erv

Man, Randy, you were close with SIZZLE. You were really close, I think. I wish you would have let us preview the movie earlier, or just bounced some ideas off of us.

1-- The scripted portions of SIZZLE were painful. Painful. Very awkward. Not at all believable. Your 'producers' could have been cut out entirely. The crew didnt 'need' to be 'gangstas', they just needed to be Average Joes (or... Average Dions... *wince*). Muffy was just there to push the plot.

2-- You should have burned the script... and made a damn documentary!!! I think it was on accident, but you stumbled on something big! Its big because Im already aware of it (:P) and I want more people to 'get it':

• Scientists talk one was to other scientists, and a completely different way to Average Joes!
• Woomeisters talk one way to scientists, and a completely different way to Average Joes!

People are always like 'Y R U talkinz like a lolcat on ur blag? It be nut perfesssionalble.' Because, jerks, Im a friggen human being with a 'personality' and a 'sense of humor'. We kinda cover that up when we are talking to other scientists-- what matters are the FACTS. State them, debate them, move on. But I dont write this blog like Im talking to other scientists! I write this blog like Im talking to my friends. You heard me in Bloggingheads-- I say 'DOOOOD!' in real life too :) Thats not pandering, thats just me.

The Bloggingheads conversation was actually really hard for me, because I was alternating between talking to PZ as another scientist, talking to PZ as a friend, and talking to the audience as friends. It was goddamn hard, and I made lots of mistakes, but I learned :) And that balancing act, obviously, is something scientists are not entirely conscious of. When you asked questions, you got 'scientificy' responses. When Marion asked questions, you got real shit. You got the scientists personalities. You got the scientists passion. That is the 'face' we need for science! The message to scientists should be, 'Hey, when youre giving presentations to the public, when youre being interviewed for the 9 o'clock news, dont just be 'a scientist'-- be yourself. Be your passion, and give that passion to everyone else!'

LOVE IT!

I also loved how the wooers reacted to the same conditions. They were all shits and giggles talking to you. Sure you are 'a scientist', but you arent a climatologist. They let the distortions and lies slip by, one by one, until you caught one. Ah, then they backed off.

But when Marion asked questions, that was full-on lie fest! Stupid Marion wouldnt know any better-- lay it on thick. Africa will be fine when/if Global Warming is real! No worries, brotha! Have some liquor and cigars! They lied and pandered straight to his face.

*sigh* Randy, you were really close to getting something good on how science (and pseudoscience) is communicated, but this end product felt forced, and diluted out the impact of a fantastic point.

We may get bitchy with you sometimes, Randy, but we want to communicate science to the public just as much as you do. We want you to succeed! Come to us sooner, man!

--ERV