The Truth Is Not Out There: Goofy Flat Earth Rap War
NASA isn’t going to touch B.o.B.’s flat-Earth rant, Washington Post
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“Here’s the anthology of the bizarre-o flap: The rapper began sharing images and whack-job conspiracy theories in support of his position on Sunday. After astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson stepped in to school him, B.o.B. threw shade at the scientist and the space agency in a diss track. … Tyson even enlisted his nephew to pen a song responding to B.o.B’s. But NASA is planning to stay (much like an Earth-monitoring satellite) above the fray. “We don’t think there’s a debate to be had,” an agency spokeswoman said. Instead, she pointed anyone interested in the issue to the agency’s’ website and cache of images of our fair planet sent from space.”
Keith’s note: With no science fiction movies around to dump on, Neil Tyson needs something to get him on Comedy Central. Because, in the end, Neil Tyson is just an entertainer with a Ph.D. What nonsense issue will Neil Tyson go after next? Oh wait: X-Files is back on the air
– Going to Mars: Talking Head Vs Rocket Builder
Isn’t his 15 minutes up yet?! Please let it be so!
Actually, Dr Tyson is doing the world and science a service – the dumber-than-all-hell memes that ‘famous’ people are spreading through the net and social networks are starting to cause REAL damage. Those of you paying attention know what I mean. Those of you who aren’t: I’m telling you guys as honestly and factually as possible that you don’t – REALLY don’t – realize that the ‘Apollo Hoax’ and ‘all space is fake’ memes and belief system are only a few short years or so from being the accepted mainstream belief!! I’m not bloody kidding! I often do voluntary educational presentations on space exploration and astronomy here in New Zealand and almost always get challenged now about these things. The most heated exchange I had with a man – who had his two kids with him – had this guy raising his voice and calling me a liar with a retarded belief system who should go fornicate himself. On the internet these days, especially on Facebook and YouTube, I try not to engage these noise making dimwits. Life is too short and stress can contribute to cancer.
They are persistent, angry and even violent, in person and behind their keyboards. I tell you it is happening everywhere, in most countries. It is up to you if you want to (futilely) fight them. But they are real. :'(
Yes. Those of you living inside your space community bubble may not get this, but this is completely true. That scene in Interstellar where the elementary school teacher matter-of-factly states that Apollo didn’t happen – I’ve already had to deal with that.
Yes, Dr. Tyson loves the camera. So? Folks in here should quit being envious and petty. He is promoting science and technology. He is promoting our values. And even if you don’t exactly like his style, he is on our side.
Agree. People in the middle believe whomever is yelling the loudest. Someone needs to present reality in an entertaining fashion because most people don’t want to read real news or anything that’s not fun.
Precisely! I also have spoken to school kids before about space and basic astronomy… Almost always, I get a question or two like that. 1) Where are the UFOs NASA has been hiding? 2) If a giant meteor (sic) is coming to crash on to Earth, what is NASA going to do about it? I answer this last one like this. “Yes, I know Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck went up in two souped-up, Space Shuttles, landed on the big rock and blew it up from the inside… ” I too saw that movie, but it is not real. Nope, that’s not going to happen. I disagree with Keith that NdGT gives science a bad name. I say, keep presenting the facts to refute the ignorant and misinformed.
“calling me a liar”
Didn’t you have your “Buzz Aldrin” moment?
I was too embarrassed and flustered to perform a violent act in front of a couple dozen people. If he had confronted me in the carpark for instance and assaulted me in some why – I’d very probably have punched him – but only if his kids weren’t around. I haven’t hit anyone in 35 years.
Exactly. People keep trying to tell me that advances in science and technology are going to bring general human knowledge and understanding forward, but I see the opposite happening.
As the gulf between average everyday knowledge and what is required to keep up with the technological cutting edge keeps increasing, most people are being left behind.
I predict a future with a small technologically and scientifically-literate elite and the masses creating religions devoted to worshiping Steve Jobs or their phone apps or whatever.
SPOILER ALERT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…
Cyril M. Kornbluth 1951
“Because, in the end, Neil Tyson is just an entertainer with a Ph.D. What nonsense issue will Neil Tyson go after next? Oh wait: X-Files is back on the air.”
Keith: nailed it!
I can’t wait for this Sagan-wanna-be attention whores 15 minute expire. Jezzz…he’s irritating.
“Sagan-wanna”be” ?
You imply that Carl Sagan is somehow above Neil deGrasse Tyson, that NDT doesn’t deserve to be mentioned on the same level as the “great” Carl Sagan. Do you forget that Carl Sagan had very similar run-ins with very similar people himself in his day? He didn’t get the same publicity, because the internet didn’t exist back then. I’m talking about Sagan’s famous arguments with Velikovsky, which Sagan went out of the way to mention on his show Cosmos.
I remember Sagan getting trashed regularly by other scientists for showboating (jealousy) and far more seriously, he was viciously trashed for his progressive/liberal politics, anti-nuclear weapons, his anti-pseudo-science and supernatural activism, and his anti-creationism. Plus everyone made fun of his use of “billions and billions”, but in a good natured way.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/f…
Sagan was one of Neil Tyson’s mentors: watch the recent Cosmos series where Tyson tells the story of what Sagan did for him. If only we could all be that lucky.
Indeed. I’m not sure why so many bash Tyson. Yes, his presentation is a bit irritating at times. But that’s probably because he has a much better sense of his audience than anyone commenting here.
I’m grateful for Dr. Tyson’s efforts. And Dr. Kaku. And anyone else willing to compromise much greater research interests to talk about science to the knowledge-poor American public.
Maybe NDT should follow NASA’s policy and “don’t feed the trolls.” It will take a huge staff working full-time to responding to flat-earthers and other such characters. Ignore them and work on issues of greater significance (and there are ***many*** as we all debate here on the forums).
I think Tyson himself summed up nicely the reason why you need to respond to people like B.o.B. when he appeared on The Nightly Show:
http://tinyurl.com/gudctuj
Rather listen to Tyson than Cuckoo Kaku.
A nice discussion by Dr. Kaku and Michael Shermer (the publisher of Skeptic) where they take on creationists, psuedoscience, conspiracy theorists, and others who pollute the rational world.
Two of my favorite skeptics!
Yale you might like this. I use it whenever a Landing Denialist emerges from under the bridge
http://stuffucanuse.com/fak…
Kills tthe conversation stone dead in most cases 😉
Bill Nye and Neil DeGrasse Tyson get a lot of flak for loving the camera, but we do need these guys out there to challenge the nutcase brigade and the anti-science crowd. And they get on national television and in other venues where many people will see them, which is vitally important.
I like Keith’s site and others like it (SFN, NSF, Space.com) but lets face it, sites like these are preaching to the choir.
Oh, uhm, thanks for putting a note up. For a short while I wondered if you had decided to become a flatearther (well enemies of my enemies… )
I have to say, I like Dr. Tyson very much. He has had a long distinguished career as both a scientist, author, science popularizer, and as head of a world-class planetarium. I take issue with his stance towards Musk’s goal of private travel to Mars, but I think that comes from a long and important relationship with NASA.
Here … hold my sandwich while I comment …
Twitter battles, appearing all over youtube and other social media sites, you have to just wonder how he has time to get all his important real work done…