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Richard Dawkins interviews

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  • 25-04-2007 11:43pm
    #1
    goo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 763 ✭✭✭


    When RD appeared on The O'Reilly Factor, Billo mentioned the already high and increasing number of atheists and agnostics in Europe and I was wondering if people think this is symptomatic of the sort of respect generally shown to atheists in our media (using RD as an example) and culture compared to that shown in America, or vice versa (the respect is due to the high numbers) or if they're maybe both a result of something I haven't thought of...or if maybe I'm using misleading examples haha.

    RD on The O'Reilly Factor:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8etMHn4P6g

    RD on The Late Late Show:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9HtY1chchM&mode=related&search=


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    #2
    PDN
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,686 ✭✭✭✭PDN


    As someone who spends several weeks each year in the USA, let me assure you that Bill O'Reilly is not representative of the US media. He is considered a joke by most educated Americans.


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    #3
    Sangre
    Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭Sangre


    Most Americans aren't educated.

    O'Reilly's show is the most watched cable news show in America.


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    #4
    robindch
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,399 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    PDN wrote:
    As someone who spends several weeks each year in the USA, let me assure you that Bill O'Reilly is not representative of the US media.
    You must be visiting a different country to the one I visit :) In the USA that I know, O'Reilly is hugely popular and supplies pretty much what's demanded by the faith-based segment of the broadcast media market. Check out the poll results from the well-respected Pew Research Center here:

    http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=838

    Scroll down to the end and read the last table -- Republican voters rate O'Reilly's Fox News as the most credible news source available. Amazing, but completely true.


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    #5
    Zillah
    Registered Users Posts: 17,371 ✭✭✭✭Zillah


    Sangre wrote:
    Most Americans aren't educated.

    Zing!


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    #6
    Zombrex
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    goo wrote:
    When RD appeared on The O'Reilly Factor, Billo mentioned the already high and increasing number of atheists and agnostics in Europe and I was wondering if people think this is symptomatic of the sort of respect generally shown to atheists in our media (using RD as an example) and culture compared to that shown in America, or vice versa (the respect is due to the high numbers) or if they're maybe both a result of something I haven't thought of...or if maybe I'm using misleading examples haha.

    RD on The O'Reilly Factor:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8etMHn4P6g

    RD on The Late Late Show:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9HtY1chchM&mode=related&search=

    I've heard the "Europe is full of atheists" line a few times both on FOX and even CNN.

    I'm not really sure why this is. After 9/11 and the Iraq war I notice a kinda shift in American thinking that Europe had been lost to liberalism and that America was really on its own in this new world. I don't know is this related to that, the idea that liberalism, which is often linked with atheism, has destroyed religion in Europe and that is why we have all turned into cheese eating surrender monkeys.

    I think the rise of Islam in Europe scares a lot of Americans, and again this seems to be bizzarely linked to atheism, as if Christianity was stopping Muslims from coming to Europe

    I think the America right is rather uneducated, confused, and nervous about Europe and they aren't 100% why. Its liberalism, its atheism, its Islam, its all these wrapped into one undefined feeling of menace


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    #7
    goo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 763 ✭✭✭goo


    The bit where he emphasises that Great Britain has a high level of atheism surprised me. "In. Great. Britain" (But they're in Iraq!)


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    #8
    karen3212
    Closed Accounts Posts: 668 ✭✭✭karen3212


    Yes, I too know some academically very well educated US citizens, who vote, and they think FOX is real news, isn't it billed as entertainment though? Anyway, it's gospel to them, and yes they are well practiced at putting their trust in other people to tell them how to live(ie preacher man)


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    #9
    Orizio
    Registered Users Posts: 9,460 ✭✭✭Orizio


    Wicknight wrote:
    I've heard the "Europe is full of atheists" line a few times both on FOX and even CNN.

    I'm not really sure why this is. After 9/11 and the Iraq war I notice a kinda shift in American thinking that Europe had been lost to liberalism and that America was really on its own in this new world. I don't know is this related to that, the idea that liberalism, which is often linked with atheism, has destroyed religion in Europe and that is why we have all turned into cheese eating surrender monkeys.

    I think the rise of Islam in Europe scares a lot of Americans, and again this seems to be bizzarely linked to atheism, as if Christianity was stopping Muslims from coming to Europe

    I think the America right is rather uneducated, confused, and nervous about Europe and they aren't 100% why. Its liberalism, its atheism, its Islam, its all these wrapped into one undefined feeling of menace

    That 'shift' occured decades ago.The US has been 'ambivalent' towards Europe at the very least since WW2, the rise of anti-Europeanism(hate that phrase) of late is testament to that.

    Now quite sure where this comes from, but there is undoubtedly a certain amount of jealousy coming from both sides of the atlantic while the political and religious ideal differences can hardly help.


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    #10
    radiospan
    Registered Users Posts: 3,329 ✭✭✭radiospan


    Quick heads up that "William Crawley meets Richard Dawkins" is on BBC1 NI at 10.20pm tonight.

    It's a half an hour interview, it's on Youtube too, so this is a repeat. Interesting discussion that touches on Northern Irish issues too.


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    #11
    skeptic griggsy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 112 ✭✭skeptic griggsy


    Billo is a reactionary with some progressive ideas.I wish Dawkins had really challenged him on the question of whence everything? Billo expresses like so many the argument from incredulity. They feel that there has to be something beyond the universe to account for it.They use pareidolia.:mad:


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    #12
    radiospan
    Registered Users Posts: 3,329 ✭✭✭radiospan


    Didnt want to go bumping the old "The God Delusion" thread, but last month Richard Dawkins responded to some of the criticism of the book in the Times: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article1779771.ece

    This is also included in the paperback edition of the book, released last month too.


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    #13
    pH
    Registered Users Posts: 4,188 ✭✭✭pH


    Seeing as it's bumped - here's a 15 minute interview with Dawkins from a couple of days ago

    Dawkins Interview(mp3)


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