Ben Stein loses his column in the NYT

[Sauron]

Seems appropriate. Stein was so fixated on making money that getting involved with the ID crowd and becoming a pitchman for credit monitoring has backfired on him.

Ben Stein loses New York Times column Newspaper said his work as pitchman wasn’t appropriate

The Associated Press
updated 9:15 p.m. PT, Sat., Aug 8, 2009

NEW YORK - Monotone TV personality Ben Stein has been stripped of his Sunday New York Times business column because of his work as a pitchman for a credit monitoring company.

New York Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis released a statement Friday that said the newspaper decided it would not be appropriate for Stein to pitch for FreeScore.com while writing his column.

An e-mail requesting comment from the former host of Comedy Central's "Win Ben Stein's Money" quiz show was not immediately returned.

Earlier this year, Stein withdrew as the University of Vermont's commencement speaker over complaints about his critical views of evolution in favor of intelligent design.

Stein famously played the part of a monotone economics teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

[Qingdai]

Couldn't happen to a more deserving person.

I like how they glossed over his "Nixon speech writer" past too. I wasn't going to mention it in the John Hughes thread, but I was a bit irked that Ben Stein's career took off after being cast in Ferris Bueller's Day off.

[godfry n. glad]

Maybe Shaq can give him a boost.

[witzend]

Yeah, what are you going to do with a PhD ? Lecture on the Smoot-Holley tarriff? Perhaps he's ready for the Fox network as a crumudgen- at- large. Maybe his opinion on Fox got the column the boot? More than likely he will have a "Newsletter" or e-mail updates like many other Opinion Luminaries.

I think his work "Expelled" has shown itself to be strangely prophetic. You say any-thing venture any opinion about "intelligent design" and find yourself ridiculed, derided and damned. What a suprise -- we marginalize.

[livius drusus]

Getting a column in the NYT is hardly being ridiculed, derided and damned. Quite the opposite. He lost said column because he shilled for a financial con, not because of his involvement with ID, which was well-established long before he got the gig.

He should never have gotten the column in the first place simply because he has proven himself to be a complete ignoramus in the area of his supposed expertise. See this classic video for a small glimpse into the extent of his fail:

YouTube - Peter Schiff Was Right 2006 - 2007 (2nd...

[godfry n. glad]

All I have to say is "YAY!"

May he spiral down into penury and homelessness. He needs a lesson in humility.

[Nullifidian]

Originally Posted by witzend

I think his work "Expelled" has shown itself to be strangely prophetic. You say any-thing venture any opinion about "intelligent design" and find yourself ridiculed, derided and damned. What a suprise -- we marginalize.

Any opinion?

Okay, it is my considered opinion that Ben Stein is an ignorant fool and "intelligent design" is a crock of shit.

I'll let you know when I find myself "ridiculed, derided and damned".

[godfry n. glad]

Well...Ben Stein is a crock of shit. Warranted, a short, stunted crock, but a crock of shit, none the less.

[Sauron]

Originally Posted by witzend

I think his work "Expelled" has shown itself to be strangely prophetic. You say any-thing venture any opinion about "intelligent design" and find yourself ridiculed, derided and damned.

For the same reason that alien abduction fanatics and flat earthers find themselves derided: the overwhelming evidence is against them and they still won't abandon their position.

What a suprise -- we marginalize.

What a surprise - we expect science to actually deal with SCIENCE, instead of trying to dress up religion and disguise it as science.

[seebs]

Yeah, not seeing the big problem here. We also marginalize geocentrists.