Observations and inanities by a second-shift assistant supervisor in the Puppy-Grinding division of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy® (our motto: "Sure it's cruel, but think of the jobs!"), your host, Brent Rasmussen.
What on the 6000-Year-Old Earth Were They Thinking?
In case you hadn’t heard, thanks to protesting e-mails and phone calls from the sane, the Cincinnati Zoo ended a cross-promotional deal with the Creation Museum of Petersburg, Ky. P.Z. Myers is getting a great deal of the credit/blame for encouraging his readers to make a stink. Well done, say I.
But I must also say, as happy as I am that this nonsense was dispensed with, I remain flabbergasted that the Cincinnati Zoo would enter into a deal like this in the first place. The contradiction is obvious: an institution that highlights and celebrates the biological wonders of our planet (and therefore reality) as they actually are versus a quasi-theme park that insists, paraphrasing Lewis Black, that The Flintstones was a documentary. Or, as radiologist Dr. James Leach put it in his protest e-mail:
The Cincinnati Zoo is one of this city’s treasures. The Creation Museum is an international laughingstock.
Indeed. So what happened here? Are the folks at the zoo secret religious zealots?
It doesn’t seem that way. If anything, they just seem astoundingly hapless. From the Cinci Enquirer:
Zoo officials said they considered the promotion – dubbed “Two Great Attractions, One Great Deal” – a marketing deal no different than other cross-promotions they do with institutions like the Newport Aquarium or the Cincinnati Reds.
Wait. What? Say that again.
“When we partner with the Reds, we don’t get these kinds of e-mails,” [zoo spokesman Chad] Yelton said. “It’s pretty clear this is more of a distraction.”
Come on, Chad. You don't mean that. Do you? You really think it's the same thing? Talk to me, Chad.
Steve Goble of a local Kentucky paper writes in defense of the zoo-museum deal as a benign money-saving holiday promotion, but even he sees the problem:
The Creation Museum's founder, Ken Ham, wrote in a news release: "It's a pity that intolerant people have pushed for our expulsion simply because of our Christian faith. Some of their comments ... reveal great intolerance for anything having to do with Christianity."
Here's where I have to disagree. The outpouring of complaints was not a bashing of Christianity. It's a bashing of made-up, nonsense "science."
That is spot on, and Goble makes one point that I think deserves some consideration:
. . . a promotional opportunity that would let people save money and see two impressive Christmas displays -- and let people on opposite sides of a great big gulf look each other in the eye and perhaps learn from one another -- was lost.
The deal might have made more sense if the idea had been to lure those who were being misinformed by the Creation Museum into a sanctuary of reality in order to help counter the nonsense to which they had just been exposed. Also, it never hurts for rational people to see how the other half lives to better understand what it is the practice actual science is up against.
But that obviously wasn't the point of the promotion at all. The Creation Museum was likely hoping to inject a bit of legitimacy into its operation by its association with the zoo, and if Chad is any guide, the zoo obviously didn't think beyond "Hey, coupons are cool!"
I hope it's not a trend.
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Sleeping with the enemy
The Creation Musuem is dedicated to countering what they see as the atheistic message of mainstream museums which Ham believes encourages godlessness, so the Zoo really was getting in bed with the enemy. There can't be any compromising with those people because of how dangerous they are and all the advantages they have. All we have on our side is truth and reason. They have an aggressive meme tailor-made to grow and an irrational desire for an imminent apocalypse. if you give them an inch, they will take a mile.
. . . and thanks for your service!
Sometimes I get discouraged wadding through knee-deep woo and feel like there just is no hope for it. Then I hear the whimpering of puppies and the cries of small children and I remember why I am here.
Snark aside, the presence of your blog and an extended network devoted to not believing in silly shit is something I welcome. It feels good to have an extended voice in a public forum. Not long ago I wouldn't even have imagined such a thing.
That this voice is being heard and is ruffling the feathers of institutionally entrenched faith is a good thing. A very good thing indeed.
All in a day's work
Frequently people do things for no other reason than that either "it seemed like a good idea at the time, at least at first look, which is all we had time for," or maybe "from a purely cost-benefit viewpoint all present were favorably impressed."
In addition there is an increasingly insidious malignancy affecting public and private thought and deed. That is the credence given to the notion that it is a horrendous breach of (your favorite excuse here) to mention anything that so much as might be offensive to someone, somewhere, somewhen.
While it is always a good idea to be a good host and a congenial guest and it is also good counsel to tailor ones speech and actions for present company, I see no value in being hesitant to seize an opportunity to score a few points in order to spare some group a fleeting moment of discomfort. Observations indicate that any discomfort some group feels due to criticism of their stated purposes is par for the course; a normal result of standing up for something. No matter what level of courage or foolishness is invested in the promotion of an idea there will be outrage and condemnation from other camps.
My guess is that this ill fated (and abortive) union can be explained by a simple dictum that says that people who do not make decisions but only implement decisions made by others enjoy the luxury of not making decisions. While they may not be totally comfortable with or agree more than marginally with the decisions they nonetheless implement them because, darn it, that's what they get paid to do.
And they can rush home believing that they have done their jobs well and faithfully. And perhaps they have.
By Grabthar's Hammer . . .
...thanks that we have UTI to offend those with such delicate sensibilities!
Jim Downey
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