"Here Comes Science" might offend the religious?

[5810Singer]

Meh....I still prefer Birdhouse In Your Soul.

 

[Giliell]

Ok, having watched the DVD several times by now I have found something that I don't like:
It's a gender-issue
Science and scientists are portrayed male, stereotypes are very traditional (for example the girl crying out of fear during a thunderstorm).
Watch the opening title and count the number of boys and girls who appear (2:1) and pay a little attention to their screen time/how often they return.
Since kids internalize such thing I think it (hopefully unintededly) carries the message: Scientists are male and I would be very sorry if this wonderful DVD teaches that alongside so many wonderful things.

 

[Andiferous]

Meh....I still prefer Birdhouse In Your Soul.

You're Older than you've ever been and now you're even older. And now you're even older. And now you're even older. You're older than you've ever been and now you're even older. And now you're older still.

For the win!

Ok, having watched the DVD several times by now I have found something that I don't like:
It's a gender-issue. Science and scientists are portrayed male, stereotypes are very traditional (for example the girl crying out of fear during a thunderstorm). Watch the opening title and count the number of boys and girls who appear (2:1) and pay a little attention to their screen time/how often they return.
Since kids internalize such thing I think it (hopefully unintededly) carries the message: Scientists are male and I would be very sorry if this wonderful DVD teaches that alongside so many wonderful things.

That sucks, I love TMBG. I've got second thoughts about seeing the DVD...

 

[xman]

That sucks, I love TMBG. I've got second thoughts about seeing the DVD...

Don't have, it's a fine DVD, but I hadn't noticed that before and it does suck. The animators should have been more mindful.

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

What doesn't offend the religious?

/thread

 

[obsidianavenger]

child rape apparantly

*hides*

 

[FCAAP_Dan]

Apparently it offends the non-religious too.

 

[Giliell]

Apparently it offends the non-religious too.

I'm not offended
I'm a bit disappointed.
They could have done better.
I don't even think they did it on purpose, they just reflected usual stereotypes, making them prophecies.

 

[obsidianavenger]

Apparently it offends the non-religious too.

I'm not offended
I'm a bit disappointed.
They could have done better.
I don't even think they did it on purpose, they just reflected usual stereotypes, making them prophecies.

i hardly think a young girl watching that would be dissuaded from a career in science because the proportion of girls portrayed was lower.

perhaps this is only my experience, but my interest in science arose naturally, and was not deterred by a lack of famous female scientists to hold as role models. especially given the broad modern rhetoric about gender stereotype being bunk, i doubt much harm was done.

that said, it would have been nice if they'd thought of it. but i think you overestimate the damage that would be caused in such a case.

 

[5810Singer]

In the UK the number of girls taking science subjects has been on the rise in recent years, whereas boys seem to be dropping those subjects.

If this is a trend that is occuring in other countries then maybe the gender representation in this DVD is an attempt to appeal to boys.

Or I could be talking out of the top of my hat.

 

[Giliell]

i hardly think a young girl watching that would be dissuaded from a career in science because the proportion of girls portrayed was lower.

perhaps this is only my experience, but my interest in science arose naturally, and was not deterred by a lack of famous female scientists to hold as role models. especially given the broad modern rhetoric about gender stereotype being bunk, i doubt much harm was done.

that said, it would have been nice if they'd thought of it. but i think you overestimate the damage that would be caused in such a case.

Well, developmental psychology says otherwise.
Most kids want to be gender-conformant. And they don't ask "mummy is it OK for girls to likr science?", they watch whether they find appropriate role-models and then behave accordingly.

Hmmm, here the numbers of girls heading for science are still depressing, so a bit more encouragement would be good.

 

[Varistra]

I agree with encouraging girls to be interested in science. My oldest daughter is going to be 8 in March. She's always asking questions about well everything. And she loves dinoaurs. I encourage it. A few weeks ago she brought home a flier about an after school science class and she was all excited about it and wanted to go. We were going to let her too, but she changed her mind and wouldn't tell me why. I am hoping her little friends weren't being mean/rude about her interests. She is very very susceptible to peer pressure and it is hard for her father and I to get her to understand that it doesn't matter if people don't like what she likes... if she likes it that is what is important.

I would love to get that CD for her I think she'd love it.

