Why are conservatives afraid of Neil deGrasse Tyson?

[n2doc]

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has been the recipient of a seemingly bizarre political backlash — after the conservative magazine National Review penned a takedown cover story on the “Cosmos” host last week depicting him as a smug, intellectual bully.

The story struck many as odd given Tyson’s gentle, geeky presentation style. Comedian Bill Maher had Tyson on his HBO show over the weekend, trying to make sense of the backlash.



“You’re a scientist, and a black one, who’s smarter than [conservatives] are,” Maher quipped.

The line got laughs, but it’s worth remembering that Tyson served the George W. Bush administration as a member of the Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond in 2004. Conservatives have no problem harnessing Tyson’s intellect.

No, the danger Tyson brings to the political structure, as he gains an increasingly large foothold in the popular culture, is the threat of an informed populace.

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http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-neil-degrasse-tyson-cosmos-20140729-story.html

[CurtEastPoint]

1. He's guilty of being SWB*

*Smart While Black. They hate that.

[MADem]

6. They don't dare call it "uppity" anymore, but we know what they are thinking....

The smarter and more charismatic he gets, the angrier they get!

How dare he be attractive to people!!!!

for anyone not taking the point.

[CurtEastPoint]

7. Yeah, all code words makes it ok. Not.

[Tetris_Iguana]

39. Yep, they get all upset and confused that he doesn't conform to their racist stereotypes. nt

[Bigmack]

2. Black scientist with charisma.... what's NOT for a Teapublican to hate? nt

[billhicks76]

27. Rhetorical Question

It because he's smart and Black and don't forget what they are...dumb and needing Religion to answer ALL questions.

[JEFF9K]

3. Conservatism's biggest enemy is facts.

[lunasun]

32. +1

[elleng]

4. They're not 'conservative;'

if they were, they'd appreciate his FACTS!

[BillZBubb]

5. He has great communication skills and makes complex science approachable to the masses.

That is a huge threat to the usual suspects. The right wing reacts the only way it can, attack the man.

[dballance]

13. You are so correct

Dr. Tyson makes science available to the masses. That is quite a problem for the GOP.

[Rex]

20. The Usual Suspects

"As people do better, they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing." - Karl Rove.

[dballance]

8. Ever since Sarah Palin, Science and reason have been the enemy of the GOP.

The GOP surrendered all intelligence when it presented Sarah Palin as its representative.

"Smart" didn't used to be something to dislike.

[awoke_in_2003]

29. it started way before her. nt

[Arugula Latte]

9. He's a threat to the religious mythology and magical thinking that is so useful for conservatives.

It is to their advantage if the population believes that 2,000 year old stories from a primitive culture are THE explanation for things.

[Half-Century Man]

10. Dr. Tyson is the unapologetic embodiment of the arguments against their talking points.

He just carefully and clearly explains where and why they are wrong.
Brilliantly, he does it without attacking them.
Dr. Tyson talks down to no one.
He speaks with barely contained joy about science.
He is very hard to counter.

Circling the wagons went you are not being attacked, just looks stupid.
When his five sentences delivered speaking to your base undoes years of conditioning spoken from your high pulpit; You have lost the argument.
A rote delivery of a rote argument by an uninteresting (and uninterested) speaker will be...........less than effective.

[Dragonfli]

11. Because he is smart and they hate smart especially being super smart while black /nt

[daleanime]

12. Kick....

[Terra Alta]

14. because he's black and is smarter than they are.

They're threatened by him, so they resort to insulting him to make themselves feel better and superior.

[BlueJazz]

26. If you want to REALLY have fun with right-wingers, show them how most of humanity...

...came from Africa. You can almost see them want to explode.

[Swede Atlanta]

15. Very easy to explain

1. He is intelligent
2. He is articulate
3. He has a great sense of humor
4. He presents evidence of things conservatives, incapable or critical thinking, find scary such as the idea of the big bang, evolution, climate change, etc
5. He is black
6. He is black
7. He is black while being an intelligent, articulate person who has a great sense of humor that presents evidence of things they don't like like the big bang, evolution, climate change, etc.

[StevieM]

25. You forgot 8,9 and 10--he is black. That troubles them deeply. (eom)

[sakabatou]

16. 'Cause science

[Initech]

17. Anti intellectuals vs. A college professor with three degrees - pretty obvious.

[pokerfan]

18. Freepers on Tyson

Seems to be a theme here...They seem to find it inconceivable that a black man can be intelligent and educated.

I haven't read his actual academic work, which for all I know may be freaking brilliant, but it's a sad side effect of Affirmative Action that I suspect he achieved his visibility due to, well, other non-academic considerations.
3/14/2014, 12:21:41 PM by martin_fierro
______________________
Tyson is an affirmative action bad joke. I turn him off whenever he comes on. My son hates him.

