Rush Limbaugh just pulled a "Why we still got monkeys?"

[widdershins]

It baffles me how the right-wing nuts are simply impervious to facts.  I just read an article about Limbaugh's show on Tuesday where he had this to say:

Don’t doubt me on this. A lot of people think that all of us used to be gorillas, and they’re looking for the missing link out there. The evolution crowd. They think we were originally apes… If we were the original apes, then how come Harambe is still an ape, and how come he didn’t become one of us?

Really?  In 2016 people are STILL confused about this?  And people STILL think scientists are looking for the "missing link" which was all the rage in the '80s?  How can ANY American today still be so utterly ignorant of evolution that they would ask this moronic question?  And really, if you know THAT LITTLE about it, why the hell would you be so sure it was wrong?

I can understand being impervious to facts which conflict with a fairy tale you really, really want to believe in, but after 30 years you would think some little bit of factual information would eventually sink in.  There are plenty of better (as in "more undisprovable", not "more viable") arguments against evolution.  Yes, they all involve copious amounts of fact-denying, but most of them can't be shot down by a sixth grader with a very basic understanding of the subject.  This is the bottom of the barrel, dumbest anti-evolution argument there is and I can't believe right-wingnuts are STILL so utterly ignorant about something they are so sure isn't true that anyone would ever still use this.

[Hakurei Reimu]

My response to anyone who asks, "Why we still got monkeys?" is "For the same reason that most Americans are descended from Europeans, yet there are still Europeans."

I think Missing Link is more turn of the century. That is, 20th century. The human lineage was pretty much filled in by '80's. Anyway, you're quite right about the fact that this line of argument is so laughably ignorant it's funny, but then again, we call them "anti-intellectuals" for a reason. To use an argument that a sixth grader couldn't dismiss would take some actual intellect.

[Mike Cl]

It baffles me how the right-wing nuts are simply impervious to facts.  I just read an article about Limbaugh's show on Tuesday where he had this to say:
Really?  In 2016 people are STILL confused about this?  And people STILL think scientists are looking for the "missing link" which was all the rage in the '80s?  How can ANY American today still be so utterly ignorant of evolution that they would ask this moronic question?  And really, if you know THAT LITTLE about it, why the hell would you be so sure it was wrong?

I can understand being impervious to facts which conflict with a fairy tale you really, really want to believe in, but after 30 years you would think some little bit of factual information would eventually sink in.  There are plenty of better (as in "more undisprovable", not "more viable") arguments against evolution.  Yes, they all involve copious amounts of fact-denying, but most of them can't be shot down by a sixth grader with a very basic understanding of the subject.  This is the bottom of the barrel, dumbest anti-evolution argument there is and I can't believe right-wingnuts are STILL so utterly ignorant about something they are so sure isn't true that anyone would ever still use this.

Never, ever---ever, ever!!!  Think that the average 'Merican is not stupid!  Limbaugh makes his living talking to these people.  I have an affectionate term for them--Stupid Fucking Americans (SFA).  They are everywhere--but they really do like heat and humidity and so flock and stay in the South.  But they are everywhere.  In my little town--in CA--they thrive.  Bush stickers are still found on cars.  Little fish symbols everywhere.  Strike up a conversation in a grocery store and you will find Limbaugh echoed back at you.  Our nursery person (they do sell great plants and have good advice) was trying to convince us that jet contrails was a type of poison the US Govt. was spreading secretely and that it had to do with mind control.  ?????!!  Water vapor--no fucking way!  Everywhere, I tell you!!! :))

[gentle_dissident]

Strike up a conversation in a grocery store

There is our hope.

jet contrails was a type of poison the US Govt. was spreading secretely and that it had to do with mind control.

I would have let her know that I'd heard of chemtrails and MKUltra. I would have told her that my research of chemtrails did not find anything, not even mind control. I would have kindly asked for her sources, as they would be helpful to my gathering of knowledge.

[Hydra009]

Really?  In 2016 people are STILL confused about this?

Miseducated decades ago, a product of the huge creationism push at that time, and pretty much mentally coasting since then.  Unfortunately, yes, I can see people still have problems with this.  Roughly a third of Americans, which is actually an improvement over previous trends.

