Ben Stein will be presenting his thoughts on the economy, etc. tonight at Harding University (7:30pm in the Benson Auditorium). Stein is well-known as an author, entertainer, and humorist. He is especially well-known for the hilarious "Bueller...? Bueller...?" scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and more recently for the controversial movie Expelled.In an ironic twist, Stein was recently uninvited as the commencement speaker at the University of Vermont (technically he uninvited himself). Apparently strong opposition arose from some in the UVA academic community because of Stein's stance in Expelled. The theme of Expelled is that the academic community will shut you out for offering an opinion that differs from the status quo.
Disclaimer: I have not seen Expelled and have no opinion for or against the movie.
Update:
After seeing the talk, here are my impressions: Smart & witty. Loves Sonic. Extremely conservative. Fiercely loyal to Nixon. Not scientifically inclined.
Ha! That is a really good point about the irony of the dis-invite. I had not even thought of that. Sort of proves his point, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI watched most of expelled. Throughout the movie, he seemed genuinely surprised that the scientific community would shun people who think differently; however, that has been the case throughout history. Most big advancements are shunned by the scientific elite until they can be proven. No huge shock there.
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