Bill Nye: "You Can Hate Me, You Can Hate Everything, But ...

[babylonsister]

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/04/bill-nye-science-guy-late-night-seth-meyers-creationist-critics-debate


Bill Nye: "You Can Hate Me, You Can Hate Everything, But Science Education Is What Leads to Innovators"

—By Asawin Suebsaeng
| Wed Apr. 30, 2014 3:12 PM PDT


On Tuesday, Bill Nye (the Science Guy) appeared on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers to tell the story of how he and Neil deGrasse Tyson ended up taking that "Presidential Selfie" with President Obama. During his appearance he also discussed his friendship with Tyson—how they get together and drink wine and talk about women and space exploration—and his recent debate with creationist Ken Ham, and the need for much more science literacy in America:

We want to raise awareness of science literary, specifically, in this case, science illiteracy—striking science illiteracy. And the reason I bring this up, you can hate me, you can hate everything, but science education is what leads to innovators. It leads to that kooky internet that the kids use, their electric computer machines...The Facebooking, and the tweeting, and the Instagramming—all that would not exist without our understanding of science...And then we would not be able to feed this many people around the world without understanding science. So this is deeply important to me, and I hope that in the coming years awareness will be raised, and voters and taxpayers will not let these people with these...wrong views about nature...try to get on school boards.

Watch @ link~

"I fight this fight out of patriotism," Nye told me last year, regarding his war on anti-science politics. "We can't have economic growth without basic investment in science and research. And we can't have irresponsible school board members in Texas teaching that the earth is 10,000 years old. We can't have us embracing scientific illiteracy."

"He's been instrumental in helping advance some of the president's key initiatives to make sure we can out-educate, out-innovate, and out-compete the world," an Obama administration official said. "The president lights up when he sees Bill," another official mentioned.

Now here's that "Presidential Selfie":

[Logical]

1. OK, that is my favorite picture of Obama! nt

[erronis]

13. +1 - agree!

But I'd be proud to be seen with any of them.

[eridani]

19. Great pic. Thanks for posting. I've save it for future use n/t

[stage left]

2. Three smart and articulate guys. nt

[hootinholler]

3. Who's the guy with Neil Tyson and Bill Nye?

[madokie]

6. Thats the guy that the whole right wing hate

The best damn President we've had so far.
If he was white they'd already be chiseling his likeness in mt Rushmore.

[central scrutinizer]

4. Maybe those who are so mistrustful of science

should stick with application of leeches and trepanning for medical care and take up hunting and gathering as a career.

[erronis]

14. Maybe they'd all like to gather together on an island

And practice a Dangerous Game, or perhaps Island of Fools, Lord of the Flies.

I'd be happy to supply the leeches and plenty of guns and ammo.

[vlakitti]

16. Yay! Funny!

[alarimer]

5. I thought a selfie was just a picture of yourself, with no one else in it?

Since when did it just become a photo you took with a cell phone?

Irrelevant, but it's been irritating me.

[hootinholler]

8. I thought it meant that you're holding the camera instead of having someone else take the photo

[babylonsister]

9. I think it's any pic taken with a cellphone.

I have a flip top phone and short arms, so options are limited.

[oldhippie]

15. Typical DU. We can't even agree what a selfie is .....

No wonder there is contention.

[RandoLoodie]

27. aren't they supposed to be pursing their lips

and sucking their cheeks in too?

[Plucketeer]

30. OK

think of it as a cell-phie. Feel better?

[Archae]

7. Magic is more popular than science, for three main reasons.

1. Science is hard.
Understanding even the most basic of sciences requires actual study and learning.

Magic is easy.
&quot Fill in the blank magician/deity) creates everything/cures everything!"

2. Science is scary.
Science tells us our planet was almost wiped out more than once, by natural forces.

3. Magic preachers make tons of money from other gullible believers.

[hootinholler]

10. #2

Not only does science tell us it has happened, it tells us it will happen again.

[hatrack]

24. Also, no mathematics in magic!

Just some memorization and a whooooole lot of Golden, Glorious Faith!

[Cha]

11. Love Science!

[malaise]

12. K & R

for truth

[Curmudgeoness]

17. I hated science.

Then I lived some life and realized that absolutely everything is dependent on science. So I got my degree in science. I just had to learn as much as I could.

We have to find a way to stop destroying the curiosity of youth with shitty science classes in schools though. I tried teaching, and the requirements for the science classes were such that you could not teach how great science was....you had to spend all your time making it boring.

[swilton]

18. Less a function of aptitude and more a function of mass culture

The social science illiteracy in our country is equally problematic and embarrassing and does greater harm to our democracy. One of the greatest obstacles is the mass belief that government, history studies and or foreign language studies are not important and the inherent valorization and prioritization of the hard sciences over the social sciences.

As an anti-creationist and avid ecology/environmental advocate, I support addressing US illiteracy. But illiteracy has many dimensions.

[Warren DeMontague]

20. no shit.

I wish he wouldn't have given Ham the airtime, but other than that, he's right on.

[Neurotica]

21. He can't say it enough--saw him at the Science & Engineering Fair in DC last weekend

and he delivered the same message. This message was met with great applause by a huge crowd. It was wonderful.

[sheshe2]

22. K&R! nt

[ut oh]

23. awesome trio

right there

[Gothmog]

25. Nye won that debate

Nye is correct about the importance of science.

[obxnacy]

26. where are the idiots?

wait, there's 3 intelligent men and not one woman to be seen - are there none? but, at least these 3 are some of the smartest in the world - take notice!!!!! they really do know what they are saying and the deniers are stupid! listen, you stupes!

[Jasana]

28. K&R nt.

[MisterP]

29. "STEM shortage" again?

[Uncle Joe]

31. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, babylonsister.