Why Do You Make People Look Stupid?
VeritasiumCited 3× on HN, 2013–2023
commentary · general · evergreen · 2013–2023 on HN
Veritasium answers criticism that his videos make people look stupid, explaining that teaching must address learners' misconceptions and that holding common beliefs inconsistent with science is not stupidity.
HN references it in discussions of how misconceptions are studied and how interview editing can make people look foolish.
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3 comments from Hacker News
So many great videos on Veritasium, and that is one of my favorites. Anyone who is not familiar with the channel should check it out. Of course, there is this counterpoint... ▶ this video
Veritasium [1] often interviews people as part of his videos, and the results are consistent with what's being described in the post: somewhat distressing [2]. To the point where you might think he was purposefully making fun of them [3]. 1: link 2: link 3: ▶ this video
> Spread facts, not "myths" I think this guy [1], with his PhD thesis on the topic, would beg to differ. Also, I don't think the website's sole purpose is to destroy them (misconceptions/people?). Some of us lay people who are knowledgeable, but have learnt the wrong factoid, for one reason or another, could still benefit from it. [1] ▶ this video