Liberal Science

So on the PSA (public service announcement) for some environmental defense outfit, Joan Woodward asks if we notice how many things in life happen in a "circle," such as the seasons, and "...the circle we call Earth."

Earth is not a circle. Drawing one with crayons requires making something like a circle, yes, but Earth is an imperfect sphere (or spheroid). According to Sesame Street the Earth may be described as spinning in a circle (rotation), but in fact it is spiraling like a bastard through space as it "circles" the sun, which orbits inside the galaxy, which ....

There's a term used in some minority media: "junk science." There's a lot of it out there. Hardwood produces something like one-sixth the oxygen for the atmosphere than grasses (which are grain crops) but when forests and rain forests are cut down by hungry third- and second-world populations to grow food (or grasses to raise cattle) we are told we are reducing the production of atmosphere. Junk science.

Why is junk science so popular in the media? I suspect it has to do with Sesame Street. Too many of today's "scientists" (actually more like "science writers" really) have been raised on simplified and simplistic illustrations in mainstream media and dumbed-down school curricula. Encouraged to write and speak more in "accessible" language to accommodate lazy, under-educated laymen, so-called scientists have actually begun to think in two-dimensional, kindergarten terms and have lost any respect for accuracy. Sing a folksy little ditty in the background and illustrate the PSA with cutie-pie animated child-like drawings and it FEELS nice, so it must be good. Viola! Junk science.

Real science is boring, difficult to grasp, and even terrifying. It requires hard questions and answers and efforts in time and energy. And money. Cheaper to just do a survey of 100 science teachers in public schools than to spend ten years on actual research.