Skepticism

Should Math Be Taught in Schools?

TEACH THE CONTROVERSY! (Previously: Miss USA contestants decide whether or not evolution should be taught in schools.)

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

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18 Comments

  1. Lisa Simpson: It’s not funny, Bart. Millions of girls will grow up thinking that this is the right way to act — that they can never be more than vacuous ninnies whose only goal is to look pretty, land a rich husband, and spend all day on the phone with their equally vacuous friends talking about how damn terrific it is to look pretty and have a rich husband!

    Bart: [pause] Just what I was going to say.

  2. Yea for Vermont in both videos. Wading through the real one was incredibly tedious, though. California seemed to support the teaching of evolution because science is cool, not because it is proven fact. West Virginia (I think it was) also touched on the fact versus opinion issue and I think she was trying to say evolution is fact and creationism is merely opinion, without offending the creationists. Virtually all the others were arguing for the false balance of all opinions should get a fair hearing, ignoring that science is not based on opinion.

  3. I think we should teach both math and Creation Math.

    Secular (ie. godless) math, teaches that 1 + 1 = 2. We need to provide a biblical alternative. 1 + 1 + 1 = Jesus

    1. Creation math would go something like this:

      God + Jesus + Holy Spirit = totally not polytheism, we swear!

      1. I’m pretty sure that was my 1st wedge issue. “It’s a mystery. Accept it.” just didn’t cut it.

  4. Maybe I’m just not understanding, but why do we care what these women think? Just because they won some beauty contests doesn’t mean they have special insight in any other topics. Do people think they do? Is it the halo effect? Please explain.
    .
    Also, why, in the parody video, is Vermont wearing glasses and not an evening gown like the others? Is it supposed to make her look smart?

    1. Sigh, Okay…
      We mock because we care it’s hilarious and cruel. (That’s not going to work if the html fails… is it too non-skeptical to cross my fingers?)
      .
      Actually, I think this all started when Miss California, much to everyone’s amazement, professed to being a science geek (though her justification for teaching evolution was pretty weak.) Lots of people do put store in what these people say. Mostly people who buy People and US.
      .
      Vermont is clearly dressed as a hippie[*] science nerd, with the flannel shirt and glasses. The real Vermont gave the best answer to the evolution question. Anyway, I believe everything she says because she’s hot.
      .
      [*] Am I a 60’s ex-hippie fail because I didn’t know how to spell it? My spell-checker insists it ends with “ie”, I was trying to use a “y”. Beside, we never called ourselves hippies. That was a Time/Life/Newsweek term.

        1. Sorry, I didn’t understand you wanted an actual, serious answer. What mrmisconception said for your first question.
          .
          For the second question, yes, it is a stereotype. There’s an old joke “Q: What is Hollywood’s definition of an ugly woman? A: A beautiful woman with glasses.” She’s wearing glasses, a flannel shirt (instead of an evening gown), has relatively short hair, unlike all the others, and replies in a very snarky manner, questioning the question. Yes, you are correct. All these things are supposed to signal she’s a smart person, and make her out of place amongst the others.
          .
          I wasn’t trying to make fun of your questions, I just thought you were throwing out setup lines for a flippant answer. (If you were, then you got me good with your second post!)

    2. We don’t care what beauty contestants think but many others do; that’s the problem.
      That and the fact that they reflect the mindset of the communities they come from so they are instructive; granted those communities are the one’s that gravitate toward beauty pageants so make of it what you will.

  5. I agree with David Mitchell about “LOL”: A perfectly valid addition to the language… that I would never use, myself. However, I absolutely laughed out loud at this.

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