401. Comment #153161 by StuartuponThames on April 1, 2008 at 6:33 am

@399

I presume they are saying that the YouTube clip is an April fool as it does not revel it until the end of the clip.

Other Comments by StuartuponThames

402. Comment #153163 by Dr Benway on April 1, 2008 at 6:39 am

Layla, I'll see your bad lyrics and raise you ten:

Say you, say me
Say it together
Naturally

I had a dream,
I had an awesome dream
People in the park
Playing games in the dark
And what they played,
Was a masquerade,
From behind the walls of doubt
A voice was crying out

Say you say me...

Other Comments by Dr Benway

403. Comment #153165 by al-rawandi on April 1, 2008 at 6:40 am

Stuart,




Magnum PI!

Let's round up Rick and T.C. and go bother Higgins.

Other Comments by al-rawandi

404. Comment #153167 by Layla Nasreddin on April 1, 2008 at 6:51 am

Dr Benway wrote:

Layla, I'll see your bad lyrics and raise you ten

Now THAT'S just cruel! *runs off holding ears*

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

405. Comment #153169 by bitbutter on April 1, 2008 at 6:58 am

Comment #153075 by VanVoorst

The here is a link to YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0f-2Tit5Fg

I have no idea how authentic this is.

On its authenticity: The maker of this vid has access to what looks like the individual layers used in the animation, which makes it seem legitimate. OTOH it's a little suspicious that the poster didn't use the same youtube account as the original vid was posted under.

Other Comments by bitbutter

406. Comment #153194 by Podaar on April 1, 2008 at 7:34 am

Comment #152697 by sent2null
I agree and my experience with hip hop culture would indicate this video is a tribute.

Comment #152697 by sent2null
and Comment #153071 by Bonzai

...he's smarter than all of us and is going to get his Ph.D.

I guess he's just being consistent.

Comment #117467 by Spinoza

Other Comments by Podaar

407. Comment #153209 by Frankus1122 on April 1, 2008 at 7:53 am

Speaking of brainworms:

I have Rick and Dick competing in my head right now.

"Dick to the Dawk to the Phd.
He's smarter than you
He's got a science degree"
was sung at the family dinner table last night by all but my wife.
I am hoping my 6 and 8 year old spread this meme to their school. Perhaps we will have a version by Ms. Smith's grade 3 class at the Spring concert.

Other Comments by Frankus1122

408. Comment #153211 by Star Spangled Eagle on April 1, 2008 at 7:53 am

Can we get some more Lionel Richie please?


"Dancin' on the ceiling"

"Fiesta foreva, come on and sing my song...."

Other Comments by Star Spangled Eagle

409. Comment #153235 by Geoff on April 1, 2008 at 9:00 am

Barry, thanks for the penguins, that was wonderful!

Other Comments by Geoff

410. Comment #153323 by Layla Nasreddin on April 1, 2008 at 11:41 am

One more example of earworms, this one featuring our honoured prof. I was looking through The Ancestor's Tale a few days ago and came across the passage about walking (I don't have the book on me, so I'm not sure of the page number.) One line of an unnamed "inane" song was quoted: "Everybody's talking about a new way of walking!" I knew that song, I thought excitedly--"Walk Right In" by the Rooftop Singers (1963, I believe, way before my time, ha!). Well, that stupid song stayed in my head for DAYS afterward. So damn you, Richard, damn you to hell! (Just kidding about the damnation part, of course.)

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

411. Comment #153343 by SurfDude on April 1, 2008 at 12:06 pm

398. Comment #153075 by VanVoorst on April 1, 2008 at 2:15 am

The here is a link to YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0f-2Tit5Fg


I love all the over-analysis and this is just going to make it worse!

Bravo to whoever is behind this. And once again, I will reiterate that the original video was da bomb, fo shizzle my brutha. (p.s. use of the rap vernacular is kind of the point of this, for those that don't "get" it).

p.s. I am 44, a lover of all music, and think some rap is exceptionally creative

Other Comments by SurfDude

412. Comment #153350 by Steve Zara on April 1, 2008 at 12:12 pm

Comment #153115 by agg

That is actually rather beautiful. I want one!

