yoko-ono.jpgstein.jpg

I know, who would have thought such a title would ever be so true?

Here’s the story in a nutshell: Ben Stein (yes, the guy from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Win Ben Stein’s Money) is the star and co-writer of a new documentary called “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” which claims that “Big Science has expelled smart new ideas from the classroom” (that’s quoted from the official site - you can check it if you want, but linking to it would make me feel dirty) by teaching evolution over intelligent design. The movie used a 15 second clip of John Lennon’s song “Imagine,” and Yoko Ono sued the filmmakers because they did not have her permission to do so, and she is the copyright holder. The Judge in the case said that the use of Imagine falls under fair use, a clause that allows for brief usage of copyrighted material without getting permission first.

I’m no expert on fair use, but to me it doesn’t necessarily seem like the use of “Imagine” in this movie would necessarily fall into that category, since the song is not about evolutionary theory specifically. Although the fact that they only used 15 seconds does make the filmmakers’ case stronger. Still, for them to claim fair use, they would have to show how the use of the song is integral to the film. The portion of the song in question contains the lyric, “Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too, “and the filmmakers’ lawyer argues that the clip is important to the movie because “it represents the most popular and persuasive embodiment of this viewpoint that the world is better off without religion. [The film is] asking if John Lennon was right and it’s concluding he was wrong.”

So the point of the movie is that we need religion in our society. But wait - I thought it was a documentary advocating intelligent design?

Oh, that’s right - they are one and the same.

Intelligent design is quite simply religion masquerading as science, and the filmmakers’ argument for using this song is an open admission of that fact.

I’m not going to get in to the whole intelligent design vs. evolution issue, mainly because there is nothing to debate. Intelligent design is not a valid scientific theory, it is a way for some religious fanatics to “prove” the existence of a divine presence. Which, by the way, goes against the literal definition of faith: “belief in something for which there is no proof.”

And that’s why I am forced to take the side of the lady who broke up the Beatles over a guy who played a classic 80’s movie character. I never thought I’d live to see THAT day, I tell ya…