Why is there so much skepticism and animosity towards science and scientists? My guess is that it has something to do with lack of understanding. People are afraid and distrustful of things they don’t understand. The more science progresses the further away it gets from what the average person understands, which means that the public will only become more skeptical without some concerted effort by the scientific community to reach out and explain these advances.
With only 2% of the U.S. population involved in agriculture, the agricultural community has been dealing with this fear of the unknown for decades. If people don’t even know how their food gets to their plates it is very difficult to explain how scientific advancements will impact that process. Unfortunately fear is easier to propagate than understanding so misinformation spreads quickly. Therefore, agriculture, and scientists in general, spend a lot of time defending themselves instead of being proactive and telling the positive side of the story.
Scientists and people involved in agriculture can complain about the lack of understanding, but the fault is ours and we need to start taking responsibility for helping people understand and appreciate what we do. Science and agriculture have made life easier and safer for everyone in the U.S. and beyond and that story needs to be told. What are you doing to spread this story?
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