1/13/2014, 3:58:32 PM by montag813
______________________
I had seen DeGrasse Tyson on some other science shows and I have to agree completely with the Sultan about him being a mediocrity. He’s the result of the same american sickness that has given us Maya Angelou as poet laureate and Obama as president. Affirmative action anyone?
3/17/2014, 12:52:21 PM by aquila48
______________________
I think Tyson is so visible for two reason:
1: Affirmative Action
2: He is director of the Hayden Planetarium in NYC so if you need a half articulate astronomer for TV he is handy
I never heard of Sagan until he did Cosmos.
3/18/2014, 7:48:47 AM by C19fan
______________________
Neil Tyson may not believe in the Almighty, but he certainly believes in affirmative action.
Like his hero Richard Dawkins, his credentials as a leftist loudmouth are much more impressive than his academic attainments.
3/23/2014, 8:46:44 PM by wideawake

[StevieM]

28. I admit that I know very little about poetry. But I can't help but suspect

that Maya Angelou earned her accolades and laurels. I don't think she got literary credit points for her race. But apparently to these people that makes perfect sense.

Nobody gives you a PHD, you have to earn it. These people lament the supposed lack of hard work in this country, and then when somebody does it they refuse recognize their efforts.

And the party of free market economics should realize that if a network puts you on the air, it is because they expect you to deliver ratings and make them money.

[awoke_in_2003]

30. His intelligence questioned...

by people who probably can't chew gum and walk at the same time.

[Prophet 451]

34. Wow, they don't even try and hide it n/t

[Rex]

19. Why were supposed pious men scared of witches?

Anything beyond the norm (and we are talking about an incredibly narrow norm) evokes two strong emotional responses from the puritanical - fear and anger. Followed by self-righteousness, followed by murder in the name of Jesus.

I find this all so ironic, especially with some of these moron GOPers pining for the slaving days.

[mindwalker_i]

21. I'm having quite the argument about deGrass

http://www.discussionist.com/101437364#post14

First it was claimed that Cosmos was a "failed TV show" so I pointed out the ratings. Then it was heavily implied that all the numbers for carbon were BS, so I pointed out that, if that were the case, Republicans would have had a field day.

[HeiressofBickworth]

22. Easy..

He's all science-y an' shit
oh, and he's Black.

I get the giggles when the stupid, who have looked down on minorities non-stop since before the Civil War, get all discombobbulated when faced with an intelligent, well-educated, personable man of color. It hardly fits in their comfort zone of superiority.

Personally, I love the guy. I'm not a science geek, but he can make things understandable even for me. For that alone, I admire him.

[Unknown Beatle]

23. The more educated

the population is, the more they'll vote progressive. The GOP needs dumb, uneducated people to survive.

[BlueJazz]

24. To me, he's the embodiment of what's wonderful about humans.

[JDPriestly]

31. They are jealous!

[BlindTiresias]

33. Well

He is an intelligent and well spoken black man, that is probably all there is to it.

[HuckleB]

35. They hate genetically modified foods?

Hmmmmmm.

[raouldukelives]

36. Because he isn't easily swayed by lots of money and cheap thirlls?

He is here to offer us the truth. It is only those afraid of truth who wish him and all who speak it to fade away.

[Calista241]

37. I think he's great

The most effective episode I think was the one where he talked about how science was co-opted by the lead lobby, because they wanted leaded gasoline.

[Rhiannon12866]

40. I think he's great, too, loved Cosmos, learned so much from it!

And I had no idea about leaded gasoline, either! The show was so well done and there was so much in it that I need to watch it again! Welcome to DU, Calista241! It's great to have you with us!

[Prophet 451]

38. Because a lot of liberals like him

Conservatives have only three unifying principles:
1) Violent, blood-boiling, murderous hatred of liberals and liberalism.
2) An equal hatred for anyone they see as weak (i.e. the poor and sick).
3) A conviction that everyone really thinks the same things they do but are too gutless or twisted to admit it. This is why conservatives are certain that all liberals secretly see a zef as a cute little baby and murder it anyway.

Think about it, they don't have any other principles left. They claim to hate big government but Bush oversaw the biggest expansion of government in decades (of course, they now claim to have hated Bush). They claim to hate political correctness but enforce their own brand of it constantly. They claim to hate activist judges but love the majority on the most activist SCOTUS in history. I could go on but you get the point. The above are the only things they have left.

[iandhr]

41. "Because he is so talented...

… and they are so dumb"

[pampango]

42. Three reasons: facts, history, science.

If he would simply show a little more fear, emotion and conjecture, I think conservatives could get on board with his program.