You make a really good point and I appreciate that you are bringing up this important issue. I am an environmental educator and have worked with hundreds of students from across the country over the past few years. Here is a shocking fact I learned during my graduate studies: most of what children today know about the environment is learned from television. Is this as frightening to you as it is to me? Students are learning more about environmental issues from television than from parents, educators, real life experiences, books, etc.
Now, if television programs have become such a central educational tool for our nation's children (and a large percentage of adults I might add), then it seems that we should be VERY concerned about the content of this media. Advertisements and even some news programs are allowed to spread blatant misinformation, creating political debate and confusion on issues that the scientific community has already reached consensus. The corporations in charge of these programs and commercials are out to make money at any cost, as is the goal of any corporation, even if the cost is the public mind - and the sad truth is, our children ARE becoming more stupid every year. The fact that we are still dealing with illiteracy in this country is a national disgrace. Television programming/ads are providing a great disservice to society on many levels. As you said, Malcolm, it has the "potential to erode the general public's view of the scientific community" - and that is a frightening prospect. Rather than keeping people informed on current events and issues, backed by the most up-to-date scientific information that we have, it spreads confusion, doubt, fear, and political dissent. Media in the US are still arguing about whether global climate change exists, while Europe has long since reached scientific and political consensus. How can a democracy function properly without an informed citizenry? I, for one, am of the belief that the political/corporate powers that be in this country want it to be this way: an uninformed citizenry is much easier to control and make money from, and what better tool to use than television. I would love to see the scientific community take a leading role on this issue to take back the mind of the public, through the media and the public education system. Alyson On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 5:11 PM, malcolm McCallum < malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org> wrote: > At what point does the scientific community realize that the current > surge in patent medicines and nonsense medical devices are seriously > eroding the nation's confidence in science? > This is not directly related to ecology, but ecology is science and if > people misuse science to sell products that are medically irrelevant > it certainly must affect all science. > > For example, if the average person sees a supposed physician on TV > parading products that "absorb fat out of your body" or send "magnetic > impulses into your joints" or provide the "healing effects of light", > he/she does not necessarily recognize the difference between > commercial claims and scientific ones. Further, if that person is > suckered in to buy this sucker bait, he/she is certain to find, once > any placebo affect passes, that it is shear snake oil. Consequently, > these folks see these advertisements with supposed nutritionists, > phds, MDs, etc. and learn not to believe what they say. Along comes a > scientist claiming extraordinary changes such as climate change, ozone > layer issues, problems with pollution, and endangered species...on TV, > even in commercials. Why should they believe them? It looks and > smells just like that snake oil aunt Martha bought off TV that did > nothing but moisten her skin. > > Does anyone else see that a deeper problem exists here? These > products are much more harmful that simply misleading people, they are > more than simply false advertising, they really should not be allowed > to make the extraordinary claims that they do. Some of the products > are harmless, some are dangerous simply in the fact that folks choose > to depend on these prior to seeking real medical advice, but all have > a serious potential to erode the general public's view of the > scientific community. > > -- > Malcolm L. McCallum > Associate Professor of Biology > Managing Editor, > Herpetological Conservation and Biology > Texas A&M University-Texarkana > Fall Teaching Schedule: > Vertebrate Biology - TR 10-11:40; General Ecology - MW 1-2:40pm; > Forensic Science - W 6-9:40pm > Office Hourse- TBA > > 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert > 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, > and pollution. > 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction > MAY help restore populations. > 2022: Soylent Green is People! > > Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any > attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may > contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized > review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not > the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and > destroy all copies of the original message. >
