"Intelligent Design" Debate Goes To Kids' TV

[nosmokes]

original

"Intelligent Design" Debate Goes To Kids' TV

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NEW YORK - the debate over whether children should be taught "intelligent design" in US public schools as an alternative to evolution is moving to children's television.

"There's a fight going on the science room," says Linda Ellerbee, presenter of "Nick News," a news magazine on the children's TV cable channel Nickelodeon.

The channel is tackling the subject on Sunday by presenting both sides of the controversy in "God, Science, Politics and Your School."

Supporters of intelligent design say that nature is so complex that it must have been the work of an unnamed creator, rather than the result of random natural selection as outlined in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

"The goal of this show is not to debate the issues of evolution, intelligent design or creationism," Ellerbee said in a statement.
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complete article here

Story by Jamie McGeever

Story Date: 23/1/2006
© Reuters News Service 2006

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Fuck Nickelodeon

This pisses me off :mad:

[0rganism]

2. AAARGH! They got it wrong AGAIN!

> rather than the result of random natural selection
Genetic mutations are random. NATURAL SELECTION IS NOT RANDOM.

As long as the media keeps conflating the theory of evolution with these strawmen, people are going to be confused enough for the ID frauds to make their case.

[WindRavenX]

6. That's so fucking annoying

And I've seen it repeated ad neausum by even well educate (albeit non-science) professors.

[KDLarsen]

3. This really pisses me off..

It's my opinion that most kids that would watch Nickelodeon, have not yet developed a sense of critical thinking. So they're more or less just going to accept most of what this show tells them, as the hard truth.

[LeftyMom]

4. Those Linda Ellerbee specials are pretty fair

I'd watch before getting pissed off about this.

[dysfunctional press]

10. Linda's not a closet scientologist or anything like that, is she...?

because THAT could make for some interesting viewing.

[leesa]

5. Well, it certainly IS a childish debate.

[AzDar]

7. So when does the Flying Spaghetti Monster get equal consideration in

the 'debate'? We all know FSM touched the Earth with his noodly appendage and life began, right? I DEMAND equal air time!!

[sarcasmo]

8. The Churches way, brainwash them young.

[Wise Doubter]

9. Can we get the opinion of Zorak ?

[Charlie Brown]

11. Can you imagine the outrage if NIK talked about gay marriage or wiretappin

I guess the other side's "controversies" are perfectly acceptable for kids TV, however.

Oh, well. It is a forum where the Discovery Institute can communicate with minds on their own intellectual level.

[Heddi]

12. Nickelodeon did a program on homosexuality

It was hosted by Linda Ellerbe (as this one is) and I can't remember if it was about homosexuality in general, or about kids having gay parents--I remember the Fundies/Freepers/REpublicans were up in arms about that, but I thought it was done in a very well-balanced and tasteful way and definitely took into consideration the different cognative abilities of the ages of children who are most likely to watch Nickelodeon.

I wouldn't judge this harshly until you've seen it. These Nick News things that are hosted by Linda Ellerbee seem to be very well-rounded and approach all subject in a "good" way---meaning, there's always alot of "Well, what do you think about blah blah blah" and she really tries to get kids to think outside of the box their parents have set up around them.

[yorkiemommie1]

13. i caught her program on different religions last night

where kids of different religions told what they were taught about the origins of life. very interesting and informative.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

14. Check your Brain at the Door and Pick Up Your Crayons-let's grow up when

it comes to making decisions about what should or shouldn't be taught in schools!

Religious FunDoomMentalism has no place in the Science Class..
Who coined the term "intelligent Dee-sign" anyway?
Pat Robertson?