Why Neil deGrasse Tyson Is the Lightning Rod for the Major Threat Science Poses to Creationists

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/belief/why-neil-degrasse-tyson-lightning-rod-major-threat-science-poses-creationists



Public education is a major enemy of creationism and intelligent design. Now the fears of these two camps are culminating around one person, the host of Cosmos, Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Intelligent design proponent and conspiracy blogger David Klingshoffer writes on Evolution News, the anti-evolution blog:

“Despite its increasingly undisguised axe-grinding, history-befogging, and faith-baiting excesses, there's no question that the rebooted Cosmos series with Neil deGrasse Tyson will be turning up in classrooms as a 'supplement' to science education.”

Klingshoffer offers no evidence of this, simply that a few teachers posted on Facebook how excited they are about showing their science classes the Cosmos series when it is out on DVD.

It is a safe bet to assume that the popular, critically acclaimed show will turn up in classrooms across the country, and why shouldn’t it? Tyson does a great job of explaining science so that everyone can understand what makes science fun and exciting.

[newfie11]

1. What happened to this country!

I loved the old Cosmos and I'm thrilled to have the new one now.

I am appalled and disgusted at the narrow minded mentality of the idiots bashing this show over religion.

Their no better than the fundamentalist in the middle east.

Wake up people, you might learn a thing or two!

[ProfessorGAC]

6. The People Who Deny The Moon Landing. . .

. . .were not driven by fundamentalist religious beliefs.

Science and fact denial takes on all forms.

[FiveGoodMen]

21. Just as a guess...

What do you think the ratio is between Moon-landing deniers and theocratic fundies?

[ProfessorGAC]

32. Irrelevant to the Point

The willingness to deny facts is not exclusive to a single population.

The numbers aren't relevant to the point.

[FiveGoodMen]

33. I'll decide what's relevant

(much right as you've got!)

If one population does it by design and another merely stumbles into it occasionally, that makes quite a difference.

[ProfessorGAC]

34. You Decide What Is Relevant To MY Point

That's utterly ridiculous.

[FiveGoodMen]

35. I get to make my OWN points in response to whatever you say

and you don't get to rule them inadmissible.

[Duppers]

23. if not fundamentalist religious beliefs

then what would cause such idiocy in the "developed world"?

[ybbor]

2. I am already showing it

I began to show it the week it came out. I can't wait for the DVDs so I won't have to show the commercials. The kids love it.

[Heidi]

3. I absolutely adore NdGT!

Not as much as I adore you, xchrom, but still an immodest amount.

[Half-Century Man]

4. The some reasons Dr. Tyson is so dangerous (effective).

1: He presents the facts so they are easy to understand. Debunking the myth that science is too hard to even try to understand.

2: He tells stories keeping a human face on what is generally presented as dry facts. Religion uses the parable to make a point (a story built around a topic), by Dr. Tyson telling individual histories he seems to be playing in the theologian territory. He appears to be beating them with their own weapon.

3: The orthodox religions are often presented as powerful adversarial characters in the personal histories highlighted. That goes counter to the meme that religions are the gentle shepherds of society, urging us to follow the better way; armed with only the TRUTH, often persecuted for their devotion. The faithful have no interest in remembering when they were bullies.

4: Dr. Tyson's love for the quest to learn more is readily apparent. He constantly reminds the viewer that science is every refining the information to get a deeper understanding. He claims to have questions. The faithful claim to have the answers and want us too look no further. If the questions are contagious, there is nothing in the religious arsenal to fight that.

5: I feel bad for suspecting this; In my life time I have heard, what appeared to be normal rational adults, expound that Americans of African heritage were descendants of Ham (the son of Noah, who's sons was condemned to a life as a slave for peeping). This meme came about during the height of the slave trade as a moral justification for slavery. I heard that "theory"as late as the 1990's by a religious person. How many of the faithful are troubled by a "descendant of Ham" showing non-subservient qualities?

[OldEurope]

10. So the same persons ...

...who reject evolution as a fact are justifying racism with (sort of) "biological" heritage?

[Half-Century Man]

15. As was explained to me

The first time in Selma Al in 1969.
I have heard it a few time since. The last time in Rockford Il in the mid 90s.

[pangaia]

11. #5- But according to them are not we ALL

descendants of Noah?

