Adam Savage on #Gamergate, Hollywood, and Women in Science
Last week, as part of the Bay Area Science Festival, I had the chance to interview Mythbusters host and producer Adam Savage for a live episode of the Inquiring Minds podcast. Savage is a science evangelist, and he’s been instrumental in educating huge numbers of people on how science works and why it’s so much fun. The longevity and popularity of Mythbusters has elevated him to rock-star status—his live show, Mythbusters: Behind the Myths, is scheduled to play this year in dozens of large venues across the country.
Savage’s success comes partly from his passion for building and testing stuff (and blowing it up); but it also comes from being, well, a good person—and from engaging thoughtfully with issues that many people in his line of work tend to ignore. When I asked him how he could use his big-time influence as a TV star and science communicator to make sure women are better represented in his field, it was clear that it was something he had already been thinking about.
“The problem I have is that I’m a white dude,” said Savage. “And I recognize that my privilege makes it impossible for me to say, ‘There should be more women in science’ without sounding like I’m proclaiming from on high. And so I take that position seriously.” But, he added, “I bring women into the things I’m doing because they absolutely are part and parcel of all of the storytelling and the science and the scientific discovery that we do. And little girls need more role models in critical thinking. Absolutely. But I also recognize that that’s not me…I could be a little girl’s role model, but I’m not going to be her ideal role model. She needs a woman to do that.”
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