Note: This will touch on subjects that may be
upsetting to many varieties of queer people. While I write nothing graphic,
there are many phobic things, and their consequences, I discuss.
I really
wanted Bill Nye Saves the World to be good. I really did.
I was born
in ’82. Bill Nye the Science Guy was prime TV for me. It started its run when I
was 11, and ran until I was 16. Kid level science, presented in a fun way, by
this affable guy, who really understood how to talk to you like you were a peer,
not a lesser. At least, that’s how it felt watching it in the 90’s.
Bill Nye Saves
the World gets announced, and I am very excited. Lots of things from my
childhood are re-appearing on screens big and small all around me, and I like
reveling in that nostalgia a bit. I knew the Power Rangers movie was going to
be crap though. I don’t know how anyone else didn’t.
Fast Forward
to last Friday. Bill Nye Saves the World shows up in my Netflix search, and I
click play. Bill introduces himself to the camera and to the audience. Compares
the new format to kids show, but updated for adults. But in tone and presentation,
it’s really a show for adults whose American High School education failed them.
My son learned about the Greenhouse effect in 9th grade, and is
currently learning about chromosomes in 10th. It’s not quite science
101, but not many steps past it.
His first
episode is on Climate Change. I’m slowly bored by the presentation. I’m giving
it a pass, because it is the first one, maybe the first he filmed, and he’s
getting a feel for the room, understanding the space. The setup takes a LONG
time, though. And he’s not explaining anything. Just putting together an
experiment. I open twitter and start scrolling.
Continuing
in the Climate Change episode, the science is correct, but basic. I know
all this. My son knows all this. And I think the audience was a big misstep
here. His major draw is his ability to connect directly to people across the
screen. Having to split his attention between the camera and the audience does
a disservice to Bills talents as a communicator. And he commits a logical
fallacy I’m really uncomfortable with. He tries to appeal to authority on the
subject. “All these people agree, so it MUST be true.” That argument should
only work if the persuader can explain how this group reached their decision,
and why their logic is reasonable. None of which he does.
And then I
see someone tweet that one of the episodes talks about asexuality honestly. And
thanks Bill for using his platform to highlight the often erased orientation. I
immediate hit the episode finder, and click on the Sexuality episode. (I have
since seen many people praising the inclusion of many different things presented
in screenshots, including GLAAD. I wonder how many of them have watched the
episode, though.)
There are a
lot of problems with the episode. A LOT. He calls himself cis-gender, with a
definition showing up on the screen, but never uses the word trans. Or
non-binary. (Or Queer, or LGBT.) He defines them, but never speaks their name. And
his cis-ness becomes a shield, where his lack of knowledge on these subjects is
to be expected. I immediately notice other issues with the presentation. There's the abacus prop, where “Male” is on one side, and “Female” is on the other, opposite
end. Modern queer thought describes the spectrums more like the squiggle monster
from Fear Her, there are no such straight (heh) lines. All variety of non-binary conforming individuals get placed in the middle, when many of the identities discussed have no "in between" definition. He calls intersex people
an “abnormality”, when they are just the result of genetic variation, like
eye color, or a disposition for asthma. Again he explains these things, but
never gives them a name. If this were someones first exposure to these identities, and found them feeling familiar, they would have very little to go on to find others like them. He denounces that the binary, but defines
orientations by using terms like opposite. Asexuality gets a mention, but there
is no mention of romantic or platonic orientations. He defines orientations
about which sex they are attracted to, not their gender, right after explaining the difference
between sex and gender. People are
not attracted to genitals, and his sloppiness with these terms is very harmful.
I’m missing tons of other’s I’m sure. But I want to break down the cartoon.
That’s where he truly lost me.
The cartoon
depicts queer people as predators. Exaggerated queer stereotypes convince a “vanilla”
man to have an orgy, punctuated with a “why not just try it” ending. I’m not
kidding. I’ll deal with that ending in due time.
The cartoon
opens with Vanilla calling the meeting to attention. Vanilla is a straight, God-fearing man who
just wants others to pretend to be something they aren’t (i.e. Vanilla, just
like him) until they just are that thing they are pretending to be. Not only is
this a gross understatement of the practice of conversion therapy, it gets no
further examination, even though it’s the stated reason for the meeting.
Some of the
not-Vanilla people verbally protest. One, Strawberry, becomes panic-stricken, and
is comforted by another flavor. Then Mint Chocolate Chip enters the scene. MCC
was “off being 2 awesome things at once”. Her description of herself contributes
to the false and harmful stereotype that bi/pan people are a mix of gay and
straight. They aren’t. They have their own identity, completely separate from
others. The narrative continues on to reinforces the stereotype, with Vanilla telling MCC to “pick
a lane.” (This statement also makes NO sense if Vanilla wants everyone to convert to Vanilla’s
lane. But I digress.)
MCC then
places her hand on Vanilla, leans in, and in a notably more sultry tone states “No one wants just one flavor of Ice Cream.” This immediately changes
the power dynamic in the room. MCC becomes the bi/pan stereotype of predator, and
simultaneously invalidates every sexual identity other than her own. Vanilla attempts
to back away from MCC’s advances, stuttering, stating he does only want one
type of ice cream. MCC’s advance escalates, asking Vanilla “Ever wanted to be
in a Neapolitan?”
The rest of
the ice cream flavors join in, also throwing suggestive one-liners at Vanilla,
making him so uncomfortable he begins to pray, while the queer people behind him smile. They are happy about his discomfort.
Vanilla loses
his composure, asks God for forgiveness, and licks another ice cream flavor. He
enjoys it, and is overcome. The pictures flash by, one by one, with Vanilla
interacting with another flavor. This only furthers to perpetuate the myth that
those most vocally against queer rights are they themselves queer, and their
closeted nature has caused them to become fanatically queer-phobic. Most
religions are not hostile to queer people, and more and more of them have embraced
queer people into their communities. Not that internalized phobia’s haven’t
caused these things, there was a public string of them in the 90’s, but the
fact is those cases are extremely rare. The perpetuation of this stereotype only
enables non-queer people to feel badly for the bigots who “just can’t accept
themselves”, and ignore the consequences that queer people face when queer-phobic
people have power.
An orgy
breaks out.
No, Really.
Now let’s
talk about the end. Where the lesson learned is “Just Try It”. This coercive
messaging has been used to justify conversation therapy, corrective rape, and a
dozen other violent thoughts and actions against queer people. These are the predatory
messages that people think of when they pass bathroom legislation out of fear
and hate, or think queerness is somehow transmittable just by being around queer
people. “Just Try It” is a statement made by an authority figure, trying to get
someone to conform. Queer people are regularly on the opposite side of this
statement, being asked to change ourselves for other people. Having it used in
this way suggests the opposite power dynamic is in play, harming the conversation
of what queer people have to still fight for today.
Bill Nye comes
back from the cartoon, rather pleased with himself, calling it “Cool. A brilliant
premise.” No Bill, it isn’t. When it comes to queer topics, we can no longer patiently
abide the cis white straight dudes who get it wrong, but are “still learning”. We
can no longer praise people for mentioning us in one breath, and causing us harm
in the next. Who only describe their interest in us a “scientifically interesting”. And this was produced by Netflix. Scientific research, a panel of experts and an
entire production team behind this episode, and what do we get? Incomplete
information, poorly timed sex jokes, and harmful stereotypes. Sorry, Bill, I’m
going to ask someone else to save the queer world.
