickets, how did the rest of his group have them, and get into the move?
Also, it was not an invitation only showing, but a free screening that you needed to just sign-up for on the internet. It would seem that is how they knew Myers would be there, he used his real name (how devious of him).
It seems the irony of kicking a dissenting viewpoint (who appears in the move) out of the theater for a movie called “expelled” has passed right by the author.
Just to add to the credibility of the whole review a Goodwin was necessary at the end (in hidden text).
Many scenes are centered around the Berlin Wall, and Ben Stein being Jewish actually visits many death camps and death showers. In fact, Nazi Germany is the thread that ties everything in the movie together. Evolution leads to atheism leads to eugenics leads to Holocaust and Nazi Germany.
Click to expand...

I have posted this on another message board under the same name.
 
godless dave said:
Actually Dawkins is in town to speak at the American Atheists convention this weekend. AA announced their speakers at least a month ago, so the producers would have known if they'd bothered to find out.
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Good to know. While I'm glad Dawkins crashed the party, I'm relieved he wasn't in town specifically to attend the screening. I doubt the film warrants that kind of attention.
 
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