Douchebag du jour (III)

Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, asks:
What if you could know that your unborn baby boy is likely to be sexually attracted to other boys? Beyond that, what if hormonal treatments could change the baby's orientation to heterosexual? Would you do it? Some scientists believe that such developments are just around the corner.

Later, Dr. Mohler states that
"Christians who are committed to think in genuinely Christian terms should think carefully about..." several points which include the following.
"If a biological basis [for homosexuality] is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin."

This bothered some people and launched the douchebag into the fully public eye, you know as opposed to the one which is veiled by over-religosity. And I'm perpetuating his publicity. Bad me.

In defending his statements - mostly I think to the theocratic right who oppose any kind of genetic anything - Mohler was quoted as saying
"But I wrote the article intending to start a conversation, and I think I've been successful at that."

This reminded me a whole lot of some defensive statements from another douchebag, Larry Summers, now former president of Harvard University. Summers' justification for his remarks that someone oughta look into whether babymakin' biology is the real reason women don't get hired, promoted, or valued in math, science and engineering jobs was "I was trying to provoke discussion..."

Is it me or is "trying to provoke discussion"/"get you to think about it"/"start conversation"/etc. becoming a sort of catch all non-apology for being caught red handed acting like a douchebag? It reminds me of when I was much younger, under 20, and the boys I knew would say something offensive or which they felt was potentially embarrassing ("uh...well...I was just thinking...uh...would you let me take pictures of you like that?") and then, if the response was anything other than a resounding "sure baby" or a reassuring giggle, whine back "Jeez, it was only a JOKE!"