Why do people take Bill Nye at all seriously?

[Snsl153]

Bill Nye, the Pseudoscience Guy

That's a real puzzle to me. The guy isn't a scientist, he knows virtually nothing about science, and I would even go so far as to label him a complete shyster, a fraud, in the same league as Deepak Chopra.

[Anonymous]

If he's parroting the party line, they party is going to amplify him. It has nothing to do with him having any expertise whatsoever.

A more egregious example? Greta Thunberg. Are we REALLY supposed to believe that some aspie high school dropout is some idiot savant when it comes to all things related to climate science--a topic so impossibly complex that even the people working on it have absolutely zero fucking clue what's happening?

Cause I'm willing to believe the "idiot" part--just not much beyond that.

[Chazmatazz269]

Nye has an engineering degree and experience as a teacher. People conflate science with engineering quite often. And “Bill Nye the Engineering Guy” doesn’t roll off the tongue the same. Ell oh ell!
He’s kind of an idiot, but he surrounds himself with brilliant scientific minds. That should count for something.

[Anonymous]

The guy is a total nut job. I used to like his videos when I was in elementary school but I completely lost all respect for him when he did his Netflix special on gender. Someone probably paid him a lot of money to go from "gender is determined by your chromosomes" to "gender is on a spectrum".

[Snsl153]

Yes, that programme on gender. What an embarrassing disaster that was.

[Opinion Owner]

I think he also advocated that people who don't believe in climate change (called "global warming" at the time which is oddly suspicious) should be imprisoned.

[BeMuse]

Technically he studied mechanical engineering. He has to know something about science... He would have taken calculus, statistics, and other mathematics courses. He should have an introductory level understanding of chemistry. He should have a more advanced understanding of physics being that he studied statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, etc. That said, he's an actor and has been for a very long time...

[motownplayer2000]

He was popular as a TV show back in the 90s. And early 00s. As Bill Nye the science guy. So he has built that reputation as a science guy. I don't know if he is truly good at it. I just know that he had a show. I really don’t take anyones word as truth in the media

[KostasKouvalis]

I never even knew that actually, I never looked into his background. But same reason people love the Mythbusters, he's entertainment and knows how to connect with the masses, and inspire kids to become interested in science.

[888theGreat]

They will follow him all the way to Hell. which is where he is going.

[RedThread]

What about him is so unscientific?

[Snsl153]

Watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQDBNJ3mPa0

[RedThread]

What's unscientific about that? Doctors, scientists, and therapists are starting to say the same thing.

[Snakeyes7]

@RedThread That's probably because all the others are censored for saying that it's all made up bullshit. They also failed to tell you that the very scientist who coined the term "gender" failed to prove it.

[RedThread]

@Snakeyes7 sure it couldn't be that new information and studies have led to new understanding and information. Things aren't set in stone for all time.

[Snakeyes7]

@RedThread How is it that any other human behavior tends to have a biological reasoning behind it but somehow this is all about how what the person in question feels determines the reality they live in?

[RedThread]

@Snakeyes7 There is an actual diagnosis called gender dysphoria and the literal treatment is to transition. It's a medical diagnosis. It's not something just randomly made up in people's minds. There's a scientific and clinical basis for gender dysphoria. That's the reality they live in.

Trans people know what their biological sex is. It isn't a secret to them. It's their gender expression that they change in transition to treat gender dysphoria which is a real medical condition. Referring to them as their given name and pronouns is literally part of their treatment in transition. Sure you have the freedom to ignore that but don't act like you're some scientifically or biologically minded person while doing so when literally no medical science is on your side in this case.

Also, if all of our actions have a biological basis, does that mean you don't believe in the concept of free will? Do we have any agency over our actions or is it all just biological programming?

Did you know that brains of transgender individuals are more identical to their gender identity than their biological sex? They've done multiple studies of this so there is something of a biological component if that matters so much to you but more work needs to be done on the subject.

If you want to know more, I'd suggest actually having a conversation with a trans or gender nonconforming person. I had similar views as you until I met more people and had some very interesting discussions on their experiences and how transitioning has helped them.

Again you have the freedom to do what you want. I would never seek to impose restrictions on another for what they say but at least know about what you're saying and the mental anguish you can inflict on a human being with gender dysphoria by doing so.

[Snakeyes7]

Sure but gender dysphoria is a legitimate condition. The problem is that our culture (and Nye in this case) has normalized it by saying that gender was always a social construct. Now if you want to be a woman you don't even have to snap your fingers, you can will it and you will be a woman with a male body. Man and woman as terms have essentially been made meaningless if the only difference between them is what the person has willed themselves to be.

