Comments on: The Dick-E Dawkins Rap

By: amk

amk — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:49:21 +0000

Damnit, why don't these blogs have edit buttons?

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:36:44 +0000

What happens if civilization ends tomorrow and the only think left is this post.

By: amk

amk — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:09:02 +0000

The video is implying that Dawkins is evil, which is consistent with Creationist thought and the content of Expelled!

The pictures may show Dicky D kicking a dog, but the lyrics state that any dog kicking tendencies are not caused by "Darwinism". This is not consistent with Expelled.

By: amk

amk — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:01:28 +0000

Richard Dawkins does not have a Ph.D. He has an MA, a D.Phil. and a D.Sc

A PhD is a DPhil that scans and rhymes better. DSc scans too, but isn’t widely known.

Dawkins only claim of authority in the video is that he possesses a piece of paper, a diploma; rather than actual expertise in the relevant field.

“He’s still smarter than you, he studied biology!”

The message that Creationists are being “Expelled” (logo replica used) for honest differences of interpretation, rather than dishonesty and incompetence.

I argue that the machine is the scientific method. During the song it was introduced after Democritus and Aristotle, and before Paley, Wilburforce and Darwin’s voyage. It is therefore not a device to promote “Darwinism”. It pre-dates that.I further claim that the message of the video is that what IDists believe to be the suppression of their research by a conspiracy is in fact science working as designed.

Other than Genie Scott, all of Dawkins’ backers are the “new atheists” rather than prominent evo supporters.

“that faith and science are split in schismatic divorce”This video is about atheists versus IDists, whichever side it’s on.

By: Reginald Selkirk

Reginald Selkirk — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:33:18 +0000

The line "If I was dyslexic I'd even hate dog too" surely only makes sense as a satire of creationist talking points. Kicking the dog is a traditional media indicator of Evil: this line takes the rip out of suggestions "darwinism" leads to evil.

I do not see your reasoning here. The video is implying that Dawkins is evil, which is consistent with Creationist thought and the content of Expelled!, so therefore you think this must be irony rather than a straightforward expression? I think you skipped a step somewhere.

By: Reginald Selkirk

Reginald Selkirk — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:24:27 +0000

Reasons to think the video was created with anti-science intent:
Despite the prominent lyrics, Richard Dawkins does not have a Ph.D. He has an MA, a D.Phil. and a D.Sc. This is not an egregious error, but it is an indication that whoever wrote this did not do their homework, which points to the Creationist side.
Dawkins only claim of authority in the video is that he possesses a piece of paper, a diploma; rather than actual expertise in the relevant field.
Brief verbal jabs, such as calling Dawkins "Dick" rather than Richard, and having the pro-evo lab scientist use code name "little tool."
The mistaken impression from the lab sequence that Creationists actually do laboratory research.
The message that Creationists are being "Expelled" (logo replica used) for honest differences of interpretation, rather than dishonesty and incompetence.
Other than Genie Scott, all of Dawkins' backers are the "new atheists" rather than prominent evo supporters. Have Hitchens and Harris really been active in the evo wars?
Along with that, where is Ken Miller or any other theist evo supporter?

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:02:41 +0000

I don't think it is anti-evolution, purely because no creationist has ever created anything nearly that funny, before.That was my initial reaction as well.But, if all sexism is not funny, then all anti-evolution is not satire of anti-evolution. Right?

By: amk

amk — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:29:38 +0000

Coming over from the Pharyngula thread…This looks to me like a satire of the creationist’s view of atheists/”darwinists”. A satire of both creationist views and the reality of darwinists is possible but gratuitously complex. South Park would do that though.Firstly, the tagline at the beginning “Reporting idiocy isn’t really squealing”. “Squealing” acknowledges that reporting colleagues is Bad and thus undermines this as presenting a straight propaganda video. “Idiocy” could be a reference to Intelligent Design.The machine represents the Scientific Method, and the SM will quickly eliminate certain theories, including ID. It will do this dispassionately and inevitably, like a machine. If so-called scientists insist on supporting inherently unscientific theories, they will be ultimately be rejected too.Note that the story of the machine pre-dates Dickie D. That story is the subject of the song, and the song starts in ancient Greece. Thus, the machine isn’t the modern “conspiracy” against ID. In any case, a conspiracy would not be dispassionate.Also note the lyric “the age of science will rise” while the machine rampages. The machine is science, not a conspiracy of scientists.The line “If I was dyslexic I’d even hate dog too” surely only makes sense as a satire of creationist talking points. Kicking the dog is a traditional media indicator of Evil: this line takes the rip out of suggestions “darwinism” leads to evil.An appeal to qualified authority is a valid argument, albeit not an unassailable one. Dawkins (and PZ) is certainly a qualified authority on the origin of the species. Creationists may hate this, but tough.SH’s line “on the shoulders of midgets we built this machine” is rather more negative though. Apparently it’s from a Harris quote “on the shoulders of dwarfs”, itself a reference to Newton, but I don’t know the context.If the target audience likes rap, it will associate atheism with a positive emotional response. The rapper is clearly talented, and would not be hoping for a negative reaction to his work. Attaching emotions to objects or concepts is a basic part of propaganda. I think this is why many assume it is anti-creationist.Finally, this is parsecs beyond what the Expelled team has done both in wit and execution. The expelled website even features a JibJab customisable Flash e-card (atheists dance the can-can), hosted incorrectly (MIME type text/plain), and apparently without permission. This can’t be from Expelled. As the video refers to Expelled and yet the authors haven’t helped them, this is also weaker evidence against it being from the same side of the debate.

By: Gordon S

Gordon S — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:23:50 +0000

I don’t think it is anti-evolution, purely because no creationist has ever created anything nearly that funny, before.Creationists make things like Rapture Alert and Homos-Go-Away WoW guilds. They don’t make things like this.If it is anti-evolution, we’re witnessing the greatest creationist intellect since… Well, not since anything.

By: Tyler DiPietro

Tyler DiPietro — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:22:20 +0000

I think a lot of the ambivalence about the actual “message” of the video comes from a difference in perspective. I didn’t find anything at all objectionable about the “Expelled” clip with PZ in it, even though the intent on the part of the movie-crew was clearly to demonize PZ and the others appearing alongside him. Similarly, I don’t find anything particularly insulting about the content of this video. While the author may see himself as making fun of a conspiracy that actually exists, we see that kind of conspiracy mongering as overtly ridiculous and thus automatically assume that it is a clever use of irony.So in short, my conjecture: the video intended to satirize scientists but ended up satirizing itself. I’m pretty sure it’s a viral video for Expelled (uses the logo, looks professionally done, in a similar spliced photo head style as other creationist videos). But then again, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that it missed the mark, given the “Expelled” crew’s repeated demonstrations of their incompetence recently.