Albion

I came in partway through a report about how ID is challenging evolution and how 59% of the public thinks it should be taught. I assume this was something to do with the Georgia or the Ohio case or something, but I didn't get what it actually was. They were showing a teacher in a class who was teaching ID and was using terms like "macroevolution" and "some scientists believe" and the usual creationist stuff. They interviewed him (just a few seconds) and he was banging on about how much better an inderstanding they get of evolution since he teaches the scientific evidence both for and against, and they interviewed a couple of his students. And one of the students trotted out the "after all, evolution's basically just a religion" line.

Did anybody else see that? Is this guy teaching in a public school? Either I missed that or they didn't say. If he is teaching in a public school, is this legal? Just imagine the future of this country if the most that kids get out of biology class is the information that evolution is a religion.

They also interviewed a Christian teacher who was teaching evolution and was very much against teaching ID, but the slant of what I saw as far as the overall story was concerned seemed to be that if ID in science class is what the public wants, that's is what they ought to get.

Neruda

this is rediculous. Why is this happening? how is it that so many christians can be so overwhelmingly stupid while others simply take evolution in stride? What is with the f*cking news companies, pandering to these morons? Why can't science get a fair hearing? Why are so many people so afraid of understanding the world around them?

I'm just going to leave this country and let it collapse in on itself in a blizzard of creationist pamphlets. It won't matter to me when I'm living in....well, I haven't gotten that far yet. Isn't Australia a pretty cool place?

honestly guys, we need to do something to get back at these people. Science organizations need to start getting a lot more vocal. What can I do to help? Maybe the atheist march on washington will help...

Gregg

Write letters to the editor. Call or write members of state and local school boards. Call, write, or e-mail your senators and representatives. Have literature that gives the facts about evolution printed up (or buy some from pro-science organizations) and pass it out.

Gregg

Valentine Pontifex

There is a simple thing that everyone can do right now (unless of course they are in dire economic difficulty):

<a href="http://www.ncseweb.org/membership_new.asp" target="_blank">Join the National Center for Science Education.</a>

One can join from the form liked to above or do it the old fashion way and write to the address which can also be found in the above link. For Americans it costs $30 per year which help pay for the fight. Members get a bimonthly newsletter. It also give them another member. The larger the membership; the larger the influence.

Some things things that don't cost:

Join news mailing lists to get alert. These are low volume moderated lists.
<a href="http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2001/ZZ/595_ncse_announces_news_list_10_31_2001.asp" target="_blank">NCSE mailing list -- National</a>
<a href="http://www.aibs.org/outreach/evlist.html" target="_blank">AIBS/NCSE Evolution List Server Network -- mailing lists for specific localities</a>

Write letters to the editor, to representives, etc.

Perchance

Thank you for posting that link, Valentine Pontifex. I hadn't known such an organization existed, or I would have joined before now.

Ignorance about evolution is rampant already, everywhere. I teach English to college freshmen, and in the 'science arguments' unit I'm doing I've already gotten the "evolution is a religion," "evolution can't be proven true" and "equal time" lines. I even got the "Evolution is just a theory" line from a fellow English grad student the other day. He was very interested in the way I'd prepared my unit, saying, "Yeah, tell them that scientists are exposing them to lies!"

It's sickening.

-Perchance.

RufusAtticus

Perchance,

Did you lay the science smack down on his stupid self?

RufusAtticus

I definately like the AIBS listserve network. I'm on the georgia one and it helps me stay informed about anti-evolutionists in my state. It has been a boon for organizing petitions and responces to pseudoscience.

Also, I recommend everyone review your state and local curriculum and contact your BOE representatives if you find errors with reguard to teaching evolution or anything else. I did so this week about obtuse errors in the state's biology curriculium requirements. My representative has forwarded my concerns to GA's DOE for review and feedback. I am very hopeful for a positive resolution.

Perchance

I tried. Quick summary of the conversation:

Him: "Oh, yeah, talk to them about diction. Make them see that scientists are telling them lies."

Me: "What?"

Him: "Evolution is just a theory."

Me: "Yes, but that's the author's point. He defines scientific theory to show that it can change and advance, and therefore is superior to creationism, which can't."

Him: "But evolution isn't proven."

Me: "Most scientists accept it. That doesn't mean-"

Him: "It makes me mad that so many kids are being told that evolution is true, when it isn't."

Me: "He isn't saying that evolution is proven. He's saying that it has much more support than creationism, that it can make predictions and test them, and that science should stick to studying the natural world."

Him: "Well, I don't know about that."

Throughout the whole conversation, he was smiling, and his tone was a 'pat-on-the-head,' condescending one. "Poor little girl, you don't know the Truth, but that's all right, you'll learn someday."

Then I went into class and tried to get them to think about the effect certain words in the argument had on the argument, only to find out that no one in the class knew what "dogma" or "authoritarian" meant- except one girl who'd gone through Catholic school, and mentioned specifically that they hadn't been allowed to learn evolution there.

AGGGGH.

It was a depressing day.

-Perchance.

Coragyps

Scary, ain't it!

Albion

Nor's any other scientific theory. So what's his point? as if I need to ask.