Apparently, ridicule and satire played a positive role in one dissident county.
From Wiki:
quote:
Polk County, Florida
In December 2007 the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was credited with being at the forefront of successful efforts in Polk County, Florida to persuade Polk County School Board to withdraw from a potential challenge to new science standards mentioning evolution, raised as an issue after five of its seven members declared a personal belief in the concept of intelligent design. Opponents describing themselves as Pastafarians sent e-mails to Polk school board members, demanding equal time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism. The e-mail was dismissed as ridiculous and insulting by Margaret Lofton, one of the school board members supporting intelligent design, who said "They've made us the laughingstock of the world". The controversy developed, with scientists expressing their opposition to the claims of intelligent design. Hopes for a new applied science-focused campus of the University of South Florida being located in northeast Lakeland were reportedly in question, with university vice president Marshall Goodman expressing surprise and saying of intelligent design that "It's not science. You can't even call it pseudo-science." Lofton stated that she had no interest in engaging with the Pastafarians or anyone else seeking to discredit intelligent design and, while reaffirming her belief that the Bible is inerrant truth and the word of God, stated that she would not resign over the issue. The other board members wanted simply to return to the day-to-day work of running the school district.
Flying Spaghetti Monster - Wikipedia
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