Oh, excellent work, guys. In fact it’s so good that I bet Chick himself would think it a genuine effort. If someone were to send it to him as a “contribution” to the fight . . .
I’d make just one suggestion. Isn’t the death usually somehow related to the “evil” rather than merely being a random accident? Like in the D&D tract, doesn’t the guy hang himself because his character died? In the Halloween tract, doesn’t the guy run out of the haunted house in fear and get run over because he’s not paying attention? I admit, I don’t know how you’d do that here. Maybe she could freeze to death in a movie line.
Oh, and can you work in one Galaxy Quest reference? A parody of a parody of a parody!
As for your next effort, you’ve got to do Chick v. the SDMB. You wouldn’t even have to write half your material, you could just cut and paste it out of GD threads and Cecil’s columns. “Mommy, Cecil says homosexuality isn’t a sin – it may have a genetic basis.” “Bob, according to my message board friends, that’s the ‘No True Scotsman’ fallacy.” Cecil as Satan! It’s just too perfect.
This is a great thread, guys, and ol’ Chicky boy probably doesn’t like science fiction because he does not believe that life exists on any other planet.
Which leads me to an idea! (Oh BTW, I second the anti-SDMB tract. Great idea! But for an encore:)
What would make the perfect Chick tract parody? Let’s see- it would have to be something Chick would be against, at least in principle; it would have to offer ample opportunity for “Bob” to display his rampant ignorance and paranoia on the subject; and would have to exemplify Chick’s entire fundy “who needs intelligence when you have faith?” attitude. I’ve got it! A Tract denouncing the satanic influence of… THE SPACE PROGRAM.
That’s right! Astronomers are atheists, who ever since that arch-fiend Galileo have conspired to deny God’s Truth. And worst of all is NASA, which faked the moon landings after ANGELS turned the astronauts back from attempting to bodily enter heaven!
Another cut and paste job for the most part. Just clip all the Moon Landing Hoax threads, and the best of Bad Astronomer’s posts, and there you have it!
I think we should get this tract started, but to do that we need to know for sure which one folks want, and then who wants to help write it. I’m writing this at about 2:00PM GMT(Zulu time for the military types) how about we vote for the next 24 hours? I would set a lesser time, but it’s Sunday and some folks may only have computer access at work.
I’ll start the voting with one for the anti-SDMB tract Anyone else?
Well, it looks like the anti SDMB tract is in the lead 3-1 . I’ve been trying to think of a title, but haven’t come up with anything, Diogenes ** andPadeye** , you both had brilliant contributions to the last tract, do you have a title? If one of you does I’d say put it out there and get this tract rolling! I don’t want to do the first panel anyway.
We need to rough out a plotline. I’m thinking maybe a Christian who goes on the dope in order to argue for creatonism and ends up having some ignorance eradicated, becoming a full-fledged doper and using doper lingo and debate tactics IRL. Mom gets worried…enter Uncle Bob.
That’s just off the top of my head though. Does anybody else have an idea on how to proceed?
I wonder if we had any good examples on SDMB. Do we have a literal bible creationist who was changed at all by SDMB? Probably not. How about if we use Jack’s tract In the Beginning as a prequel. Jason could stumble upon SDMB and get into some great debates using cites from Big Daddy and what Bob told him in the original tract. Perhaps we could even have a cameo by the unnamed professor.
Now I’d prefer Jason to be come an enlightened Christian like several at SDMB who see no conflict between science and faith but let’s see how it goes.
Bob says: “Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise because they ate from the tree of knowledge*. ‘Fighting ignorance’ is fighting God, because it promotes knowledge. When you access the Straight Dope, you are eating from Satan’s fruit.”
So Jason can become “Computer Man”… hmmmm… naw he was too easily swayed. It would make him look like a guy who will listen to anything that sounds remotley plausable and convert… (Unless you want him to convert to the Railiens in another tract)
Besides do we want to parody Chick or make an Anti tract? It would be more humourous for Bob to Rail against the Board with obviously wrong information than to succumb to logic.
Bob would never do that. Bob is … well Bob.
If Jason rejects Bob will he fry in the end or will he meet the faceless God who will say Way to go?
We won’t change Bob but fortunately he’s got the grace of God to save his ignorant but well meaning ass. Jason will be saved from ignorance and in favor of God with a face (maybe “Buddy Jesus” from Dogma I think) giving him a thumbs up and a hearty “way to use the brain I gave you.”
jjimm , your post was brilliant! That sounds like just the tone we need.
For titles I like kingpengvin 's “There’s Nothing Straight About Dope”, but “Doper Madness” by Padeye, is good too!
I would think we should avoid giving any real Dopers a “starring role” in this tract. I’m trying to be one of those “enlightened Christians” and much as it would give me satisfaction, it would be like shooting ducks in a barrel.
I go with kinpengvin 's idea of humor, and having Bob rail against the board without being won over by logic.
And for basic plot, I’d go with the idea Diogenes had, about someone already won over to the Dope,and then Mom gets worried and calls in Bob.
A parody of a parody of a parody!