Bill Nye the Science Guy. Every kid who has ever wanted to be a scientist has probably heard of him before, if not idolized him for a while. On May 9th, the audience on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was graced with his presence, and he talked about his upcoming show as well as the origins of his name. More importantly, he was at the March For Science as well. Here’s an excerpt (starting at 4:16):

Stephen: Tell me about the march for science that happened this past weekend

Bill: The March For Science [Audience cheers]

Stephen: So what were you marching for and why do we need to march for science at this point, Bill Nye?

Bill: Well, isn’t that a good question! [Audience laughs] So in the U.S. Constitution…

Stephen: I’m full of them. [Audience laughs]

Bill: [Smiles] So in the U.S. Constitution…Now from time to time, I get the sense–I’ve watched the monologue, like everybody–from time to time, I get the impression that you’re critical of the current administration.

Stephen: [Audience laughs] I’m in a questioning position…of their priorities.

Bill: [Chuckles] So in the U.S. Constitution, Article 1 Section 8, it says “shall promote the progress of science and useful arts.” And if you have an administration that is in denial about the effects of climate change, if you have people who want to cut back the funding for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, that is probably not in anyone’s best interest. And yet, there’s this movement right now, especially in the U.S., so we had a march! For Science! [Pumps fist, audience cheers] Now, it’s really a surprising thing that somebody felt that we needed that!

In 30 seconds, Bill Nye voiced all of our opinions on the March For Science: Why do we need one? The fact that we did need one (many more than one, actually) continues to highlight the state of our administration and what they seek to represent. The entire ridiculousness of it all–the proposals to cut back on important institutions that look after our health and safety–shows just how important it is to make sure that you don’t perpetuate the White House’s false narrative. Bill Nye goes even further and even references the constitution, a document that every American holds dear and strives to uphold. In this sense, he appeals to our ties to the country that everyone has and thus universalizes his message.

Because he is often the face of children shows and exciting science videos, we often forget how educated he is. He graduated from Cornell as a mechanical engineer and spent some time working at Boeing. He comes from a science background. While his credentials aren’t as impressive as, say, Elon Musk, we can connect with him easier through our innate fascination of science. Regardless of where you live, we are affected by science and are intrigued by its inner workings, just like Bill Nye.

Unleash your inner Bill Nye and don’t deny the facts.

 

Sources: https://www.biography.com/people/bill-nye-20950589