This year we have witnessed another couple of ridiculous movies that promote animal rights, vegetarianism, and a distrust of and disrespect for science. "Finding Nemo" was bad enough, and now "Legally Blond 2" is struggling for box office notoriety, although the film is not doing as well as its producers may have hoped. The lead character, played by Reese Witherspoon, is physically attractive, slender, and allegedly intelligent, but these attributes are misused in a weak-minded plot that concentrates on protesting the use of animals in scientific research. The entire story is apparently inspired by PETA, and the viewer is encouraged to admire the spunk of this woman attorney who objects to the use of dogs in cosmetic testing. Films such as this are "test cases" for animal rights advocates, who use them as tactical tools in their quest to impress politicians with their popular appeal.

IWMC congratulates Michael Fumento, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, in Washington. His critique of "Legally Blond 2" was printed in the Raleigh News Observer, in North Carolina. Fumento makes a number of excellent points for those who care to think about the technique of using popular movies as social movement messengers in today's society. Fumento's insights include the following: while the movie's lead character is extremely attractive, and presumably a role model for today's young woman, she is "misled" into believing that "all animal testing is not only immoral but worthless". Fumento notes that PETA features a rave review of the film on its website, because the story line has the lead character campaigning at the highest levels in society to outlaw the use of animals in testing for reasons of human health and safety. He also notes that the old trick of focusing on testing for cosmetics is used to then justify objection to all animal testing, on the alleged grounds that human and animal physiology are just not similar enough to one another to justify sacrificing animals to satisfy FDA requirements. In addition, he notes that PETA would not even approve of animal testing for animal benefit, as in the case of heartworm medication for dogs.

There is only one problem with the brilliance of Michael Fumento. His work will probably not be read or appreciated by the very audience whose members need it the most - the impressionable young women who may consider Reese Witherspoon's movie character as much a "hero figure" as that of Erin Brocovich, played by Julia Roberts.

Nevertheless, we congratulate Michael Fumento, and hope he continues to point out the logical and scientific flaws in all these popular media messages, until someday, so many people believe him that attendance at movies such as "Legally Blond 2" will decline and such films shall be historically regarded as examples of animal rightist cult behavior of the late 20th century.