Who, Us? Arrogant?
I have stayed away from the story about Hollywood producer/director James Cameron backing out of a climate debate at the last minute, a debate he demanded and previously had thumped his chest that he would win going away. The event in Aspen was being run and attended by folks totally sympathetic to Cameron and completely hostile to the skeptic's position. The event's founder and producer Chip Comins is almost defamatory in how he talks about skeptic Mark Morano, who was to debate Cameron and was actually on a plane flying to the event when Cameron backed out. Its amazing that Morano would agree to debate in such a hostile environment with a biased organizer, but in fact it was Cameron who chickened out. This statement by Comins tells you all you need to know about Hollywood culture:
"Morano is not at James Cameron's level to debate, and that's why that didn't happen," Comins said. "Cameron should be debating someone who is similar to his stature in our society."
Alex:
Stature? Too bad there's never a pygmy around when you need one...
August 24, 2010, 10:52 amBob Hawkins:
Okay, so what is Cameron's stature in our society? Is he a Duke, or just a Baron?
August 24, 2010, 11:38 amRetardo:
I understand that Cameron wants somebody with a similar stature to his own, but what Cameron needs to understand is that Justin Bieber can't find room in his schedule on just any old whim.
August 24, 2010, 12:01 pmIgotBupkis:
> “Morano is not at James Cameron’s level to debate, and that’s why that didn’t happen,†Comins said. “Cameron should be debating someone who is similar to his stature in our society.â€
Let me restate that...
ad hominem Latin [æd ˈhɒmɪˌnɛm]
adj & adv
1. directed against a person rather than against his arguments
Yep. That's the dictionary definition.
...but I repeat myself.
Allow me to put it another way:
BAAAAAAwwwwkkkk Buccckkkk Buuuuccckkkk BGaaaawwwwKKKKK!
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> Okay, so what is Cameron’s stature in our society? Is he a Duke, or just a Baron?
I believe with this he's gained the status of "Official Rectal Suppository"?
August 24, 2010, 12:14 pmrichabbs:
“Cameron should be debating someone who is similar to his stature in our society.†So, when is he going to debate a weasel?
August 24, 2010, 12:30 pmFred from Canuckistan:
Stature?
How much lower than a snake's belly in a wheel rut can you get?
August 24, 2010, 12:39 pmcaseyboy:
This is why I check in to this blog. Very witty stuff. His stature, let me see. Perhaps a Hexapede (blue six-legged deer, home planet Pandora, Na'vi name - Yerik). Or maybe a Thanator (Planet Pandora, Na'vi Name Palulukan or dry mouth bringer of fear). After all Cameron's stature is out of this world.
August 24, 2010, 1:56 pmDr. T:
“Cameron should be debating someone who is similar to his stature in our society.â€
His stature as an arrogant, ignorant, illogical, nonscientific, showboating, jackass? He'll only debate someone like that? The problem is, all such persons are on the anthropogenic global warming side of the debate.
August 24, 2010, 2:05 pmMJ:
If he's so concerned about debating someone of "stature", maybe they should send over Lord Monckton. After all, a guy with the title "lord" must have some kind of stature, right?
August 24, 2010, 4:51 pmdgreer:
This sounds exactly like the kinds of arguments used by the aristocracy during the Enlightenment. That worked out well for them, so keep it up Mr. Comins. Hopefully the revolt will be less Frankish, or there might be guillotines involved :^).
August 25, 2010, 9:01 amGregS:
> “Cameron should be debating someone who is similar to his stature in our society.â€
These people have gotten so damned smug that they're not even trying to hide their sense of arrogant entitlement any longer. They really do see themselves as some sort of an aristocratic elite.
It's hard to believe that there was a time, less than a century ago, when being an actor and working in the theatre was considered a disreputable profession by many. And even those who didn't think it was disreputable would have considered the actor's political or scientific views as being not worth considering, in the same manner that few people today would care what a plumber thinks about his senator. Even as recently as the 1960s and 70s people sneered at Ronald Reagan because he was just an actor.
It's a sign of the degraded standards of our age that we now take the opinions of actors and movie-makers with such seriousness.
September 3, 2010, 8:44 am