Censorship

[gluadys]

We hear a lot from anti-evolution creationists about a sort of internal censorship that keeps scientists on a leash, fearful of presenting non-evolutionary interpretations of data. Duordi's analysis of Mary Schweitzer's experience is the most recent case in point. Of course, most such stories are, like duordi's, an imaginative reconstruction of reality.

So it was interesting to learn of another kind of self-censorship at work among American publishers. And this is not imaginative reconstruction. The reluctance of American publishers meant this award-winning children's book on evolution had to be published in Canada. What scared off the American publishers to whom it was offered?

Children’s book too hot for U.S. publishers warmly received in Canada - The Globe and Mail

 

[Papias]

And a couple years ago, a movie that simply depicted the historical life of Darwin was denied release in the US for the same reason, only later was it finally picked up by a distributor, after much controversy

Charles Darwin film 'too controversial for religious America' - Telegraph


Plus, this censorship applies to schools too, where creationist groups have been largely successful in hamstringing American students when to comes to learning biology.



(see Shernren's map below, which is roughly the same, though it grades on an easier scale, of course, the real world doesn't grade on a curve.)


But hey, with the exploding and economically vital areas of bioengineering, genetics and so on, at least we can count on plenty of Chinese and Indian students learning the skills for those jobs, so at least they won't go unfilled......



Papias

P. S. Hmmmm. Anyone know how I can make that smaller?

 

[shernren]

Sorry Papias no dice. The forum's BBCode doesn't allow for resizing images. You'll just have to make a smaller one and post that up. Try this image - is it equivalent?

 

[Papias]

Thanks Shernren.

It's mostly equivalent, though it grades on easier scale. For instance, it considers all B's equal to A's. There are only 9 states that got A's. So the situation is a little worse than the smaller map you posted shows.

I'll remove my big map because it makes the thread harder to read by extending everything to the right. (at least on my browser).

We can just go by yours, remembering that it's a bit optimistic.

Papias

 

[Notedstrangeperson]

I remember having a book called "Evolve or Die" from the Horrible Science series as a child. Great little book. Is it available in the USA?

 

[JackKerouac]

I would caution you against seeing censorship where it doesn't exist. Publishers and studios are interested in one thing: $$$. If they think somethink is not gonna sell, they won't touch it. And sometimes they understand that a subject matter or position might be what prevents it from being hugely profitable. It's a financial decision, hardly censorship.

 

[shernren]

I would caution you against seeing censorship where it doesn't exist. Publishers and studios are interested in one thing: $$$. If they think somethink is not gonna sell, they won't touch it. And sometimes they understand that a subject matter or position might be what prevents it from being hugely profitable. It's a financial decision, hardly censorship.

Then again, creationists hardly ever claim that there is some evil cabal of evil evilutionists who have wired up scientists' brains to explode if they so much as think a kind thought about Ken Ham. When creationists say that the scientific/popular press is censored, they normally couch it in terms of scientists or universities losing their funding - which is really the same kind of more subtle effect as what you propose.

 

[gluadys]

Then again, creationists hardly ever claim that there is some evil cabal of evil evilutionists who have wired up scientists' brains to explode if they so much as think a kind thought about Ken Ham. When creationists say that the scientific/popular press is censored, they normally couch it in terms of scientists or universities losing their funding - which is really the same kind of more subtle effect as what you propose.

Also polls which show half of Americans opposing evolution also show half of them who, if not supportive, are not hostile and might be curious. That is, in itself, five times the whole population of Canada. So if it's profitable to sell/show in Canada, it's no doubt profitable to sell/show in the US. It would attract at least 2-3 times the number of buyers as north of the border even if the per capita sales were fewer.

 

[Siyha]

All us Canadians are all liberal humanist socialists. So I've been told.

 

[gluadys]

All us Canadians are all liberal humanist socialists. So I've been told.

Yeah, that's why Harper is Prime Minister, Ford is mayor of Toronto and Hudak has a chance of becoming Premier of Ontario. (Although I hear his numbers have dropped. Keeping my fingers crossed.)



PS for non-Canadians: all politicians named above are hard, right-wing Conservatives much like American Republicans.

 

[Incariol]

I thought we were supposed to like Canada these days, because apparently their government is opposing Palestinian statehood for no discernible reason, like the USA, and so we're supposed to be all about Christian brotherhood with Canada right now or some gibberish.