Other Comments by Steve Zara

413. Comment #153405 by sent2null on April 1, 2008 at 12:59 pm

419. Comment #153350 by Steve Zara on April 1, 2008 at 12:12 pm
avatarComment #153115 by agg

That is actually rather beautiful. I want one!

I'll have to second Steve's opinion. The evolving "jesus fish" with bling does look good!

Unfortunately, all the actual jewelry that I could find with a google search returned items that were amazingly obnoxious, with a huge "darwin" spelled out in the core. As seen here...

http://www.prankplace.com/darwinfish.htm?KBID=1163

Not nearly as pleasing as agg's rendition. You could try getting http://www.jacobandcojewelry.com/">Jacob the Jeweler to craft one for you Steve, at a price. ;)

Other Comments by sent2null

414. Comment #153407 by agg on April 1, 2008 at 1:00 pm

That is actually rather beautiful. I want one!

Sorry, Steve, too late. Latest word is they've sold out. You gotta wait for the backorder.

SurfDude: Exactly what I've been saying. I am glad I'm not alone in this. I am simply enthralled. These guys are playing it perfectly...

Other Comments by agg

415. Comment #153423 by agg on April 1, 2008 at 1:11 pm

Not nearly as pleasing as agg's rendition.

Thanks, sent2null and steve. I am glad someone has finally appreciated them --- I was beginning to think that they'd go unnoticed.

Unfortunately, all the actual jewelry that I could find with a google search returned items that were amazingly obnoxious, with a huge "darwin" spelled out in the core.

Heh, tell me about it. A lot of googling went into this throughout the night. I was surprised to find as many as I did. I was prepared to work with the Jesus fish (shudder)! Good thing I got The Gimp. (EDIT: You could say that Darwin got EXPELLED!)

On the flip side, I still got a progress report to finish...

Other Comments by agg

416. Comment #153594 by Rational_G on April 1, 2008 at 4:10 pm

Here's some pretty cheezy lyrics...... (complete with muzac music version accompaniment)

and yet I enjoy singing it - the chorus especially - though I can't keep a straight face

http://www.geocities.com/bjaes.geo/lyrics/mcarthur.htm

You Brits of a certain age should know it well...

Other Comments by Rational_G

417. Comment #153620 by madame_zora on April 1, 2008 at 5:04 pm

Well you guys sure posted some scary lyrics, but I think I've found the prize, "Figured You Out" by Nickelback makes me wish I could get my nickel back:


I like your pants around your feet
I like the dirt that's on your knees
And I like the way you still say please
While you're looking up at me
You're like my favourite damn disease

And I love the places that we go
And I love the people that you know
And I love the way you can't say no
Too many long lines in a row
I love the powder on your nose

Ooooh
And now I know who you are
It wasn't that hard
Just to figure you out
And now I know who you are
It wasn't that hard
Just to figure you out

Other Comments by madame_zora

418. Comment #153632 by Fuller on April 1, 2008 at 5:34 pm

As long as we're talking bad lyrics, here's my vote for the worst of all time (from that life ooOOooh life song):

'I wouldn't want to see a ghost
I'd rather have a piece of toast'

Chart hit, that was.

Other Comments by Fuller

419. Comment #153670 by alovrin on April 1, 2008 at 7:45 pm

Why to people always fall over themselves for stupidity.

The spoken word set to music is an artform.
John Cooper Clarke anyone..anyone..
Further back there's Fats Waller, Louis Jordan
What about Frank Zappa
And of course the Acid Jazz poets
and Prince Far I, Cary Clail man the choices go on.

And these tossers
with their D to the fucking whatever.
Is that a lyric.
its like saying and
1and 2and 3and 4and5 and 123
1 tothe 2 tothe 3 tothe 4 tothe yadda yadda yadda
Its like Xtians invoking jeeses name its done all the time.
So they drop a few greek names sheez

Well 14 mins and counting
The only thing I like is they are not theists.

