# Shame on you, "Science" Channel! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 14, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383 "2016-06-14T23:27:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/1 "2016-06-14T23:27:29Z")
I’m bored as fuck, so I turn on the tube. Not much to pick from on the 900 channels I have to pay for so I can get the one that I do want. Humm… _Andy Griffith Show_? Nah. How about _What On Earth_? I’ll take a look. Premise of the show is they look at strange satellite photos and, well, tell you something, kind of, about what they are on Earth. Okay. A Lake of Blood in Iraq! Well, no, probably not. 10 minutes of wild speculation with no conclusion. Strange lights in the Australian Outback! Fires? Probably not. Mining? No. 10 minutes of wild speculation with no conclusion. A strange “cave-like” entrance in Antarctica? Here is what the “Science” channel proposes: An underground Arctic Nazi Fortress, naturally. :rolleyes: Give me an Actual Fucking Break! That’s when I turned _that shit_ off. Fucking “Science”, Indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/2 "2016-06-14T23:37:56Z")
“Science” Channel “History” Channel Fox “News” Central “Intelligence” Agency Donald Trump, “presidential” candidate “United” States of America Ironic air quotes fix everything ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/3 "2016-06-15T01:12:35Z")
Ah, you’ve stumbled onto Wag TV’s latest spreading of conspiracy theories. [NASA’s Unexplained Files](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3952194/combined) is one of theirs as well. [The guy behind Wag TV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Durkin_(television_director)) appears to be [a climate change denier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Global_Warming_Swindle). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/4 "2016-06-15T01:34:29Z")
[[O]ne of the world’s leading producers of factual television](http://www.wagtv.com/)? Getting to be more like a leading producer of Wild Ass Guessing! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/5 "2016-06-15T01:50:30Z")
Science Channel, History Channel, Discovery Channel. They have no shame. They’ve not had shame for at least a decade. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/6 "2016-06-15T01:54:11Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Ah, you’ve stumbled onto Wag TV’s latest spreading of conspiracy theories. [NASA’s Unexplained Files](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3952194/combined) is one of theirs as well. [The guy behind Wag TV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Durkin_(television_director)) appears to be [a climate change denier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Global_Warming_Swindle). Holy crap! Martin Durkin is one of the world’s leading douchebags and disreputable fraudsters! But I note that IMDB describes _NASA’s Unexplained Files_ as “A look is taken at exclusive NASA footage and firsthand accounts of mysterious fly objects”. There is no doubt that such things exist as I had one buzzing around in my house the other day, but a rolled-up magazine took care of it. I never really bothered to identify what it was so it remains mysterious, but I can definitely give a first-hand account of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/7 "2016-06-15T03:10:36Z")
This sort of educational vandalism is extremely corrosive to society. Conspiratards can’t shut up about the _-insert shadowy cabal here-_ plans to keep the masses ignorant and stupid, while being completely oblivious to the well established and profitable woo industry preying on them (and mucking up things for all the rest). ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/8 "2016-06-15T03:25:59Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Science Channel, History Channel, Discovery Channel. They have no shame. They’ve not had shame for at least a decade. Out of curiosity, what channel(s) should I watch today to get the no-nonsense shows these channels might have produced a decade ago? ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/9 "2016-06-15T03:41:42Z")
And when did the “sci-fi” channel start showing only horror movies? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/10 "2016-06-15T12:16:18Z")
I would comment on this problem, but I’m only halfway through my alien autopsy and these darn innards just won’t stay in the jars…:eek: ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/11 "2016-06-15T12:38:07Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Science Channel, History Channel, Discovery Channel. They have no shame. They’ve not had shame for at least a decade. You left out Learning Channel. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/12 "2016-06-15T12:39:46Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Holy crap! Martin Durkin is one of the world’s leading douchebags and disreputable fraudsters! > > But I note that IMDB describes _NASA’s Unexplained Files_ as “A look is taken at exclusive NASA footage and firsthand accounts of mysterious fly objects”. There is no doubt that such things exist as I had one buzzing around in my house the other day, but a rolled-up magazine took care of it. I never really bothered to identify what it was so it remains mysterious, but I can definitely give a first-hand account of it. Was it a _Discover_ magazine? