Penguins and politics

[Dan McCosh]

Just saw March of the Penguins, which is a fascinating movie. Now it seem it is in the center of the liberal-conservative debate. Fundamentalists say penguin child-rearing reinforces the notion of intelligent design, and family values. Liberals point out that many penguins are gay, only stick with one wife for a year, and establish a feminist dream household. Best line comes from one of the producers: "They are only birds."

[ljb5]

This was a thing about two months ago.

I think it started when Bill O'Reilly or some other conservative commentator declared that the success of March of the Penguins was a triumph for conservatives.

That was dumb, of course because it's a movie about birds -- and although the movie has a strong theme of parental responsibility, penguins aren't exemplars of family values.

It got a lot worse when somone pointed out that penguins aren't perfect. I don't know who did it, but I don't think it was a leader of the liberal movement like Dean or Pelosi or Reid.

From there on out, it just got dumber and dumber as liberals got branded as 'those people who say mean things about pengiuns.'

[LeeG]

It's a heck of a movie but an example of family values? They try to steal each others eggs, the male keeps an emergency stash of fermenting fish food to give the new born, and it's all based on gorging and purging.
The scene of the flock crammed together alternating positions was a trip.

[ 12-30-2005, 02:16 PM: Message edited by: LeeG ]

[Keith Wilson]

Trying to destroy Christmas and saying mean things about penguins! - How low can they sink? :mad: :D :D

http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/properties/opus/art_images/opu52_05comp_lr.jpg

[ 12-30-2005, 02:46 PM: Message edited by: Keith Wilson ]

[Katherine]

They're just FOOKING BIRDS!

[Dan McCosh]

The DVD comes with another documentary about making the film. In one piece, it relates how the filmakers went out into a 90-mph gale at -40 degrees to film, marveling at how the birds survived such conditions. Then the film crew realized they were lost in a white-out, and nearly died before making it back to camp--coming close to becoming a nomination for a Darwin award.