Other Comments by alovrin

420. Comment #153687 by Enlightenme.. on April 1, 2008 at 8:40 pm

Title: Beware the *believers*

" rabidest atheist who..
..*believes* that no God but science could ever be true.
hell, if I was dyslexic I'd even hate "dog" too. "


Suggests:
That Atheism is a belief system - that science is Richard's god, and further suggests that that makes him a 'hater'.

Other Comments by Enlightenme..

421. Comment #153689 by MPhil on April 1, 2008 at 8:41 pm

or might satirize exactly that sentiment :)

I'm still unsure...

Other Comments by MPhil

422. Comment #153701 by Podaar on April 1, 2008 at 9:27 pm

Comment #153670 by alovrin

And these tossers
with their D to the fucking whatever.
Is that a lyric.

No less unintelligible as:
'She had that camarillo brillo, flaming out along her head, I mean her Mendicino beano, by the bush that made it red.' Frank Zappa

You may not want to use Frank as an example of lyric art. I love all his music but most of the lyrics are just silly filler.

Other Comments by Podaar

423. Comment #153719 by alovrin on April 1, 2008 at 11:52 pm

silly filler.

You do a disservice to Frank
Dont eat the yellow snow

Other Comments by alovrin

424. Comment #153889 by Spinoza on April 2, 2008 at 7:27 am

Just a small note of clarification for Professor Dawkins:

In that South Park episode, they didn't have your cartoon version buggering a transvestite, they had you actually having heterosexual sex with a post-op transexual female.

Which obviously doesn't make it any better... and I absolutely agree with you that that form of "satire" really isn't satire at all, and it is CLEARLY not in the same league as the Brechtian absurdities of Monty Python (that almost ALWAYS had a subversive intellectual element to them, so that idiots would laugh at the absurdity or not get it, but the true humour was revealed in the associations amongst the intelligensia).

... which is totally ivory-tower of me... but then, so is well-done humour.

Other Comments by Spinoza

425. Comment #153920 by wiz5 on April 2, 2008 at 8:01 am

Mr/Miss Garrison (the transsexual) isn't supposed to be satire, its just suppose to be absurd. The "satire" was the atheists in the future fighting over a pointless question.

Prof. Dawkins in the present was either just to make a respected figure look absurd, or to portray him as naive.

He got off lightly compared to catholic nut William A. Donohue who was sliced in two by Jesus wielding a ninja death star (of David). And the less said about the south park Mel Gibson character the better.

Other Comments by wiz5

426. Comment #154060 by Kardashovel on April 2, 2008 at 1:30 pm

I think that this thread is even funnier than the video. Nice work!

Other Comments by Kardashovel

427. Comment #154064 by al-rawandi on April 2, 2008 at 1:42 pm

Spinoza,



I thought the RD episode of Southpark was hilarious....


"Fuck me in my monkey hole Richard Dawkins!"


Then when Cartman called and asked for "Mr. Garrison" and RD said "You mean Ms. Dawkins" and Cartman replies "Whatever he calls himself after the sex change!" that was truly priceless.

I love Southpark.

Other Comments by al-rawandi

428. Comment #154065 by speculawyer on April 2, 2008 at 1:43 pm

I'm a new member to the community.

I have to say that I find the video hysterical and I've even done a youtube-to-MP3 conversion to put it on my MP3 player when I go for a run.

This video is clever, well-made, and very funny. Much of the humor is from the juxtaposition of well-mannered academics like Dawkins, Harris, Dennett, and PZ Myers with gansta-rap. But there is slight over-lap in that Richard himself and Hitchens do come across as in-your-face, over-confident, and arrogant to many Americans (Sorry Richard, but even you know it is true) due to their unapologetic and uncompromising positions (and their British accents).

As others have said, this video is like South Park in that it pokes fun at both sides. And that is very clever since it enables the work to get a wide audience. But if one logically analyzes what is said and takes out the over-gratiuitious self-aggrandizement(which is standard rap styling), it is clear that the science position dominates the song.

This was certainly not made by the same people that made "Expelled" . . . they are far too clumsy and transparent to make something this subtle. They would have filled it with Nazis.

