I had hoped that the lively and funny Sherri Shepherd would make The View into a must-watch show again, but I never imagined she would do so by displaying her complete scientific illiteracy, as she did yesterday when she said she doesn’t believe in evolution and doesn’t know whether or not the world is flat. (In her defense, Shepherd suggested science was less important to her than figuring out how to provide food for her child. Then, I suppose, she left the studio on her horse, galloped home to her cave, wrung the neck of a chicken, roasted the bird on a spit over an open fire, and fed it to her son with her fingers.) Elisabeth Hasselbeck must be breathing a sigh of relief, since she is officially no longer the biggest airhead on the panel.
Comments (1-30) of 58 Add your comment
If you bothered to watch today she corrected herself and simply said it was a state of nervousness that got to her yesterday.
just because she doesn’t believe in evolution doesn’t make her scientifically illiterate. there are plenty of we educated scientists that have issues with evolution – so does that make them illiterate as well? They may be in the minority, but that doesn’t make them illiterate.
as for the world being flat, clearly she was trying to make a point. there’s no way she hasn’t had to think about this in school at some point – and if she hasn’t that just goes to show that schools/teachers are really not doing what they are being paid to do.
… but she is just ignorant. Not believing in evolution is one thing, but i watched the show and she did not know that the world was round. When asked what she would say to her young son if he asked her, she said she would tell him they need to go to the library to look it up. How did she get this gig?
OK, so I know this will turn into a big debate and name-calling contest, and I’m just adding to it(or starting it). But REALLY, Sean? Scientists who don’t believe in evolution means they are stripped of the term scientist. Take your ignorant self home. And I knew Sherri Shepherd was an idiot when she equivocated the 600,000+ body count in Iraq, the scandals in the current presidential cabinet and every other monstrous-sized error and every bit of law-breaking Bush has done and retorted with the unthinkable, the insensitive and the ridiculous statement “Atleast he didn’t have sex with an intern.” Stuff it you religious, prudish gasbags. You’re why this country sucks.
I think its a bit funny that if someone challenges evolution people get mighty upset. But if Christians get upset about challenges to their beliefs they are called small-minded and the like. It is an interesting world we live in, isn’t it?
Now, normally I would have something nasty to say about someone who showed such “scientific illiteracy,” but Sherri actually seemed sincere in her willingness to be open to academic opinion. I think that taking her young son to the library to answer a scientific question and making judgments based on the material available is as much as we could ask for from parents.
Yep, CC, you certainly started the name-calling. Congratulations – go buy yourself a twinkie.
On another note, why is PopWatch so obsessed with this show? And by debating all the idiotic things that they say on this show, are we just fueling its notoriety addiction? Just wondering.
Any “scientist” that ignores facts and data in order to facilitate belief in something supernatural and unseen, is ignorant, stupid and should not be called a scientist. Any scientist who has a different interpretation of data based on logic is an entirely different matter. One of the most frightening trends of the last few years has been the notion that we must respect belief as if it is as good as fact or analysis. Of course, I know of no one who would let me jump out of a window based on “my personal belief that gravity is wrong” – so in the end, I think people do respect facts.
As for the view, I don’t know if the new host was nervous or not – but it’s her job not to be nervous and be articulate. She was neither.
Apparently, sean, your education did not include basic grammar. “…plenty of we educated scientists…”? Shouldn’t it be “plenty of us…”? If you’re trying for smug superiority, at least construct your sentence correctly.
If anything, Sherri did not make this show relevant, but quite the opposite; she made sure I’d never watch another episode. To start out as a fixture on the show with such mindless ramblings makes the future of The View and Sherri’s carreer in showbizness look very dark. Cut to ex-View-host Debbie on the red carpet at the Emmy’s this past Sunday, and you see how relaxed and coherent she is on screen in comparison to everyone currently on The View (aka sinking ship).
I still say the View is better off without Rosie. Elizabeth is far less annoying than that self-promoter.
I was also including hurling insults in that Martha, you silly twa….mmmm, twinkie.
Every belief is not equally valid. This is where the awful PC movement got us. Not believing in evolution on the basis of religion is just stupid. Sherri is just stupid.
i needed to watch the clip before i commented.
wow.
people seem to be missing the point. it’s not about whether or not she believes in evolution. the fact is that she claims to not know (or really even care) whether the world is flat. and then she tries to deflect her absolute ignorance by saying she’s thinking about feeding her child? please….i’m pretty sure this is the first time i’ve heard elizabeth hasselbeck say anything i could respect, when she then asked how sherri would respond to her son asking about this. apparently she (sherri) doesn’t think knowledge is an important thing to provide for her child.
i understand why the view needs to hire people with different political, social, religious beliefs, but why do they seem to have a need to hire idiots?
