# Bill Nye the Science Guy vs Creotard Ken Ham **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 3, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764 "2014-01-03T01:52:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/41 "2014-01-06T08:05:55Z")
I wonder if this could be: [ul] [li]Nye agrees to debate [/li][li]Significant portions voices of scientific and skeptic community publicly exclaim “OMG, Bill what are you thinking?”[/li][li]People notice this, and it sheds light on the fundamental dishonesty of mainstream creationism[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/42 "2014-01-06T14:43:42Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > Not to rain on anybody’s parade, but calling people “creotard” doesn’t help our side. > [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > The ‘creotard’ thing is just lame anyway, but for the record, we don’t NEED HELP FOR OUR SIDE. Indeed. Wouldn’t a creotard be someone who suffered mental retardation as a result of early exposure to creosote? The preferred nomenclature is “scientifically-challenged American”, Dude. > [@Mangetout](#): > > I wonder if this could be: > > [ul] > [li]Nye agrees to debate [/li][li]Significant portions voices of scientific and skeptic community publicly exclaim “OMG, Bill what are you thinking?”[/li][li]People notice this, and it sheds light on the fundamental dishonesty of mainstream creationism[/li][/ul] While I’d like to think Bill Nye is the Mad Science Guy, this sort of Machiavellian scheme is rarely seen in the wild. I’ve got to assume that Bill’s well-meaning but derpy. (In a non-scientifically challenged way, of course.) And/or there’s a fat paycheck at stake, which with all due respect to Bill, would be easier to understand. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/43 "2014-01-06T15:54:35Z")
Yeah, I think you’re right. Maybe another scenario though: After the ‘debate’, Nye addresses and debunks all of the arguments in great detail. If he’s given the Gish Gallop, and handles it carefully, this is a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/44 "2014-01-06T16:34:17Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > While I’d like to think Bill Nye is the Mad Science Guy, this sort of Machiavellian scheme is rarely seen in the wild. I’ve got to assume that Bill’s well-meaning but derpy. (In a non-scientifically challenged way, of course.) And/or there’s a fat paycheck at stake, which with all due respect to Bill, would be easier to understand. I don’t think its directly a paycheck. But Nye is kind of a borderline celebrity, and his main claim to fame is a TV show from two decades ago, so needs to keep his name out there and periodically re-establish his brand if he wants to keep getting speaking bits and talk-show appearances. As I said, I haven’t heard the guys name in nearly a decade, but I’ve seen talk of this debate three separate places. So I’d say its working. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/45 "2014-01-06T16:47:24Z")
This is a mistake. All it’s doing is giving credibility to a creationist. Bill Nye should just point and laugh like the rest of science does. Creationists need things like this to get their message out there, they want people to see this kind of thing. It makes it look like there really is a debate when in fact creationism was dismissed out of hand decades ago. There’s only so many ways this is going to go. If Bill Nye wins decisively, then everything is the way it always has been, creationism isn’t science. He doesn’t really gain anything. But if he doesn’t perform perfectly, if he screws up something or forgets something or any little thing that a creationist can pounce on, then people will think that maybe those scientists don’t really know what they’re talking about. Ken Ham is going to work the crowd, going for popular support rather than any actual evidence. He’s going to make it look like he’s winning regardless of what’s actually going on in the debate, and of course no matter what happens he will claim he won. This isn’t a debate. This is a creationist demanding to have his decades old long debunked crap heard in a credible setting. Ken Ham has everything to gain, and nothing to lose. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/46 "2014-01-06T17:28:51Z")
Bill Nye was a professional comedian before he was a professional… science guy. I’m holding out hope that he’s appearing in the former capacity. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/47 "2014-01-06T19:09:06Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Bill Nye was a professional comedian before he was a professional… science guy. I’m holding out hope that he’s appearing in the former capacity. Take my God - please! Chicken of egg Ken? The yolk’s on you. I bet he’s writing material even as we speak. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/48 "2014-01-06T21:10:25Z")
I’d kind of like it if Nye just walked on stage with a cream pie, pasted Ham in the face with it, then left the building. ---
**Author:** ![Kalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@Kalea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalea)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/49 "2014-01-06T21:54:18Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Bill Nye should just point and laugh like the rest of science does. Maybe that’s his plan. Let Hammy talk, and interject periodically with laughter so intense you think Bill’s head will explode. Never any refutation, never any “debate”… just guffaws. Every once in a while, Bill will get enough breath back to say one or two words, then set off again in peals of laughter. Bill has been image-building of late… he’s made an appearance on Big Bang Theory, and wasn’t he on Dancing with the Stars recently? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/50 "2014-01-06T22:36:39Z")
> [@Kalea](#): > > Maybe that’s his plan. Let Hammy talk, and interject periodically with laughter so intense you think Bill’s head will explode. Never any refutation, never any “debate”… just guffaws. Every once in a while, Bill will get enough breath back to say one or two words, then set off again in peals of laughter. Won’t that just give Ham the perfect opportunity to take the moral high ground and assert that he’s the only one taking things seriously (and therefore must be right)? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/51 "2014-01-07T14:27:21Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Bill Nye was a professional comedian before he was a professional… science guy. I’m holding out hope that he’s appearing in the former capacity. I think his best stuff was when he did both at the same time. Pretty serious cyclist, too, from what I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/52 "2014-01-07T14:59:47Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Won’t that just give Ham the perfect opportunity to take the moral high ground and assert that he’s the only one taking things seriously (and therefore must be right)? He’s going to do that anyway, might as well get a laugh out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/53 "2014-01-07T15:50:25Z")