So put me down as one who believes it was made by a pro-science person that also has no problem poking fun at his own side.

And in the very unlikely event that this was made by creationists . . . they shot themselves in the foot because I love it! :-D

I just noticed another clue . . . in the beginning there is some text that says "Reporting Idiocy Isn't Really Squealing" . . . now doesn't that sum up the science position of the movie "Expelled"?

P.S. Daniel Dennett as the Mac Daddy pimp is awesome. I hope everyone portrayed in the video takes it with good humor (Dawkins, PZ Myers, Eugenie Scott, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens.)

Other Comments by speculawyer

429. Comment #154068 by Kardashovel on April 2, 2008 at 1:58 pm

What's up al-rawandi?

Did you hear God talking to you yet?

Other Comments by Kardashovel

430. Comment #154069 by al-rawandi on April 2, 2008 at 2:01 pm

Ya.



He told me to put $10,000 on "Mother's Little Helper" in the 3rd race.


This better pay off.

Other Comments by al-rawandi

431. Comment #154071 by Kardashovel on April 2, 2008 at 2:05 pm

He may prefer that you lose...

God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son."
Abe said, "Man, you must be puttin me on."

Other Comments by Kardashovel

432. Comment #154072 by Enlightenme.. on April 2, 2008 at 2:06 pm

429. Comment #153689 by MPhil on April 1, 2008

"or might satirize exactly that sentiment :)

I'm still unsure..."


What I meant to say was, it's anti both sides in my opinion.

It doesn't have to refer to theists who *are* believers, but it asserts the cliche that 'rabidest atheists' are also susceptible to becoming *believers* in an ism - 'scientism'.

I think it may also be attempting to portray us as having become 'haters' too, ie; we are identifying religion as an object of hate
(with the ever-present danger that you have to assign that emotion of hate towards agents - and since God doesn't exist the poor theists become the agency you target)
I don't think hate in "hate dog too" is chosen merely to scan well.

But, I still really like it - I think that like the 'Read a book' video, it has a great message for rebellious adolescents, it contains the warning, but also the message 'Science - it works, bitches.'

Other Comments by Enlightenme..

433. Comment #154073 by sidfaiwu on April 2, 2008 at 2:09 pm

So we leave her
So we leave her
So we leave her,
Far from where her dusky comrades roam.
In the scarlet fever
In the scarlet fever
In the scarlet fever
Convalescent home.

I'm not sure why, Dr., but I found 'the worst poem ever' the funniest I've ever read. Then again, I am metaphorically-impaired.

And since everyone else has added their two cents, I feel I owe my own. I found the video funny because of the incongruous juxtaposition (like the football match between the philosophers), but think its lampooning the atheists.

Other Comments by sidfaiwu

434. Comment #154074 by al-rawandi on April 2, 2008 at 2:10 pm

Karda,





Bob Dylan....


Subterranian Home Sick Blues

Other Comments by al-rawandi

435. Comment #154093 by Rational_G on April 2, 2008 at 3:41 pm

"I'll ignore your cheap aroma
And your Little bo peep diploma
I'll just put you in a coma
with some........

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6602788327816663997&q=zappa dirty love&total=41&start=10&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3

Other Comments by Rational_G

436. Comment #154094 by Layla Nasreddin on April 2, 2008 at 3:46 pm

#442

I thought that was "Highway 61 Revisited."

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

437. Comment #154133 by hazzer777 on April 2, 2008 at 6:25 pm

Richard, i think this says everything that the creator of this animation is trying to say. They have been very clever.



King Kong



The Machine



2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal 9000



War of the worlds. Tripod



Mars = Militant

If you can't work it out from this then i'm sorry.

Other Comments by hazzer777

438. Comment #154166 by Kardashovel on April 2, 2008 at 7:36 pm

Quite right, Layla.

God said "No."
Abe said "What?"

God said, "You can do what you want, Abe, but the next time you see me coming you'd better run."

Abe said "Where do you want this killing done?"
God said "Out on Highway 61."

Here, for example.

Layla, do you keep bees?

