Frustration

[aesmael]

New show advertised recently, Eli Stone. Seemed like fun, a main character having extravagant, perhaps prophetic visions. I thought I would give this sort of show another try after snarling at Medium.

I don't like it. After a few minutes, I realised this was the show I heard about some months ago, in which the opening episode establishes in court that vaccinations using thimerosol (faintly disguised as 'mercurisol' in the show) as a preservative cause autism, and that the company producing the vaccine was aware of this.

I don't like seeing such a charged falsehood presented on television as fact, considering it has been established firmly in multiple studies that there is no such link, and yet there are still numerous parents trying to sue companies which produce vaccines for 'making their child autistic'.

That, and the scene toward the end in which, after the main character is told that his visions are caused by an inoperable brain aneurysm, another character tells him they can have another explanation and perhaps he is a prophet, apparently in a Christian framework (Moses is referenced as an example 'I'm not' 'but God told Moses he would send a prophet to every generation'). The main character says he does not believe in God and gets told "Do you believe in right and wrong? Do you believe in justice? Do you believe in love? Then you believe in God." This sort of declaration that being a moral person is identical with belief in the Christian God annoys me a lot.

Plus, I would have preferred if he decided to attribute significance to his visions on his own.

Perhaps it would have been better viewed as some sort of alternate reality story or fantasy, but I think I would rather not watch a show which seems to have as its primary message that evidence-free belief and decision-making is better than the other kind.

Comments

[lost-angelwings.livejournal.com]

I hate this idea that only if you believe in a "god" can you be a moral person, or that morality and goodness are things that can only be handed out and taught to us by non-humans :\

[allieflowlight.livejournal.com]

Let me guess: this show was written by someone who sees faith as inherently more virtuous than fact. Right?

I am not sure why people are so attracted to conspiracy theories. I can easily see how they get trapped in them (by discounting any evidence to the contrary as "what they want you to think" and therefore tainted), but what baffles me is how they get trapped in them in the first place.

And yeah, that "Moral people believe in God" thing is an awkward bit of circular reasoning. (Like there's any other kind, heh.)

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that some of the most moral people I've known over the years have no religious faith although I've met some equally moral people of faith. I am a Quaker, but I don't think it makes me better than anyone else- just me :o)

Best not to generalise, I guess.

Oh and that stuff about 'making a child autistic'- I met parents like it when working with folks with autism. There are still folks putting their children at risk of childhhod diseases by refusing the MMR vaccination here because of this nonsense.

It's about the need to blame something or to put off blame because of guilt- but, like my being trans, left handed or colour/music synaesthetic, in the end, no blame attaches to anyone- these things just are......