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Glenn Beck Considers Boycott Of Disney Over Charles Darwin Film

Former Fox News Host Considers Disney Boycott Over Darwin Film
Paul Vale
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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.

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Charles Darwin's Life
He Had The Same Birthday As Lincoln(01 of08)
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Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were both born on February 12, 1809. (credit:HPMG/Wikimedia Commons)
His Mom Died When He Was Young(02 of08)
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Charles Darwin's mother, Susannah Wedgwood, died when he was only eight years old. Here Darwin is pictured at age 7. (credit:Wikimedia Commons: Ellen Sharples)
He Was A Med School Dropout(03 of08)
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At age 16, Charles Darwin was enrolled at Edinburgh University to study medicine. He left and, at age 19, enrolled at Christ’s College, Cambridge, intending to become a clergyman. Darwin completed his degree at Cambridge in 1831. Here Darwin is pictured during the late 1830s. (credit:Wikimedia Commons: George Richmond)
His Full Title For 'On The Origin Of Species'(04 of08)
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In 1859, Charles Darwin published his book, originally titled, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life." (credit:Public Domain)
He Married His First Cousin(05 of08)
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Charles Darwin married his first cousin Emma Wedgwood, and even described her as “good as twice refined gold.” (credit:Wikimedia Commons: George Richmond)
He Was Wild About Backgammon(06 of08)
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Charles Darwin often would spend his evenings playing backgammon, as reported in The New York Times in 1888. (credit:Public Domain)
He Was A Control Freak(07 of08)
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Charles Darwin reportedly planned out each day to roughly the same routine for 40 years. His days would include a walk before breakfast, and a break from work to read the newspaper or family letters. Here Darwin is pictured in 1842 with his eldest son, William. (credit:Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)
He Often Suffered Ailments(08 of08)
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Charles Darwin frequently suffered nausea, headaches, palpitations, exhaustion and eczema. He died at age 73 on April 19, 1882. (credit:Wikimedia Commons: Leonard Darwin)
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