Creationist Cousins
Baba Brinkman Lyrics


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Creationist cousins, they're my relations, I love 'em
But when they talk about Jesus and Revelations and Judges
I've gotta take it up with them
'Cause there's a better explanation for the place that we come from, okay?
Creationist cousins, they're my relations, I love 'em
But at the dinner table we get on some crazy discussions
I'm always questioning their basic assumptions
And saying, "yes I believe we came from monkeys, okay?"

That's the idea that most enrages Darwin's detractors
The idea that we came from ape-like ancestors
Some people still question this, and say: "If we came from
Monkeys, then how come there's monkeys still in existence?"
Allow me to illustrate a similar instance
I'm descended from Dutch Calvinist immigrants
Who came to Canada in the 1950s
And I still have second cousins who live in the Netherlands
But they're not my ancestors; they're my relatives
Since we have common genetic elements
Inherited from our great grandparents
That's just three generations back, but here's the relevance
Three thousand generations back, human beings all have
Common ancestors, so really we're all relatives
Which also means all relationships are relatively incestuous
Further back we have common ancestors with chimps
And gorillas and elephants and plants, and billions
Of years back our ancestors are all single-cellular
But what I find incredible isn't this principle
Of "unity of common descent", that's just elegant
What's incredible to me is that some of my living relatives
Still believe the earth was created about seventy-odd
Centuries ago – around the time of the Egyptians
By a benevolent God and that this same God
Is currently manipulating the elements
And that evolutionism is devilish
Did I mention that I was descended from Calvinist fundamentalists?
Well, I still have cousins as dedicated representatives
Approximately twenty percent of them
And at the dinner table we debate statistics
And those debates get kind of interesting
They go like this...

Creationist cousins, they're my relations, I love 'em
But when they talk about Jesus and Revelations and Judges
I've gotta take it up with them
'Cause there's a better explanation for the place that we come from, okay?
Creationist cousins, they're my relations, I love 'em
But at the dinner table we get on some crazy discussions
I'm always questioning their basic assumptions
And saying, "yes I believe we came from monkeys, okay?"

I say, "Creationism is unscientific
Ninety-nine percent of practicing scientists accept evolution
As the best explanation we have for living systems
Why? Because there's overwhelming empirical evidence!"
And they say, "Baba, science isn't run by consensus
That one percent is quite significant
Those are the creationist scientists who have found signs
Of intelligent design, but whenever they try and
Publish it in the mainstream literature, they get black-listed
Besides, your presuppositions are materialistic
Maybe all that evidence scientists say they've collected
Just empirically proves that God wants our faith to be tested!"
So then I say, "But that means your benevolent God
Is perpetrating a massive intellectual fraud!
So either evolution is the victim of a frame job
Which explains all of its predictive successes
Or we have to separate God from the scientific method"
And that's when my sister steps in
To defend a different kind of creationism – Cultural creationism,
Also known as "social constructivism" or "post-modernism"
She says: "Baba, the Western scientific method
Is just as subjective as every other cultural tradition
Except it's just better at pretending to be objective
Because, like, all behaviour is socially constructed
And mostly, it just promotes injustice
And, like, gender roles have nothing to do with genitals
They're just a way for men to control women's goals
And try to turn us all into Playboy centerfolds
Haven't you heard about that tribe in the Amazon
Where the woman does the man's jobs and hunts and plants the crops
And brings home the food for the man to wash?
Um, I can't remember exactly what that clan is called
But I know it's a published fact
Because I read about it in my Women's Studies class
And it proves that gender is a socially constructed act
So how does sociobiology explain that?"
And all I can do is come back with more statistics
About the high percentage of indigenous
Societies where polygamy is prolific
And about human sexual dimorphism
And the different reproductive investments between men and women
Which of course then gets my religious cousins offended
Because it doesn't credit Genesis with our humble beginnings
And, let's just say, the discussions are endless
But it isn't about who is impartial; no one's impartial
It's about how much evidence you can marshal
And how you deliver the parcel
And when my relatives argue, I have to have faith
That we can reach the genuine article in a rational way
That's a different kind of faith than my cousins have
In divine creation, but hey, to all of my relatives
And fellow primates, I say
If it makes you feel better, go head and pray
In fact, here's how I pray in a secular way
I say, "I have creationist relatives and relative apes
And I wish them all happiness, whatever their faith
And I wish myself patience, since I relish debates
Let us all be respectful and still tell it straight"

Creationist cousins, they're my relations, I love 'em
But when they talk about Jesus and Revelations and Judges
I've gotta take it up with them
'Cause there's a better explanation for the place that we come from, okay?
Creationist cousins, they're my relations, I love 'em
But at the dinner table we get on some crazy discussions




I'm always questioning their basic assumptions
And saying, "yes I believe we came from monkeys, okay?"