Other Comments by Kardashovel

439. Comment #154180 by Kardashovel on April 2, 2008 at 7:57 pm

What happened to that Daicanu chap?

He would have immediately seen this vid for what it is.

Other Comments by Kardashovel

440. Comment #154195 by Layla Nasreddin on April 2, 2008 at 8:52 pm

Layla, do you keep bees?

*snort* No, it's a heavy-handed illustration of the "mother of all burqas" (mentioned in The God Delusion) in action--on me! :-P

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

441. Comment #154203 by Kardashovel on April 2, 2008 at 9:27 pm

Islam made much headway by decrying the slaughter of female infants and promoting modesty of appearance, which would appeal to the vast majority of women that resented their relative inability to benefit from revealing their faces, and the solid majority of women that justifiably felt their newborn daughters were worth the trouble of pregnancy and labor.

In his time Mohammad was a great feminist, in shrewd support of his crusade to reduce worship to one god, for whom he graciously interceded. Sadly, he didn't realize that girls just want to have fun.

We've come a long way, baby.

Other Comments by Kardashovel

442. Comment #154206 by MPhil on April 2, 2008 at 9:44 pm

In his time Mohammad was a great feminist

You can't be serious! Women enjoyed far more rights and social status in the classical roman empire and on most greek islands almost a century before Mohammad was born - which was in no small part reflected in the/linked to the greek/roman mythology with its many worshipped female godesses, the worshipping of hedonistic pleasure, fertility and the ascription of positive qualitites, sucessful acts and "entities" (heard-fire, fertility, hunt, harvest to mention only the most essential) to female godesses.

Not to mention the far-eastern religions that actually worshipped female sexuality...

Compare the description and treatment of women on the greek isles and in the roman empire (and in the far eastern religions I mentioned - also in parts of India) with that of females as described and treated by the Koran and Islam...

_______________________________
On a side note - I violently dislike the term feminism... I'm all for equal rights, privileges, payment, opportunity etc - but when I think of "feminism", I think of "feminist philosophy" and "feminist science" - which mostly said "There is a way of knowledge, of insight into reality that men can't acheive. All this (rigorous logic/scientific methodology) is actually a sexist suppression by chauvinist men! You don't honestly believe in (the JTB-theory/ DNA), do you? You do? Well then you're just blind or still trapped in the subjugation of woment by those male chauvinists!

This might sound like a made-up story... but sadly, it's real and documented - and it even was a major movement.

Equal opportunity, wages, education, rights, privileges - absolutely! Such incompetent, ludicrous, illoical, blatantly stupid nonsense - absolutely not!

:)

Other Comments by MPhil

443. Comment #154208 by MaxD on April 2, 2008 at 9:50 pm

Daniel Dennet as a pimp was hilarious. More than this I think that their use of language-even implied words like fuck, etc- rule them out as fundies.
Anyway, it is really well made, clever and good for a laugh.

Other Comments by MaxD

444. Comment #154213 by righton on April 2, 2008 at 10:17 pm

@449 by kardashovel

In his time Mohammad was a great feminist, in shrewd support of his crusade to reduce worship to one god, for whom he graciously interceded. Sadly, (((he didn't realize that girls just want to have fun.)))

You are an a-hole. Why do you post here?

Other Comments by righton

445. Comment #154219 by Layla Nasreddin on April 2, 2008 at 10:59 pm

kardashovel wrote:

Islam made much headway by decrying the slaughter of female infants and promoting modesty of appearance, which would appeal to the vast majority of women that resented their relative inability to benefit from revealing their faces, and the solid majority of women that justifiably felt their newborn daughters were worth the trouble of pregnancy and labor.

In his time Mohammad was a great feminist, in shrewd support of his crusade to reduce worship to one god, for whom he graciously interceded. Sadly, he didn't realize that girls just want to have fun.

We've come a long way, baby.

Hey, man, I wrote a lengthy propaganda paper all about "The Exalted Status of Women in Islam" when I was far less of a doubting Muslimah than I am now, so I know all about that line of thought!