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/13 "2016-06-15T13:02:21Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [[O]ne of the world’s leading producers of factual television](http://www.wagtv.com/)? Getting to be more like a leading producer of Wild Ass Guessing! The munroevian hyphen once again is accurate: Wild ass-guessing. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/14 "2016-06-15T14:00:16Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > Out of curiosity, what channel(s) should I watch today to get the no-nonsense shows these channels might have produced a decade ago? NatGeoWild sometimes has some good stuff, but increasingly it’s just PBS. _History_ experimented with drama series, _Vikings_, which was OK. First few seasons were actually pretty good, but then it went off the rails (IMO) > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > You left out Learning Channel. :smack: You’re absolutely right! ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/15 "2016-06-15T14:35:12Z")
Well, there’s “hope,” or at least claims that things will change: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/life-after-honey-boo-boo-inside-discoverys-fight-to-grow-up/2016/01/01/df53888c-99cd-11e5-94f0-9eeaff906ef3\_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/life-after-honey-boo-boo-inside-discoverys-fight-to-grow-up/2016/01/01/df53888c-99cd-11e5-94f0-9eeaff906ef3_story.html) > [@](#): > > “One day we just came in and looked at each other and said, ‘You know, no more bearded guys in the kitchen with f—ing pigs running through the living room,’ ” Discovery head David Zaslav, the highest-paid chief executive in the United States, said one recent afternoon in his eighth-floor office in Manhattan. “Let’s get back to who we really are. We’re about satisfying curiosity. Let’s forget about the ratings right now and let’s chase what the brand is at its best.” But that was in January of this year. Maybe progress takes time. Or maybe they’re just full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/16 "2016-06-15T14:44:28Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > Out of curiosity, what channel(s) should I watch today to get the no-nonsense shows these channels might have produced a decade ago? I don’t think there is a single channel left that does. When NatGeo started down the road, it signaled the end of smart TV. Maybe, as JohnMace notes, PBS. They just don’t have too much of it. But when they do, it’s usually good. Narrated with the dulcet tones of Will Lyman. It’s like comfort TV. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/17 "2016-06-15T14:59:36Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > And when did the “sci-fi” channel start showing only horror movies? When it changed ownership some years ago. New owners wanted to trade mark “SciFi” so they could sell t-shirts and coffee mugs but they were told no so they changed the name of the channel to “SyFy” so they could trade mark and brand nad merchandise. They have since figured out it is more lucrative to make shitty movies for $10 a pop than to make original series or even to pay to syndicate previous shows like Stargate. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/18 "2016-06-15T15:58:47Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Maybe, as JohnMace notes, PBS. They just don’t have too much of it. But when they do, it’s usually good. Narrated with the dulcet tones of Will Lyman. It’s like comfort TV. 🙂 Only have to put up with bi-annual pledge drives. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/19 "2016-06-15T16:38:04Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > Well, there’s “hope,” or at least claims that things will change: > [https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/life-after-honey-boo-boo-inside-discoverys-fight-to-grow-up/2016/01/01/df53888c-99cd-11e5-94f0-9eeaff906ef3\_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/life-after-honey-boo-boo-inside-discoverys-fight-to-grow-up/2016/01/01/df53888c-99cd-11e5-94f0-9eeaff906ef3_story.html) > [@](#): > > "Let’s forget about the ratings right now and let’s chase what the brand is at its best.” Bwa-ha-ha-ha! As if that’s going to happen. Let’s see, which program is more likely to be aired: “Haunted Alien Civilizations Levitating At The Bottom Of The Bermuda Triangle” or “Sustainable Energy Production For The 21st Century”? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383/20 "2016-06-15T17:14:20Z")
I have to give a little tiny thumbs up in that at least NASA Unexplained and What On Earth don’t conclude “it was aliens”. Sure, they include these hypothesis in the speculation but always they are discarded. It wasn’t always that way. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shame-on-you-science-channel/757383.md?page=2)