Fox News guests truly live in another reality when it comes to science and rationalism:
Distrust of science and the scientific method has reached crazy new heights on the right. Recall Michael Lofgren's excellent piece from September where he counted anti-intellectualism as the 3rd plank of the modern GOP:
The alternatives for conservatives don't end there. Even if you're not very religious, but still distrustful of big, elite universities, you can now "attend" a Dennis Praeger University or Glenn Beck University. These radio hosts will gladly take your money and educate you the way you want.
You have to admire the right's entrepreneurial spirit: they've built, marketed, and grown an entire marketplace for alternative entertainment, education, and recreation, the entire purpose of which is to legitimize a Iron Aged worldview. And we see the results of this initiative in the Stewart clip above (as well as the polls mentioned by Lofgren).
Stewart scores....again
Distrust of science and the scientific method has reached crazy new heights on the right. Recall Michael Lofgren's excellent piece from September where he counted anti-intellectualism as the 3rd plank of the modern GOP:
Pandering to fundamentalism is a full-time vocation in the GOP. Beginning in the 1970s, religious cranks ceased simply to be a minor public nuisance in this country and grew into the major element of the Republican rank and file. Pat Robertson's strong showing in the 1988 Iowa Caucus signaled the gradual merger of politics and religion in the party. The results are all around us: if the American people poll more like Iranians or Nigerians than Europeans or Canadians on questions of evolution versus creationism, scriptural inerrancy, the existence of angels and demons, and so forth, that result is due to the rise of the religious right, its insertion into the public sphere by the Republican Party and the consequent normalizing of formerly reactionary or quaint beliefs. Also around us is a prevailing anti-intellectualism and hostility to science; it is this group that defines "low-information voter" - or, perhaps, "misinformation voter."I'd only add that it seems in the last 10-15 years, the Religious Right has stood up an entire universe of alternative education, science, and even recreational institutions. Are you a conservative religious person who's feeling science-y but doesn't trust those big elite universities? No problem, try the Discovery Institute for all your creationist/ID needs. Do you want your family to enjoy a theme park experience like non-believers, but in a literal, Biblical setting? Then put Dinosaur Adventure Land on you itinerary! Hell, they even have a Christian Wrestling Federation.
The alternatives for conservatives don't end there. Even if you're not very religious, but still distrustful of big, elite universities, you can now "attend" a Dennis Praeger University or Glenn Beck University. These radio hosts will gladly take your money and educate you the way you want.
You have to admire the right's entrepreneurial spirit: they've built, marketed, and grown an entire marketplace for alternative entertainment, education, and recreation, the entire purpose of which is to legitimize a Iron Aged worldview. And we see the results of this initiative in the Stewart clip above (as well as the polls mentioned by Lofgren).