Wheat-dogg's World

In my snailmail box today was a postcard from the purveyors of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, a film that argues how “evolutionists” are quashing intellectual debate by keeping intelligent design out of science classrooms.

The shill for this flick, which two film reviewers have panned, is comic actor Ben Stein, of Ferris Bueller, game-show and eye-drop commercial fame. His name appears above the film’s title, as he co-wrote the script and appears in the flick. His head is pasted onto the poorly dressed “school-boy” model’s body above.

The postcard invites teachers to enter a contest to win “up to $10,000 for your school” by getting as many people to see the film in the theatres and sending their ticket stubs to the getexpelled.com website.

As if I would.

While the Expelled creators are actively recruiting educators to bolster ticket sales, they have actively discouraged anyone invited to preview the film from disclosing anything about it. This, I might add, contradicts the standard Hollywood practice of allowing advance publicity about theatrical releases.

Those invited to preview the film had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, saying they would not discuss the film with anyone nor publish anything about it. They were probably anticipating bad press.

Two film reviewers complied with the bad press expectation, but not the non-disclosure agreement. Both, Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel and Dan Whipple of Colorado Confidential, panned the film as a heavy-handed diatribe against the theory of evolution.

Based on these two reviews, Expelled looks to be as bad an anti-science/non-science film as What the Bleep Do We Know? was a few years ago. I am not going to force or even induce a large group of students to spend money to see the thing, particularly if its creators discourage open debate about its merits. I’d rather wait until it hits the DVD market about 10 minutes after its theatrical premiere next month.

The “Expelled Challenge” postcards may have been sent to Christian schools only, judging from the wording on the card. If they knew anything about me and St. Francis High School, they would know they are barking up the wrong tree there. We’re not Catholic, and we’re not creationists. Sorry ’bout that, Ben.

Here’s the text on the flip side of the card.

As a science educator, you probably look for opportunities that help educate your students about how to defend their belief that God created the world. Do so by taking the Expelled Challenge! Your students will hear firsthand the debate between Intelligent Design and evolution and the persecution of those who are pursuing the evidence that leads to a creator. Plus, by accepting the challenge you will also have the opportunity to earn a $10,000 donation for your school.

What is the Challenge?
Work with your school administration to Ben Stein’s new movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Opening in theaters in April 2008). We’ll even help you with some of the details!

What is the Reward?
The opportunity to engage your students with the debate firsthand while having the chance to earn a $10,000 donation. Just register online at the website below, take as many people as you can from your school to see the film, and submit your ticket stubs for your chance at a $10,000 donation.

Visit www.getexpelled.com/schools to take the challenge and get more information. Or contact us at expelledchallenge@groundforcenetwork.com for more program details.

In addition to the challenge, we have developed a lot of ways to get your students engaged in this debate. Have your students go to www.getexpelled.com to enter contests, download free study guides on evolution vs. Intelligent Design and more!

Visiting the schools page at the website provides the additional detail that the $10,000 is a grand prize for the school that sends in the most ticket stubs. Other schools will also earn donations (as funds permit) based on their submissions. Another blogger published this scale:

* 0-99 ticket stubs submitted = $5 per ticket stub
* 100-299 ticket stubs submitted = $1,000 donated to your school
* 300-499 ticket stubs submitted = $2,500 donated to your school
* 500 ticket stubs submitted = $5,000 donated to your school

Each school across the nation will be competing for the top honor of submitting the most ticket stubs with that school having their $5,000 donation matched for a total donation of $10,000!

The cynic in me says the “challenge” is a way to bolster ticket sales, while stroking financially strapped Christian schools. A real win-win situation. Even so, somebody has to be fronting the money for the challenge (Stein?). Ticket sales alone are not going to cover the donations, especially if many schools participate. “As funds permit” is a handy out if the demand exceeds the supply of funds.

Setting all the schools-as-shills business aside, the movie sets up a false dichotomy between the scientific theory of evolution and the religious belief of creationism/Intelligent Design. It apparently saws the same old log of the creationists, that teaching evolution without teaching the “other theory” of divine creation/Intelligent Design discriminates against student and teacher believers.

Further, Stein’s movie perpetuates a whole host of misinformation about evolution and the evidence supporting it. It bashes evolution as heavily as a fire-and-brimstone preacher pounds on the pulpit. In other words, it’s not presenting the evolution vs. creation as a debate. Expelled is a polemic, geared toward an audience that already accepts creationism/Intelligent Design as valid.

In some ways, I want to see the movie because I need to see how truly bad it is, and to address any student feedback about it. (Much as I did with What the Bleep …?), which was just horrible.) Otherwise, I just rather the whole thing go away without my wasting my time (and money) on it.