Evolution isn’t just a “belief,” it’s scientific fact, and we’ve known the world is round for centuries. To say she doesn’t know these things because she was busy putting food in her child’s mouth is ridiculous. Ever look at a globe, Sherri? How about getting one for your child?
Our society is getting so dumbed down it’s not even funny. Now, apparently, people are allowed to spew blatant falsehoods, and it’s supposed to be OK because “everyone’s entitled to their opinion.” Sure, everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but if your “opinion” contradicts established facts, you shouldn’t get to spew it over public airwaves without someone correcting you.
We all learn that the world is round in elementary school–long before we have to worry about to feed our children. Get a clue, Sherri the Bimbo!
If you took the time to research the facts instead of believing what a few people spout in support of their agenda, you’d know that evolution is considered fact across the board in science, with the exception of a very small minority of religious scientists. Given the evidence of changes within all species through fossil and recorded investigations, evolution is considered truth, just with a few pieces of the puzzle still missing, which is the only thing that’s still debatable. Anyway, the comment in question is not her disbelief in evolution, but rather her ignorance of the world’s shape, which I am sorry, even my mother who grew up in a small Mexican, super-religious town with limited education could tell you is round, and I bet she’s had to deal with way more to think about in her life than Sherri. Sherri simply used the common Christian method of avoidance when a perfectly legitimate argument is made against their beliefs, and any claim otherwise is just ignorance or enabling.
I am so sick of evolution being cast aside and looked at as something other than scientific fact. Do we not adapt to change? Do we not adapt to climate? Is there not change from generations to generations?
Evolution is about so much more than man coming from monkees. Science is fact. Christianity is faith. I believe in both. Maybe you guys should read – or in the case of the person on the View,watch – Inherit te Wind.
And when are we going to start putting idiots on stages and letting them speak. It’s a sad world when we have all of these knuckleheads gaining fame and Tina Fey struggling to keep her show on the air. Smart people are cool folks.
sorry jeff- i totally agree with your point…..but “man coming from monkees”?? i don’t think i’m descended from peter tork or mickey dolenz..
Let me weigh in, here. I am a Christian who accepts evolution as scientific fact. But why this need to insult those who don’t accept evolution? Tolerance is about RESPECTING someone’s views that differ from yours. Or, as Voltaire said: ‘I may disagree vehemently with what you believe, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Think about it.
This cracks me up – because I emailed ABC to let them know I would no longer watch “The View” because they have a woman on who says she does not believe in evolution. And I actually said “Does she also believe the world is flat and that the sun goes around the Earth”? HAH! I have no interest in watching religious idiots. Does she also think the Holocaust never happened? How about the moon landing? Does she think rain is god crying? YEEEEESH. Evolution is a FACT.
My favorite part was that dumb grin she had on her face. Um, what are you smiling about? We’re laughing AT you, not WITH you.
I think it really sad that Sherri thinks the way she does. Her reasoning for saying she doesn’t know it the world is round is she didn’t understand the question and said what ever came to her head.
I just like how not knowing the world was round was excusable because she is more concered with how to feed her child. Thanks Sherri! Makes it ok for women to be stupid as long as we pop out a kid or two!
Well here’s the thing about science that makes things so complicated. Real science isn’t about being right – it’s about working with the data and trying to find cooler and cooler ways to prove or disprove hypotheses.
It’s also about being humble, and being able to change your mind when the data tells you a different story than the one you thought you knew.
But religion and faith are pretty much the diametric opposite of that. Faith is about deciding, and being right, and holding onto your faith no matter what the data tells you.
So when people say that they accept evolution as a “fact,” it’s nice and all, but it’s not coming from a scientific framework. That’s more of a religious approach. And you don’t want to mix the two, because the necessary changes that science brings, and demands, may end up confusing the heck out of you.
It is very understandable that people have trouble with science. Religion knows and holds firm. Science asks, and changes. Very different.
How does one not know if the earth is round? Has she ever been near a globe? I’ve known the earth was round since 2nd grade. I already pity her kid. What’s more embarassing than a Mom that knows squaddouche about the shape of the earth?
So I guess it’s safe to assume that Sherri’s kids are fat and stupid.
lmao!
Yesterday’s “debate” made me realize that all of the View ladies are ridiculously uninformed. What does the earth being flat/round have anything to do with one’s belief in Adam and Eve? They’re two totally different subjects. I really wish Sherri could have pointed that out.
It’s kind of hard to comprehend, but according to most polls, only about 50% of Americans believe in evolution (The percentage in most European countries is more in the range of 75-80%). As a biological anthropology major (and I’d like to think a rational human being) that’s pretty scary.