[The tickets sold out within minutes of Ham making his announcement](http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/blog/morning_call/2014/01/bill-nye-creation-museum-founder.html). I can’t seem to find out whether he first announced it to the general public, or to the groups supporting him. If the former, then Mr. Nye might have some support out there, but if the latter then it’s going to get nasty in there. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/54 "2014-01-07T16:08:54Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [The tickets sold out within minutes of Ham making his announcement](http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/blog/morning_call/2014/01/bill-nye-creation-museum-founder.html). I can’t seem to find out whether he first announced it to the general public, or to the groups supporting him. If the former, then Mr. Nye might have some support out there, but if the latter then it’s going to get nasty in there. I don’t have a particularly good feeling about this. ETA: Also, I just went to the original Cincinnati Business Courier [article](http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/01/06/bill-nye-creation-museum-debate.html) and… I just… I mean… argh. :smack: > [@Cincinnati Biz Courier](#): > > Later this year, Answers in Genesis is planning to begin construction of a theme park featuring a full-size replica of Noah’s Ark in Williamstown, Ky. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/55 "2014-01-07T17:59:41Z")
My theory: Bill Nye was diagnosed with a terminal illness a few months ago and wants to do one last good deed for humanity before the end . . . he wants to go out with a BANG! Stay far, far away from the debate. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/56 "2014-01-07T19:31:11Z")
I saw Bill Nye on the news talking about his upcoming debate. He doesn’t expect to “win” if by “winning” you mean have Ken Ham or his followers suddenly change their absurd positions. Bill stated his goal is really just to provide a legitimate scientific viewpoint to anyone in the area who might be interested. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/57 "2014-01-07T21:39:30Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > I don’t have a particularly good feeling about this. > > ETA: Also, I just went to the original Cincinnati Business Courier [article](http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/01/06/bill-nye-creation-museum-debate.html) and… I just… I mean… argh. :smack: So, they’ve figured out how big a cubit actually is! Oboy! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/58 "2014-01-08T00:12:02Z")
[http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/01/06/bill-nye-creation-museum-debate.html](http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/01/06/bill-nye-creation-museum-debate.html) > [@](#): > > The topic for the debate will be “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?” It is expected to be streamed live online. ---
**Author:** ![pythonzzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@pythonzzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pythonzzz)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/59 "2014-01-08T00:19:47Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > So, they’ve figured out how big a cubit actually is! Oboy! Nope, nor have they figured out what “gopher wood” really was. > [@](#): > > Genuine Ark, Part 4: Gopher Wood > > We have received so many questions about the Ark Encounter based on misconceptions about the project itself. Some come from people who are supporters and others come from critics and skeptics. These types of questions give us an opportunity to correct these misunderstandings, so we’ll devote several posts to addressing these issues. > Question: “Are You Going to Make the Ark out of Gopher Wood?” > > In Genesis 6:14, the Lord told Noah, “‘Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.’” > > We have received several inquiries of this nature. Some are genuinely curious to find out if we will be able to use the same type of wood that Noah did, while others are more skeptical in nature and are simply trying to mock Scripture and our efforts. > > Are we going to build the Ark Encounter out of gopher wood? The real answer is that we don’t know, because we don’t know what gopher wood is (or was). So there is a small possibility that our Ark will be constructed from the same type of wood. > > “Gopher” is not named for the animal of the same name, but it is simply a transcription of the Hebrew word גֹּפֶר. Some Bibles translate the word as “cypress,” but this is really just a guess based on what translators believed may have been available to Noah. Since the pre-Flood world perished (2 Peter 3:6) and earth’s geography was completely reworked in the Flood, we cannot merely assume that the pre-Flood flora available to Noah for construction was the same as the plants in and around the Middle East after the Flood. > > Identifying certain plants and animals mentioned in the Old Testament is often difficult since the Bible often does not describe the plant or animal for us. The difficulty is compounded when the word in question refers to an item from the pre-Flood world and when the word appears only one time in all of Scripture (these types of words are called hapax legomenon). > > Short of finding the actual Ark, it may not be possible for us to determine what type of wood Noah used to build it. Gopher may refer to the type of tree that was used or to some sort of process or treatment that the lumber underwent. If it was a type of tree, there’s also the possibility that it is now extinct. Any wood suitable for building a large ship is a plausible candidate for the true identity of gopher wood. > > Whatever gopher wood was, we know that Noah was faithful to use it in constructing the Ark. We also know that God faithfully protected all of the Ark’s inhabitants. Instead, their current models/mockups feature OSB (aka, cheap, pressed chipboard). :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764/60 "2014-01-08T13:56:06Z")
Well, you know: Gophers are rodents, so when they gnaw on wood it creates wood chips, so chipboard is entirely appropriate! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-nye-the-science-guy-vs-creotard-ken-ham/677764.md?page=4)