It basically depends on which side you choose: the bible or science, religion or scientists, a book of fantasy tales or decades of pure cold evidence and fact. Regardless of your stance, and my own apparent, “Flock of Dodos” is not only a wry examination of the dispute between Creationists and Evolutionists, but also manages to side with the evolutionists while pointing out the possibility that we evolutionists could become an extinct species if we do nothing to convince the world that evolutionism is by nature, you know, logical, sensible, and just absolutely true, in spite of the inherent denial placed by creationists.
It’s no secret of my stance in this issue, but director Randy Olson places a very interesting point in place about the basic complacency of folks who support the issue of evolutionism and how self-defeating they’ve become. Take for example his candid poker game with scientists who discuss the inherent fallacies behind creationism and the basic elitism present within the group that sadly works against their attempts to bring their stance to the forefront of this volatile dispute. Sure, in the long run, it’s just a load of hogwash perpetuated to distract from the actual issues in this country, but it has become a separating argument that’s garnered immense debate.
Olson doesn’t particularly attack one side, even though his stance is made apparent in a great portion of the documentary; he chronicles the discussions of the evolutionists, and yet sits down with creationists revealing them to be wholesome harmless people who hold strong beliefs as we do, however illogical they may be. Thankfully Olson also explores the utterly deceptive concoction of Intelligent Design, a blatantly bogus theory put forth by creationist pushers that combines science and religion to form this rather contradictory theory that perhaps all this scientific marvels were planned by a “higher force.” Are we to believe hurricanes and earthquakes are pre-designed machinations?
He debunks much of this designed theory and political propaganda machine grabbing the proponents and allowing them to hang themselves with their own rope, but thankfully never resorts to tricky editing, or insistent questioning as Michael Moore does. The theory of Intelligent Design sold by the Discovery Institute to much of the American public needs no tricks to show its absurdity. Olson puts the creationists under the magnifying glass, but also chastises evolutionists who simply haven’t done enough to push forth this scientific fact that is still absurdly considered a theory.
If not broached further, evolution can be trivialized more and more, and folks who champion the fact of evolution will be as ancient as those who view the Earth as a flat surface, and we’d have no one to blame but ourselves.
