Bill Nye the Actor and Mechanical Engineer

Having grown up in the 90’s, I was a huge fan of the show Bill Nye the Science Guy. I was a nerd, and yes even in second grade, loved learning about buoyancy, photosynthesis, and animals. Bill Nye presented the topics in a fun, engaging way for kids. And does anyone remember the popular music video science spin offs at the end of each episode? “Pressure” to the theme of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana anyone?

Today, Bill Nye has emerged as one of social media’s go to science experts. But the Science Guy has no formal scientific training, he does not have a PhD, and never even studied biology, physics, or climatology! Bill Nye was a mechanical engineer on aerospace initiatives who decided to take a shot at acting and landed the Bill Nye the Science Guy gig.

The internet abounds with scientific opinions of the Science Guy, spouting off on everything from GMOs to climate change. We see selfies with President Obama, quotes from scientific panels, and blogs with his opinions. But in fact, an undergrad college student with a minor in Biology probably has more credibility than Bill Nye. Why on Earth are we taking the actor’s opinions as if Einstein himself were talking to us about relativity?

Every time I see a tweet of his, nostalgia hits me like a tidal wive, and I’m back in my parents’ living room glued to their non-flat screen TV. Perhaps that is why millenials are so drawn to him. It does not seem to matter when people expose the fact that he has zero formal training on the issues he claims to be an expert in.

Most recently, Bill Nye tweeted a photo of low gas prices and explained how this was very bad news for America and the world. Citing climate change, he believed it would be very difficult to switch to renewable energy with gas prices so low.

According to the Pacific Research Institute, black Ohio households would spend an average of $408 more per year on energy costs under President Obama’s proposed greenhouse gas reduction plan.

Celebrities and those on the left claim that acting on climate change is the most important thing we need to focus on as a country and globally. But what about those families who live paycheck to paycheck? What about those families that those on the left claim to always be putting first with their policies? How does $408 more per year in energy costs put their welfare first?