And people STILL think scientists are looking for the "missing link" which was all the rage in the '80s?

I hate that term and the misconception that goes along with it.  There's no doubt that humans came from apes.  And technically, humans are apes.

How can ANY American today still be so utterly ignorant of evolution that they would ask this moronic question?  And really, if you know THAT LITTLE about it, why the hell would you be so sure it was wrong?

Deeply ingrained political and religious beliefs to the contrary combined with the ever-popular religious idea that piety allows them to know science better than scientists.  Otherwise, they'd defer to their expertise or god forbid, try to learn about the subject before talking about it.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

My response to anyone who asks, "Why we still got monkeys?" is "For the same reason that most Americans are descended from Europeans, yet there are still Europeans."

But I'm Irish...

[Flanker1Six]

Our nursery person (they do sell great plants and have good advice) was trying to convince us that jet contrails was a type of poison the US Govt. was spreading secretely and that it had to do with mind control.  ?????!!  Water vapor--no fucking way!  Everywhere, I tell you!!! :))

Bah!  Vapor trails indeed!  If they wanted to control me; they could easily have done it with any of the umpteen inoculations they gave me before any of my overseas projects.    Bbbbbbaaaaaaaa!   Oddly enough though; ever since the anthrax vaccine; I randomly bleat like a sheep?  Very embarrassing at the grocery store! 

[Mike Cl]

I would have let her know that I'd heard of chemtrails and MKUltra. I would have told her that my research of chemtrails did not find anything, not even mind control. I would have kindly asked for her sources, as they would be helpful to my gathering of knowledge.

The longer I asked about the contrails, the more I realized they had a christian-like obsession with the subject and told me of a web site.  I realized I did not want them jacking up prices or giving us bad nursery advice, so I just changed the conversation to dahlias. 

[trdsf]

Taking anything Limbaugh says seriously for longer than a fraction of a second requires more alcohol than I have ready access to.  It's enough to know that he would much rather tell a lie to advance his point even if there's a truth that would serve the same purpose.

[stromboli]

Just remember that Rush Limbaugh is relatively smart, but his audience isn't, and he knows it.

[widdershins]

I would have let her know that I'd heard of chemtrails and MKUltra. I would have told her that my research of chemtrails did not find anything, not even mind control. I would have kindly asked for her sources, as they would be helpful to my gathering of knowledge.

I saw a documentary about these many years ago.  I don't remember much about it any more, but one thing stuck with me.  If I remember correctly the documentary featured whatever wackjob first came up with the chemtrail nonsense and he was explaining how he "discovered" this.  Essentially it breaks down to this:  He walked out his door, he looked up in the sky and saw contrails, he wondered if they were actually chemicals, so they were.  This great "discovery" started with some guy, as I remember the documentary, ADMITTINGLY making the whole thing up in his head and going from there.  Like all pseudoscience their "evidence" is based on what you CAN'T prove or what the chemtrails CAN'T be with an unhealthy heaping of pure speculative fantasy dumped on top.

[SGOS]

Rush Limbaugh is just a typical ignorant know it all.  He knows everything, even when he doesn't know anything.  He's an ignorant obnoxious jerk with a radio show.   When he's sober he acts like a lot of people get when they're drunk, loudly expounding on stupid shit in a bar.  Would you like to have a beer with a guy like that?

[marom1963]

Most Americans can't tell you who the vice president is - they're going to know the finer points of evolution? - oh, excuse me, evilution ...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

.  Our nursery person (they do sell great plants and have good advice) was trying to convince us that jet contrails was a type of poison the US Govt. was spreading secretely and that it had to do with mind control.  ?????!!  Water vapor--no fucking way!  Everywhere, I tell you!!! :))

My brother died of Agent Orange. He worked on the planes that dropped it. Same with the chemtrail people. They have to live  under the chemtrails too. So, how stupid are they?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Most Americans can't tell you who the vice president is - they're going to be know the finer points of evolution? - oh, excuse me, evilution ...

John Vance Garner, then Harry S. Truman.