FTL is becoming anti-science

[gibson042]

I don't know what gibson thought was nationalistic, but what I thought was nationalistic was that he placed a lot of emphasis on how it should be an American who solves the climate change problem because America is the country of innovation, blah de blah.  If climate change really is a problem to be solved, I don't see why it matters who solves it.  Innovation isn't a soccer game.  People solving problems is a good thing regardless of where they're doing it. 

Exactly.  He called the problem global, and then immediately began cheerleading for America, blessed land of Thomas Jefferson and patents and innovation, to be home country for all people and all work pertaining to the solution.  And brought up the specter of energy-supplying foreigners doing things with "our" money that we might not want them to (as if that isn't also a problem within the United States).  And basically argued for total economic isolation.

He's a much better "Science Guy" than "Politics Guy".

[spicynujac]

Well, if he said this on his TV show, it *IS* an American show, so he would be speaking to Americans.  I'm just saying that sometimes people get caught up in using certain language.  It's a little odd though because usually scientists are much more "stateless" people than your average citizen.  IE astronauts (unless they are military) look at their fellow cosmonauts and others from all over the world as fellow space travelers, and don't see any differences.  And people like Darwin could care less if you were born on one or the other side of an imaginary line.  Scientists rarely speak in terms of political entities; they usually speak in fact and logic.

I remember the first thing they teach you in public speaking is know your audience.  If you are speaking to Americans, and you want to get them to solve a problem, you will probably have success if you appeal to certain American features like Thomas Jefferson, etc.  ESPECIALLY if you are talking to the masses and not free thinking libertarians who make decisions based on ideas, not emotions.  It's one thing to appeal to a certain demographic when you are talking to them.  It is another to say that something is the responsibility of one nationality or sex or race or political subdivision alone.  It's not clear to me that Nye was doing the latter.