The effect of pop culture on public perceptions is key to this shift.
If I had to draw the line, I'd put it around 1990. Those born before 1990 experienced the effects of the pop-culture disdain for "nerds" that was ubiquitous in the 70's and 80's.
90's kids television started depicting science as "cool." The "Science!" character on the team always has some wizardry up his sleeve to solve whatever problem is at hand. Depicting STEM as saving the day vs. getting you a swirly from the "Cool Kids" had a drastic impact. As the kids raised on 90s cartoons grew up, this spread into adult TV in the ways you note here.
“It should go without saying that we should look to science more than "Science!," that science is about questioning more than 'trusting,' and that appeal-to-authority should not supersede 'show me the proof.' This doesn't mean that we should be skeptical of what science tells us. That's just as bad as blindly accepting some political hack's machinations. It simply means we should focus on what is said, rather than who said it.“
What, no mention of Bill Nye?
He doesn't deserve one.
While he's the "Science Guy" of many millennials' youth, to me he'll always be Beakman's lab mime.
The effect of pop culture on public perceptions is key to this shift.
If I had to draw the line, I'd put it around 1990. Those born before 1990 experienced the effects of the pop-culture disdain for "nerds" that was ubiquitous in the 70's and 80's.
90's kids television started depicting science as "cool." The "Science!" character on the team always has some wizardry up his sleeve to solve whatever problem is at hand. Depicting STEM as saving the day vs. getting you a swirly from the "Cool Kids" had a drastic impact. As the kids raised on 90s cartoons grew up, this spread into adult TV in the ways you note here.
“It should go without saying that we should look to science more than "Science!," that science is about questioning more than 'trusting,' and that appeal-to-authority should not supersede 'show me the proof.' This doesn't mean that we should be skeptical of what science tells us. That's just as bad as blindly accepting some political hack's machinations. It simply means we should focus on what is said, rather than who said it.“