OK, not quite an odyssy, but here’s a quick insight into how my mind works.
Starting from Kottke, I read this nice little article about Ariel Levy’s wedding, where Levy mentions her spouse’s conservative family, including a brother, Todd, who “works for the creationist movement.”
Of course, I had to abandon New York Magazine to look up Todd Norquist on Google, which led me to the Discovery Institute in Seattle. (That’s probably the part that offers the most insight on how my mind works, by the way.)
The Discovery Institute is the leading proponent of the Inteligent Design movement. Their About Us page neglects to mention that bit of information…or anything about ID at all.
Their mission statement is so devoid of actual description that I had to backtrack a few pages to make sure that I hadn’t found an interesting organization that just happened to share the same name.
Discovery Institute’s mission is to make a positive vision of the future practical. The Institute discovers and promotes ideas in the common sense tradition of representative government, the free market and individual liberty. Our mission is promoted through books, reports, legislative testimony, articles, public conferences and debates, plus media coverage and the Institute’s own publications and Internet website.
Current projects explore the fields of technology, science and culture, reform of the law, national defense, the environment and the economy, the future of democratic institutions, transportation, religion and public life, government entitlement spending, foreign affairs and cooperation within the bi-national region of “Cascadia.” The efforts of Discovery fellows and staff, headquartered in Seattle, are crucially abetted by the Institute’s members, board and sponsors.
That’s just…remarkable. Seems neat, actually.
Anyway, to play James Burke for a moment, Phillip Johnson, one of the leaders of the Discovery Institute and author of the afore-linked “wedge strategy,” is also an HIV-denier, which tells you how his mind works.
I feel misled. 🙂 here I thought I would learn some creationsit theory about lesbians, but no. probably better that way, I suppose. the “party about love” article was entertaining, and very reminiscent of Dan Savage’s book, The Commitment. we gays will struggle for a long time with adapting to (or not adapting to) the conventions of marriage. not that we can really adapt, since most of us can’t really get married… but you know what I mean.
also, I’m amused that most of the blah-blah-blah on the VirusMyth’s website is from 1993. 🙂 I wonder how many people are quoted on that website and are pissed off about it?
Well, HIV-denial was big in the 1990s. Still is, I’m sure, somewhere. I never heard that Johnson has recanted, so I’ll still say it is relevant.
Was this post Monie-baiting or what? 🙂
you dirty Monie-baiter, you! 😉 I think some people in Africa are still trying to make sh*! up about HIV/AIDS… like sex with a virgin cures you. talk about throwing oil on a fire.
A bit simplistic, but I blame colonialism for locking most of Africa in the 17th century. It is easy to tut-tut the Africans — or more accurately, be deeply fcuking disturbed with societies that can generate the idea that raping infants can cure disease — but we are not that far removed from superstition and conspiracy theory.
The HIV/AIDS denier folks, like that unholy douche Peter Duesberg, got hold of some key leaders in Africa, like Pres. Mbeki in S.A. It did a lot of damage, and played upon cultural fears of disease, gays and foreigners. Then you got local wars and totalitarian gov’ts to really screw up any attempt at limiting the spread of infection. Put that on top of any real lack of preventative healthcare, and you have mess that is Africa. I remember seeing somewhere that, while only 12% of the world’s population is in Africa, it makes up for more than half of all cases of HIV/AIDS. A bit scary.
oh, I didn’t mean to imply that I thought the Africans were bad folks; I simply forgot to add my caveat that I’m sure some “first-world” nutcase had fueled the b.s.
Oh, that’s it. You’re back on the naughty list.