Overall Meaning

Baba Brinkman's song Creationist Cousins explores his relationship with his family members who are creationists, and the discussions and debates they have when they get together. Brinkman questions their thinking and beliefs, arguing that scientific evidence shows a better explanation for the origin of human beings. He reinforces the widely held scientific belief in evolution and the existence of common ancestors through empirical evidence, which he believes discredits the biblical creation story. He also challenges the idea that social constructs can shape the human experience in a way that means objective truth is unknowable, arguing that scientific methodology can be used to reveal objective, empirical truths.


The song is a comedic take on a serious subject, poking fun at the issues that arise when families with differing viewpoints come together. Brinkman's message is clear: while he loves his family and respects their beliefs, he feels a responsibility to challenge and question beliefs that do not align with scientific evidence. Ultimately, he advocates for respect and understanding across family lines, even when beliefs differ.


Line by Line Meaning

Creationist cousins, they're my relations, I love 'em
Baba Brinkman loves his creationist cousins and considers them family


But when they talk about Jesus and Revelations and Judges, I've gotta take it up with them
Baba Brinkman disagrees with his creationist cousins' religious beliefs and feels the need to challenge them


'Cause there's a better explanation for the place that we come from, okay?
Baba Brinkman believes that the theory of evolution provides a better explanation for human origins than creationism


But at the dinner table we get on some crazy discussions, I'm always questioning their basic assumptions
Baba Brinkman engages in heated debates with his creationist cousins and challenges their fundamental beliefs


And saying, 'yes I believe we came from monkeys, okay?'
Baba Brinkman asserts his belief in the theory of evolution and human descent from primates


The idea that we came from ape-like ancestors, some people still question this
Some people still dispute the concept of human evolution and descent from ape-like ancestors


If we came from monkeys, then how come there's monkeys still in existence?
Some creationists question the theory of evolution's claim that humans descended from primates, asking why monkeys still exist if humans evolved from them


I'm descended from Dutch Calvinist immigrants who came to Canada in the 1950s, and I still have second cousins who live in the Netherlands
Baba Brinkman is descended from Dutch immigrants who came to Canada, and although he has relatives in the Netherlands, they are not his ancestors, just relatives who share common ancestors


Since we have common genetic elements inherited from our great grandparents
Baba Brinkman and his relatives share genes inherited from their great-grandparents, which is what makes them genetically related


Three thousand generations back, human beings all have common ancestors, so really we're all relatives
All humans have a common ancestry that stretches back thousands of generations, which makes all humans related


Further back we have common ancestors with chimps and gorillas and elephants and plants, and billions of years back our ancestors are all single-cellular
Humans share common ancestors with other primates, animals, and even plants dating back billions of years ago when life was unicellular


Did I mention that I was descended from Calvinist fundamentalists?
Baba Brinkman's ancestors were Calvinist fundamentalists


Well, I still have cousins as dedicated representatives. Approximately twenty percent of them
Baba Brinkman has around 20% of his cousins who are still dedicated creationist fundamentalists


Creationism is unscientific. Ninety-nine percent of practicing scientists accept evolution as the best explanation we have for living systems
Baba Brinkman believes that creationism is unscientific and that the vast majority of scientists accept evolution as the best explanation for the origin of life


And they say, 'Baba, science isn't run by consensus. That one percent is quite significant'
Baba Brinkman's creationist cousins argue that science is not based on consensus, and that the minority of scientists who support creationism should not be dismissed


She says: 'Baba, the Western scientific method is just as subjective as every other cultural tradition. Except it's just better at pretending to be objective'
One of Baba Brinkman's relatives argues that the Western scientific method is not objective and is biased like other cultural traditions


And when my relatives argue, I have to have faith that we can reach the genuine article in a rational way
Baba Brinkman maintains that it's possible to engage in respectful, rational debates with his creationist cousins and come to a mutually agreed-upon conclusion


I say, 'I have creationist relatives and relative apes and I wish them all happiness, whatever their faith'
Baba Brinkman wishes all his relatives, whether they are creationists or not, happiness and fulfillment in their lives


Let us all be respectful and still tell it straight'
Baba Brinkman encourages mutual respect and honest discussion between creationists and supporters of evolution




Contributed by Eva G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Josh Schreibman

It is a crime against humanity this only has 2200 views. This is outstanding, and I just shared via my Facebook. If I had the power to "instantly make world famous", I would use it, here, now.

Inquisitor Christopher

Had this on in the background while I was writing a comment on a friend's post about the Charlie Hebdo attack in France... and then I heard "sexual dimorphism." ~ I love it when you guys say stuff I've read about, or you say something that makes me want to ~go~ read about something I wasn't already aware of, like Tombstone and that line about the "Dunning Kruger Effect." ~ #GU music friggin' rocks.

PrincepsDinus

This is brilliant!

featheredskyblue

This is my favorite Rap Guide song. Respectful discussion. Yes.

duzyureks

This is Baba's best. Very well done! Thanks:)

Lude Crestfallen

Immediately shared it with my creationist cousins.

Dorfus Bara

I love the scene with the dude sucking a dummy whilst reading the "book of myths"! Bang on!

ShellyDZ99

Just imagine what Thanksgiving dinner must be like in his family...

the Dictator

I've added this to my playlist. Thanks.

G R

Love this.

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