[Half-Century Man]

13. Yes, but Ham's decendants were given the lands south of middle east (ie Africa).

and chosen by G*d to be slaves to the rest of us. Or so the meme goes.

[pangaia]

16. Ah, ha !

My ignorance is never ending.
Thanks.

[backscatter712]

36. NO! We are descendents of Utnapishtim! n/t

[pangaia]

37. THAT, I had forgotten. Thanks.

[Nevernose]

29. Number 5 is an old-school Mormon thing, too

Most mainstream Mormons don't believe it anymore, but the really conservative ones, when I was a kid, were always spouting bizarre shit about the Mark of Cain or he Descendants of Ham.

[MillennialDem]

5. What is a DVD?

[cantbeserious]

7. Thank You For Sharing

eom

[azurnoir]

8. He's their worst fear come to life

a former student of one their last great adversaries-Carl Sagon

see it's spreading and now to children too

[weissmam]

9. creationism is fake

its just a way to seperate stupid people from their money

[Leme]

12. off topic some or a lot

I just wanted to say I don't like his voice delivery much. I didn't like Carl Sagan's either. The only way this relates to topic... he may be more effective in writing than speaking. And we are quite the aural and visual society.

[FSogol]

14. I love his voice delivery. Perfect for the role. n/t

[ladjf]

19. You don't like the sound of his voice? The man is doing a brilliant job

of bringing some scientific light to America's people, especially the young and you don't like the sound of his voice?
Could it be that what you really don't like is his message?

[Duppers]

24. you "don't like his voice delivery much" why??

Is it the soothing tones of both NdGT and Sagan that bother you?

[Leme]

25. I don't like Dr. Phil voice

and I also dislike Dr. Phil. lol
-
Maybe NdGt and Sagan took too long to get to the point...and Dr Phil has no point worth waiting for.

[Duppers]

38. I don't hear the similarities

I do however agree that Dr. Phil is an idiot who's worth listening to.

[Moostache]

17. Desperate people tend to shreik the loudest...

Religion is FINALLY in terminal decline.

They hate science and education because once you understand the reality of just how stupid their fables and myths really are, its impossible to separate you from your money any longer.

The fact is that starting with Gen-X (and some late-Boomers) we have a colossal shift in reality and man's perception of the universe - no one born after the 1960's is any longer born into a world that never knew space travel. Since the first orbital photos of the planet were published (and especially the seminal moment of the "earth-rise" photo from the moon landings), man has no longer lived in a world that is unaware of just how small and insignificant it truly is. Think about that...no one from the dawn of recorded history to the 1960's EVER saw a picture of Earth from outside of the planet itself, and now NO ONE alive lives in THAT world any longer...the last remnants of the old world reside in those who suppress education and literacy in order to maintain control.

This represents the ultimate slippery slope - there is no going back and that gives me great comfort, almost as much as watching fundie heads explode over Cosmos or anything else that debunks their idiocy!

[ladjf]

18. The Creationists will not tolerate objective thinking. For them, it is the highest form of

blasphemy. nt

[rhett o rick]

20. Because he is black? nm

[SomethingFishy]

22. Because he doesn't kowtow to "opinion"

When the man presents facts and they are argued against with opinions, he doesn't pull his punches. He doesn't excuse "creationists" or give them any leeway any more than he does climate change deniers.

He gives no credence to opinions that are wrong. He doesn't say "well it's possible that humans aren't contributing to climate change". He knows what the facts are and he sticks to them, regardless of what anyone else says.


Oh my, a Creationist is worried that "Science" might actually end up in "Science" class! The Horror!!!

You know why this asshole is worried? Because he knows he's full of shit. He know's he makes money off the backs of the ignorant and easily manipulated, and he's worried that someone like DeGrasse might interfere with his fear mongering greed.

[Dawson Leery]

26. The updated "Cosmos" turning up in classrooms is what

instills great fear into them.

[Mz Pip]

28. Yeah, because what could be worse

than having a show with actual scientific facts supplement a science class? The Creationists want equal time for their opinion to be presented.

[Dawson Leery]

30. They don't want equal time, they want to teach creation only.

[Mz Pip]

31. You're probably right

But for now they are fighting a losing battle. I think they'd settle for equal time. They shouldn't even get that.

[Mz Pip]

27. "I am under no obligation to make sense to you." NDT

Tyson is like the Honey Badger, he doesn't give a shit what the Creationists think of him or of what he says.