I don't want to bash Islam unfairly (but of course "unfairness" is in the eye of the beholder!), since the Islamic tradition still means quite a lot to me, even though I have to say I now find the religion to be completely logically indefensible (though not without a certain emotional attachment).

But at the same time I'm not going to defend things I don't believe in, such as women inheriting half of what men do, polygny but no polyandry, the obsession with (usually) female virginity, the emphasis on being a wife and mother to the exclusion of all other female occupations, assorted "women must obey their husbands/fathers" rules, the branding of menstruating women as "unclean," etc.

I just think Islam and Muslims (including myself, of course) could do with a bit of self-deprecating humour now and then, darn it!

(Wow, has this thread gone off topic!)

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

446. Comment #154287 by Kardashovel on April 3, 2008 at 4:13 am

MPhil: Actually I was joking, as righton correctly surmised. But I think you might pull a hamstring with you assertion that the Greeks and Romans were bastions of female equality; although it is ironic that a pillar of modern feminism is establishing the right for women to be as proudly hedonistic as men are reputed to be.

Sadly, this equality of action does not smooth over the differences in biology, and women are left to "take care of the problem" in record numbers. The bitter irony reaches a crescendo as gender selection again rears its ugly head, although at least women can now avoid the pain of birth prior to their rightful decision that kills their daughters.

I'm surprised that you neglected to mention the role of Christianity in improving the lot of Greek and Roman women. Worshiping hedonism is certainly exciting, but it does have somewhat unbalanced consequences when it comes to the sexes, wouldn't you agree?

Other Comments by Kardashovel

447. Comment #154288 by Kardashovel on April 3, 2008 at 4:14 am

You are an a-hole. Why do you post here?

Well, for the scintillating conversation, of course.

Perhaps you could join us... or at least elevate the quality of your vituperation.

Other Comments by Kardashovel

448. Comment #154289 by MPhil on April 3, 2008 at 4:18 am

I didn't say that the romans and greek had gender equality - just that they had a lot more respect for women and that they were granted more freedom, and could enter into positions other than maid, whore or farmer's wife :) (high priestess for example :) than under Judaism, Islam - or Christianity.

Other Comments by MPhil

449. Comment #154299 by Kardashovel on April 3, 2008 at 4:31 am

I wrote a lengthy propaganda paper all about "The Exalted Status of Women in Islam" when I was far less of a doubting Muslimah than I am now, so I know all about that line of thought!

Probably a great deal more that I will ever know. Now it seems primitive, but at the time, in pagan Arabia, it must have been very convincing.

I don't want to bash Islam unfairly (but of course "unfairness" is in the eye of the beholder!), since the Islamic tradition still means quite a lot to me, even though I have to say I now find the religion to be completely logically indefensible (though not without a certain emotional attachment).

Naturally. How can anyone entirely reject their culture and still breath their air?

But at the same time I'm not going to defend things I don't believe in, such as women inheriting half of what men do, polygny but no polyandry, the obsession with (usually) female virginity, the emphasis on being a wife and mother to the exclusion of all other female occupations, assorted "women must obey their husbands/fathers" rules, the branding of menstruating women as "unclean," etc.

For what it is worth, I think that women should have equal rights and protection under the law, in a secular state. Unfortunately, as I understand it, there is no compatibility between Islam and a secular state, and if Islam makes the law, women are kind of screwed, no?

I do not believe that we should legislate morality; so I believe that religions, properly separated from the state, are our best hope of encouraging moral behavior. It would be far preferable, in my mind, had American men listened to their pastors and quit their wanton philandering; likewise I cannot understand the pride that some women have in the achievement of the general acceptance of promiscuity without consequence.

Other Comments by Kardashovel

450. Comment #154302 by Kardashovel on April 3, 2008 at 4:40 am

they had a lot more respect for women and that they were granted more freedom, and could enter into positions other than maid, whore or farmer's wife :) (high priestess for example :) than under Judaism, Islam - or Christianity.

Surely you jest. Do you believe that just any Roman girl could hope to be a Vestal Virgin? And how much freedom do you think those priestesses had?

Moreover, what is it about Jesus' teachings that limits the role of women in society?

Other Comments by Kardashovel