NEW YORK -- Glenn Beck, erstwhile mouthpiece for Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, this week suggested listeners of his radio show should consider boycotting Disney. The author and media personality, who masquerades a daily offering of religion and conspiracy theory as traditional conservatism, had previously stated his opposition to boycotts for reasons of free speech. However Beck appears to have performed a volte-face when it comes to the House of the Mouse.
Last week Disney announced they are moving forward with a film about Charles Darwin, the renowned nineteenth-century scientist. The movie is to focus on the English naturalist’s voyage on the HMS Beagle -- the trip on which Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands, leading to his refining of the idea of natural selection.
“Creation,” a previous biopic about Darwin, starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly, struggled to find a distributor in the US because, according to producer Jeremy Thomas, “There's still a great belief that He [God] made the world in six days."
Beck’s recent comments flowed from a discussion on boycotts and whether or not they work. “Boycotts work and we [social conservatives]... do nothing,” said the 51-year-old former alcoholic. He then added: “They’re doing a new movie, kind of an Indiana Jones swashbuckling spirit of a five-year voyage in 1831 on ship HMS Beagle to the coastline of South America to find and follow the man who made discoveries that made him one of the most influential figures in human history.”
Beck continued sarcastically: “Wow, this sounds like a swashbuckling thriller that we are going to have to take our families to see. Doesn’t it sound great? It’s Charles Darwin. It’s the story of Charles Darwin and so we’re going to find out how exactly he came up with the idea, made the discoveries that brought him to the theory of evolution. Thank you, Disney! That’s fantastic. That's wonderful.”
A 2014 Gallup poll found that a staggering four in 10 Americans still believe that God created humans in their present form 10,000 years ago. A similar poll conducted in 2008 found that 60% of Republicans think God created humans, while a 2012 poll in Britain showed that only 17% of respondents believed in creationism.
SEE ALSO:
- When Will America Elect An Openly Gay President?
- Christians Should Resist Gay Marriage With 'Civil Disobedience'
- 'Stop Combatting Climate Change And Promote Traditional Marriage'
- CNN Mistakenly Spots ISIS Flag At London Pride
- South Carolina Confederate Flag Removed By Daring Female Activist
- Gay Marriage Decision Called 'The New 9/11'
