Oh, If Only I Could Patent Stupidity
I wish I could document all of John Hindraker's idiocies from the Powerline blog, but I'd have to leave the Lost City and start a new blog (called, I don't know, "Stupidityline" or something) with a full-time staff in order to keep up. (Maybe the National Science Foundation will give me a grant, eh?)
Today Hindraker is jabbering about the latest Pew Research poll on religious attitudes in the United States. After cherry-picking some of the poll numbers to carry water for the administration (John's making a career of it, you gotta admit) Hindraker goes on to say:
...the Pew people put in some questions on peoples' attitudes toward evolution. One question asked: "Some people think that humans and other living things [have evolved over time]. Others think that humans and other living things [have existed in their present form since the beginning of time]. Which of these comes closest to your view?"
The idea, I suppose, is to make evolution skeptics sound dumb.No, John, the idea is to sidestep the question of exactly where "the beginning of time" starts -- whether the respondent believes the earth is 4 billion years old, or only 6,000 years old. Kind of makes a difference, don't you think?
But I've never heard of anyone who believes that "living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time."Really? You've never heard of anyone who believes that? That's the central tenet of creationism, you moron. I think it's safe to say that a majority of the readers of Powerline believe it. If it
"sounds dumb" that's your fault, not mine. Some people's positions sound dumb because they are dumb.
Nevertheless, 42% of respondents, evidently grasping the point the Pew folks were driving at, said that alternative came closer to their view.Ah, so they believe it's closest to their views but they don't believe it. I see.
I see.