Now we have all these stories like Wi Spa where people are taking advantage of this loophole to allow themselves to be perverts in areas where it is now socially acceptable for them to be in because of said loophole.

Gender dysphoria should remain an abnormal condition. I am not saying any of this to dehumanize them, I'm saying we shouldn't bend our lives around people who make up a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the population.

[RedThread]

@Snakeyes7 male and female are still essential terms. Again trans people and others exploring their gender identity know what they're biological sex is. They don't need you to tell them that. It's the expression of gender that they change to be happy. I don't see how this hurts anyone as a whole. It doesn't impact my life.

And again, you have the freedom to ignore it all and do as you please after all. Nobody is forcing you to accept anyone or treat people with dignity or respect. Gender dysphoria is a rare condition and it usually first manifests in childhood. The medical community is supposed to exist to help people so I fully support them helping people live happier lives.

and there will always be creeps who take advantage of any situation. That's not exclusive to one group of people.

[Snakeyes7]

I forgot to mention about situations like Wi Spa, the women who were one the receiving end of the pervert reported him to the staff but they said they can't do anything about it because, for all they know, the pervert was a trans female who just decided to show "her" penis to the everyone.

Anyway, in places like Canada, it is illegal (or at least there has been rumors about it being made illegal) to misgender someone. So yes in many places, you are legally obligated to accept someone for who they are who cannot do the same for themselves.

The idea of transitioning children is even more disturbing to me. You are taking easily malleable minds, ones that will easily accept the existence of Santa Claus and the Easter bunny, and that they are thinking with their right mind when they say that they are not the gender that their sex matches. It's way too early to make decisions like that and many trans people live to regret their transition because of things like this. Not to mention being injected with hormone blockers and severely screwing up their bodies.

I don't think transitioning is the answer to this issue, it's too early to even say because we only just started this massive experiment. We already have a massive suicide rate from that community which, from what I remember researching, is higher than slaves prior to the civil war had it and they were socially and legally considered property. There is something wrong here that we are not willing to address.

What is the point of making gender a separate thing anyway?

[RedThread]

@Snakeyes7 again there are creeps in all groups. There will always be people who take advantage of a situation to take advantage of people. I feel like I'm just repeating myself at this point.

Also children don't transition. They're usually put on puberty blockers after extensive meetings between therapists and doctors until they're legally able to make a decision for themselves. If they decide they aren't trans they can go off the puberty blockers and have normal puberty. If they decide they can't live without transition meaning they'll be incredibly depressed or suicidal without transition, they can then decide to have surgeries if they so desire when they're legally able to make that call.

I'd recommend you do some research into it because it sounds like you've just heard political pundits talk about it instead of hearing from actual doctors and therapists or trans people themselves. I mean no disrespect either because you seem like a decent human being. Again, I felt the same way until I actually met trans friends and read articles by actual doctors and psychiatrists. It's a situation that's not taken lightly by therapists and doctors. They advocate transition only if you can't imagine surviving without it. It isn't like they're out there putting children under the knife or anything. Seriously, read actual scenarios of trans kids and adults and the process of seeing therapists and doctors. Politicians and political pundits lie on purpose to twist things to their narrative.

Seriously. I'd recommend hearing their stories instead of listening to cis people tell their stories. I'm not trans or struggle with my gender identity so I'm only repeating what people have told me about their experiences. The best way to learn is to hear it from the source itself.

[Snakeyes7]

There is an increasing number of trans individuals who have detransitioned because they were groomed into believing that they were trans from childhood but they never were. In fact I would say that might apply to the majority of trans individuals because it is such a rare condition.

[RedThread]

@Snakeyes7 This is incorrect. A very small minority of people who are trans detransition. Also in recent studies they've found that the most common reason cited for detransition was pressure from a parent (35.5%), pressure from their community or societal stigma (32.5%), or trouble finding a job (26.8%). Other reasons included pressure from medical health professionals (5.6%) or religious leaders (5.3%).
So basically the majority of those who detransition don't do it because it's what they want for themselves, but for the opinions of those around them the majority being discrimination from parents or their community including discrimination in employment.

[joeldalton]

I don’t know. He’s turned into a complete tool.

[Anonymous]

I honestly know nothing about the guy.

[Snsl153]

Consider yourself blessed.

[Opinion Owner]

Ok, lol.

[BLP11520]

He is a joke...