Richard Dawkins and P. Z. Myers are the world’s preeminent evolutionary biologists. They are known for their activism and integrity. Recently Dawkins and Myers were contacted by a small Los Angeles production company to speak for a documentary. Producers for Rampant Films most likely knew that including the evolutionary duo would add legitimacy to their story, even as villains, so they misrepresented their motives in order to secure the interviews. Billed as focusing on the “the disconnect/controversy that exists in America between Evolution, Creationism and the Intelligent Design movement,” [sic] Dawkins and Myers agreed to talk on camera.1 It was not until Myers was asked to leave a screening2 four months later that Myers learned the documentary, formerly named Crossroads: The Intersection of Science and Religion, was retitled Expelled and used his and Dawkin’s interviews to further its thesis that “freedom of thought and freedom of inquiry have been expelled from publicly-funded high schools, universities and research institutions.”3 Myers’s response sums up his frustrations.
What? I didn’t do any interviews for pro-creation films, and I certainly haven’t said that “freedom of thought and freedom of inquiry” aren’t part of the university. There must be some mistake.3
Myers goes on to say that if only the producers had said that they wanted to interview an “outspoken critic of Intelligent Design for a film about how ID is unfairly excluded from academe” he would have gladly given his opinion on that focused topic as well.3
I would have said, “Bring it on!” We would have had a good, pugnacious argument on tape that directly addresses the claims of his movie, and it would have been a better (at least, more honest and more relevant) sequence.3
What has happened here? Perhaps Rampant Films legitimately wanted to create a film about a Crossroads but got caught up in the idea of converting controversy to cash. On the other hand, the website domain used for the film was purchased a month before the production company sent letters to Dawkins and Myers inviting them to participate. Evidently Rampant Films was at a crossroads of Hollywood ethics and legitimate documentary. Unfortunately, legitimate documentary along with science and reason was expelled.
1 Mathis, M. (2006, April). Letter to Myers inviting his participation in Crossroads. Retrieved from Pharyngula.
2 Thanks Carol! (See comment)
3 Myers, P. Z. (2007, August). “I’m gonna be a MOVIE STAR.” Pharyngula. Retrieved from Pharyngula.
One Response to “Crossroads”
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April 4th, 2008 at 2:30 am
While interesting, your blog entry seems to confuse the chronology of events and PZ Myers’ knowledge using old quotes from August ‘07 (I’m gonna be a MOVIE STAR by PZ Myers, Pharyngula) which appear to be commenting on events of late March.
http://richarddawkins.net/print.php?id=1559