Varistra

 

[FCAAP_Dan]

1.) I haven't seen the video
2.) I'm a psych major

I agree positive role models are important, but unless there's something specifically discouraging little girls from science, I doubt this is going to discourage them.

Yes, conforming to gender roles is important, but it works both ways. Did you want to alienate the boys because all the girls are scientists in the video?

Not to mention, kids that are attracted to things like this are the most likely to watch it. Sort of like the violent video games, violent kids thing.

A 2:1 ratio seems just fine to me. That still shows girls can do science and it's a better ratio than there is in real life, but not enough to not make boys want to watch it because there's girls in it.



Maybe we should make sure that it's split evenly between boys and girls and all the nationalities, ethnicities, creeds, of the world. I'm disappointed there aren't any Jewish converted Indians that speak Finnish in the videos. It's discourages Finnish speaking Jewish Indians from science. (this my way of saying you're blowing it out of proportion)

 

[Andiferous]

A 2:1 ratio seems just fine to me. That still shows girls can do science and it's a better ratio than there is in real life, but not enough to not make boys want to watch it because there's girls in it.

Err... ah... sorry, but how is this acceptable?

 

[FCAAP_Dan]

Because 2:1 isn't discouraging for girls IMO. Also 2:1 isn't so many girls that boys will be alienated and think they're watching My Little Pony.

I think there's a big difference between discouraging and encouraging and I'm sure 2:1 is enough to encourage girls.


Now if they came out and said girls are stupid and can't do math or science, then even I would have a problem with it. Or if there were no girls, or 10:1 ratio, etc. That's not what is happening. Someone has their panties in a bunch because everything is not split evenly in equal numbers.

Like I said though, I haven't seen it. Maybe someone should actually count. I'm actually curious now if it is 2:1, or 1.2:1 or 9:1.

 

[Digitised]

I think some of these people really need to buy this CD...

And go back to school.


And listen this time.

 

[Giliell]

Because 2:1 isn't discouraging for girls IMO. Also 2:1 isn't so many girls that boys will be alienated and think they're watching My Little Pony.

2:1 is just the number of characters appearing
Screentime is something else again.
Wait, I'll watch it and count seconds....
55:8

Now, by songs:
The whole thing is presented by John and John. What would have been so bad about JOhn and Jane?

Science is real as said above
Meet the elements neutral, no people appearing
I am a paleontologist 1st person male narrator. OK, two kidss, boy and girl appearing often
Blood mobile neutral
Electric car A female voice, a female protagonist and NOT about science but about "good" behaviour and all those lovely animals. Love the song still...
My brother the ape (my sister the cow :? )Male 1st person, second protagonist, the ape is male, too
A Shooting star The thing is explained to a boy character. Now, as the band are guys I can see the reason for all the first person narrators being male, but why the curious kid, too?
How many planets? Again, a boy sets out to learn about the solar system
Why does the sun shine Neutral, presented by cats
Why does the sun really shine Two male scientists (JOhn and John)
Roy G Biv Why has it got to be a girl who'se crying because of the thunderstorm?
Put it to the test Made like an old computer game. John and John again, two male scientists.
Photosynthesis Bugs and ants. Male scientist bug, female ants and bug chorus
Cells make copies of themselves neutral
Speed and velocity neutral. The girl appears more often than the boy, but not as a scientist, but I admit that she's on screen more often
Computer assisted design Engineer designer cork, depicted male
Solid, liquid and gas male stickman
Davy Crockett Self-explaining

And my daughter says thank you for being allowed to watch the whole DVD in the morning :lol:

 

[FCAAP_Dan]

And my daughter says thank you for being allowed to watch the whole DVD in the morning :lol:

Good idea. Don't let her watch it at all. That sure will make her love science. Out of sight and in mind.

How many blacks? How many Asians? How many Latinos? Specifically how many Mexicans/Puerto Ricans/Haitians? How many Brazilians? How many children that speak Latin? How many children that are left handed?

Because if they don't have any left-handed Portugese speaking black Jewish children...I think we should ban it and burn it.

 

[Giliell]

How many children that speak Latin?

Latin? Necromancy!
Still, a bit more gender equality and less stereotyping wouldn't have hurt.
And putting every minority on the table isn't a valid argument when talking about the two big subsets of humans.