Famous for Being Fatuous: Celebs and Pols Say the Darnedest Things—Especially about Science

[WillParkinson]

Famous for Being Fatuous: Celebs and Pols Say the Darnedest Things—Especially about Science

If the recent election season has taught us anything, it's that fame does not equal brains, at least when it comes to science

In recent months, politicians cranking up their campaigns for the 2012 presidential elections have made some science claims that might be called interesting at best. Whether it's Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) comparing himself with Galileo or U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R–Minn.) claiming, against all scientific evidence, that the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation, it's clear that some leaders' grasps on science are tenuous at best.* Of course, this summer was hardly the first season during which politicians and celebrities have flubbed at science. In fact, it happens all the time.

(My favorite claim: Alex Reid (fighter): "It's actually very good for a man to have unprotected sex as long as he doesn’t ejaculate. Because I believe that all that semen has a lot of nutrition. A tablespoon of semen has your equivalent of steak, eggs, lemons and oranges. I am reabsorbing it into my body and it makes me go, 'Raaaaahh!'."—April 8, 2010)



www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=famous-for-being-fatuous

[JoeyT]

1. If I was trying to "reabsorb it"

whatever the hell that means, I think I might go "Raaaaahh!" too.

His record is also 9-9-1, so apparently he's not reabsorbing it very well.