As I was channel surfing tonight, I happened upon an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy’s new show The Eyes of Nye. The new series is a slightly more grown-up and sophisticated version of his popular science show from way back when. Instead of just talking about elementary school science such as physics, biology, and chemistry, Bill Nye tackles tough topics like race, sex, addiction, cloning, and other issues that affect modern society. The show still has Nye’s wacky sense of humor but is definitely not meant for young kids.
Tonight’s episode was about race. Nye talked with a variety of scientists and experts about DNA, environmental effects on the population, and societal and cultural perceptions about race. As with his original show, all of the scientific content is grounded in real-world research and is quite educational.
What’s new is subtle and not-so-subtle jabs at some societal problems today. For example, there was a parody of the MasterCard “Priceless” commercials that poked fun at white supremacists. The voice-over went something like this:
Long distance call to a fellow white supremacist inviting him over to chat: $2.
Buying snacks for a white supremacist party: $10.
Having a scientist explain to him that at a genetic level, all humans are the same no matter what the skin color: Priceless.
Seeing the expression on his face after showing him proof: Really really great.
That was probably a pretty horrid butchering of the actual skit, but it was incredibly funny. It wasn’t beautifully shot and edited like a MasterCard commercial. It looks just like a home video, and that made all that more entertaining.
Another great moment was Nye offering some commentary on how skin color is such a big deal around the world. To paraphrase (i.e. butcher):
So, why is skin color so important to humans? At a genetic level, all mammals have the same genes that determine skin color, but humans are the only ones who seem to care what someone’s skin color is. Look at these cows [insert video of cows on a farm]. There’s a brown one, a white one, a black one, and a black and white one. They’re all different colors, yet they’re still hanging out and chilling. Their skin color doesn’t change the fact that they’re all cows and doesn’t affect them being cows. They don’t care! Why should we?
The show was filled with moments like these. Many of the clips on the official website demonstrate a small sample of Nye’s fun approach to science and some of his quirky humor. If I had TiVo, this would be on my list of shows to record. Guess I’ll just have to settle with actually catching the show when it’s on. Thank goodness KCTS airs repeats of this show all week.
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