The Scopes-In-Reverse Dynamic

A Congressional report has confirmed what was evident to those who followed the story: Dr. Richard Sternberg was mistreated by intolerant, dogmatic Darwinian fundamentalists, because of his skepticism toward Darwinian theory.

My previous post on this affair can be found here. In it, I discuss this classic quote from Eugenie Scott, "[I]f it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it argues for zealotry." Note the unintended double meaning in the "it argues for zealotry" part. The only examples of zealotry in this episode were the officials at the Smithsonian and their efforts to enforce Darwinian purity. Apparently, zeal for the House of Darwin consumed them.

This story demonstrates what the mainstream media have largely missed: The Scopes mythology is no longer a relevant paradigm in our current culture. No teachers are being prosecuted for teaching evolution. What we are seeing is a Scopes-in-reverse dynamic: those who are skeptical of Darwinian theory are being treated like the Scopes character in the mythological play and movie, Inherit the Wind. For another example, consider another previous post: The Fear On Her Face Was Palpable.

No wonder the demographics on this issue are what they are.