Miss USA Contestants Are Idiots
This video perfectly encapsulates the sad state of science education in the U.S. (and the false but somehow growing notion that teaching science is a partisan endeavor). Remember, these are college-educated women:
Anyway, some other interesting coverage of it here:
Anyway, some other interesting coverage of it here:
- The Gleaming Retort, "Did her evolution answer win the title for Miss USA 2011?"
- Think Progress, "Newly crowned Miss USA was one of only two contestants who believe in evolution."
- USA Today, "Miss USA contest evolves: 'Huge science geek' wins."
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bang my head against a wall and wonder why I've decided to spend my life teaching evolution and other aspects of biological anthropology to college students.
UPDATEish (6/27/11) - Hilarious video hosted over at Jezebel called "Should Math Be Taught in Schools?"
UPDATEish (6/27/11) - Hilarious video hosted over at Jezebel called "Should Math Be Taught in Schools?"
Comments
I was just ranting about this video and my husband said that a lot of the women might say they don't 'believe' in Evolution just for the religious vote. That's just as wrong.
I had a discussion with my friends on Facebook about whether the women think they're being "politically correct" to say they don't believe in evolution (what they likely mean is "I don't believe that man evolved from apes because I think God created us" which is actually only a small part of the larger concept of evolution). But I think that's even stupider. I could believe that a few of these women got to college without proper instruction in biology - the state of our public education, especially in the South, is pretty poor. The contestants who don't believe in evolution because they've never been taught and have never learned - they have an excuse and should be taught. But those who DO know about evolution and continue to frame science and science education as a partisan issue are horribly misguided and are actively encouraging others to blithely ignore biological reality in service of ever-changing culture. Anyone who thinks science is "liberal" or "un-American" is an ass-hat.
And I hope I didn't come across as being anti-religious, because I'm not. I'm actually Catholic, born and raised. So I know that a person can be religious and believe in God or a god and at the same time know that Evolution is real.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2011/06/20/science-will-be-represented-in-the-miss-universe-pageant/
And lest anyone think that I disparage all pageant contestants, my freshman year of college, I lived in the "scholars" dorm, and one of my suitemates was a beauty pageant winner. She was very smart, talented, and always had curlers in her hair. I can't remember ever asking her views on evolution, but I'm pretty sure she was a bio major. There's a lot of money to be made in these pageants - especially college scholarships - and she used her pageant crowns to try to do good in her hometown (mentoring kids, etc.). It's a shame that so many of the Miss USA contestants bombed this prepared question.
By the way, I happen to find evolution fascinating and accept it as the best theory given our current scientific understanding and evidence available. I also hold myself to be agnostic. However, just like a religion, acceptance of evolution requires faith. Faith in the integrity and honesty of past and present scientists, faith in the conclusions we have made so far and build upon, and faith that all the areas of science that come together to make understanding evolution possible are accurate. Obviously, we are not perfectly accurate and do not have a full understanding of everything, thus our evolutionary conclusions are likely to have a different form a few decades from now and may not even be recognizable as the same theory. I think you were too harsh on these women simply because you do not share their view and vice versa. It seems that the issue still rages for the simple reason that those who accept evolution feel others are idiots(and do so vocally) while those who reject it do the same(again, very vocally, often with talk of fire and brimstone), but no one gets anywhere as it usually takes the form of an arrogant battle for proclaiming superior intelligence rather than the scientific and philosophical debate it truly is. Sorry to ramble.
The general public does not understand the subtleties of scientific terminology and for this, yes, I fault us as scientists. You know that gravity is a theory, right? Do you want to tell me you don't believe in gravity?
At any rate, simply because we cannot as humans see every single evolutionary step that took place in the last 5 million years to make us into the Homo sapiens we are today doesn't mean that evolution didn't happen. Science is indeed dynamic, and we're learning more about our hominin origins every day, but evolution as a scientific theory has held strong for over 150 years. And it's constantly being tested, so no one's blindly believing in it.
The real "question" of teaching evolution is school is actually, "What is the role of religion in understanding the origin of humans?" Most people, when presented with the facts of evolution, can see that it exists and occurs - all you have to do is point out MRSA and other bacteria and small organisms that have evolved to be antibiotic resistant. What people tend to have a problem with is the idea that humans evolved from apes - or from those very same single-celled organisms we now fight off with drugs. I can see where some people want to bring in religion, which evolved itself as a cultural way to make sense of the world. In that sense, I see why others may think my scientific views are a "religion" in that science is the way I make sense of my world.
However, the evidence in favor of evolution is overwhelming. Even the Pope (as I linked to above) has no problem with evolution, saying, "There is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such... Above all it does not answer the great philosophical question, ‘Where does everything come from?’"
The Pope wants to take issue with the Big Bang and wants to see the hand of God in the creation of the world. But he finds no fault with evolution, even of humans. I know the Pope only speaks for Catholics, but I don't get why other religions (mostly denominations of Christianity in the US) can't come around to this view.
So, yes, I would say that anyone who - when presented with incontrovertible scientific evidence - doesn't "believe" in evolution is clearly not open to learning. They are sticking their fingers in their ears and throwing tantrums because the way the world works isn't the way they thought it did.
As for you facts/theory comment, I think I have a good (Or good enough) grasp of the ideas there. That is why I stated that it was the conclusions people may take issue with. No one can argue that extinct creatures did exist(among the other stuff associated, like antibiotic resistance, etc.), but the implications may be interpreted multiple ways. I personally agree with the evolutionary interpretation; however, I would not go so far as to declare it the only one to consider or only possibly valid one, though that may just be the agnostic in me, which may be a philosophical stance you do not share.
On the subject of man's evolution, though, I will go so far as to say there's only one theory with merit, only one theory backed up by decades of facts, and the only thing that should be taught in schools.
But we seem to mostly agree. I just rankle at using the word "believe" to talk about evolution (or any science for that matter). I've looked critically at some of the evidence myself, and I've learned some more from scientists who know far more than I do - and those actions push science beyond belief. Evidence can be tested, tests can be replicated, and the constancy of it all means evolution is no longer a matter of belief.
I'm not at all convinced that the Miss USA contestants bothered to read up on evolution, look at the evidence for themselves, and craft an appropriate response. And anyone who hasn't done those things but still feels entitled to talk about the "issue" of teaching evolution in school is, well, ignorant.
http://darryl-cunningham.blogspot.com/2011/06/evolution.html
On May 5th I had a ticket to see Donald Johansen and Richard Leakey at the AMNH in NYC. I crossed the border from Canada at the Rainbow Bridge and was answering the questions from the U.S. Customs man: Where are you going? What are you planning to do? When I told him I was planning to go to the talk about Evolution he said, "Oh, you believe in evolution?" I was taken aback by that as it had been some time since I'd been asked that question. You don't want to piss off the border guards, so I meekly answered "yes" with a little laugh. As I drove away I had to shake my head. The word "believe" was what stuck in my mind completely. There are definitely people in Canada who don't understand the concept of evolution, but I think the idea of "believing" in evolution is primarily American. No offense.
BTW, I love the U.S. (as most Canadians do) and I would live at the AMNH if I could.