If I had heard the word “denormalizing” from a sociology prof, instead of from Ezra Levant, the courageous Canadian lawyer who is working to bring down Canada’s unspeakable “human rights commissions”, I would just groan.
But, “denormalizing” is a useful term for the Expelled film’s potential impact in the United States.
Consider, for example, the following recent events:
– When Rick Sternberg published a peer-reviewed paper in his Smithsonian journal that suggested support for intelligent design, a concerted effort was made to ruin his career. he was told not to come to the press conference disavowing the article because, he told Michael Powell of the Washington Post, “they could not guarantee me that they could keep order” among the distinguished Darwinist scientists (September 2005).
– At Iowa State University, brilliant young astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez was denied tenure. All sorts of questionable grounds were cited and strenuously defended (mostly by fans of materialism and Darwin). Then the e-mail trail showed that the true cause was his sympathy for intelligent design (in this case design of the universe). Did the other faculty fear his command of the evidence that demonstrates his argument? Note: The character of Gonzalez’s opposition speaks for itself in that some continued to defend the mythical grounds even after the truth was out. (May 2007)
– At Baylor University, distinguished professor Robert Marks’s Evolutionary Informatics Lab Web site was ripped down by disapproving faculty, clearly because he wanted to run simulations of Darwinian evolution that were not artificially designed to favor it (September 2007).
Most Americans knew little or nothing about these and many other Darwin fans’ acts of thuggery and deceit. Hardly even a background hum.
But the Expelled movie is “denormalizing” the Darwin activists by showing a broad public how they disrespect American values and have no use for the academic freedom to dissent in an evidence-based and scholarly way.
The next step is legal protection for their future intended victims. That is starting to happen too, in the form of academic freedom and teachers’ rights bills.
And by the way, this denormalization period is about the worst time imaginable for Baylor to be spinning its murky tenure decisions.
But don’t think for a minute it will be easy. Wayward establishments treasure their right to protect themselves by getting rid of anyone who knows what is wrong.
Expelled is a 100-minute eye-opener. But once your eyes are opened, you are responsible for what you see.
Also, at Design of Life:
Do we really have any idea how dogs domesticated us? Not really.
The textbooks say identical twins have identical DNA. The science says otherwise.
At Overwhelming Evidence
Academic freedom and teachers’ rights bills proliferate
Expelled film spotlights Baylor controversy?
At the Post-Darwinist
Richard Dawkins, the Flying spaghetti Monster loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!
*Note: To learn more about Canada’s bizarre Human Rights Commissions (“hrc”s) and the struggle to denormalize them, visit Ezra Levant’s site. Yes, the famous columnist Mark Steyn has also been hailed before a Canadian court where absolutely everyone gets convicted because there is no presumption of innocence and no valid defence unless you do not actually exist. Canada used to be the True North Strong and Free. Not any more, I am afraid. To the extent that the Canadian government actually supports the “hrc”s you will read about at these sites, it is fast becoming North American’s North Korea. It is so bad that Mark Steyn, a Canadian citizen, cannot get a meeting with Canada’s justice minister. But resistance is mobilizing. In fact, in a recent development, the Privacy Commissioner is investigating the “hrc”s. It is the first time any agency of the government of Canada has shown concern. See also the BBC story.