Ask David Saltzberg About Being The Big Bang Theory's Science Advisor 226
For seven seasons Dr. David Saltzberg has made sure the science on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory is correct. As science consultant for the show he reviews scripts for technical errors, fixing any problems he finds. He also adds complex formulae to whiteboards on set. Before his life as a science advisor, Saltzberg received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago, performed post-graduate work at CERN, and currently is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA. He writes The Big Blog Theory, where he explains the science behind each episode of the show. Dr. Saltzberg has agreed to answer any questions you have about the show or his previous scientific work. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one per post.
Your Own Life Experience (Score:5, Interesting)
If your answer is the former option, I personally fail to see it in the show.
Advancing science (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Advancing science (Score:5, Insightful)
It doesn't teach to laugh at geeks and nerds. It laughs at the stereotypes tied to geeks and nerds. When we make fudge packing references do we laugh at homosexuals? The answer is no.
I was a geek/nerd in high school and although I relate to many of the stereotypes they are mostly exaggerated and intended for comedy. I find this show helps makes geeks and nerds look cool.
No, it's real. (Score:5, Interesting)
It doesn't teach to laugh at geeks and nerds. It laughs at the stereotypes tied to geeks and nerds.
No, those are not stereotypes. They are characters probably based on real people. I watch the show and it completely reminds me of my college and grad school years and the people whom I knew then, including the Texan. It literally gives me flashbacks.
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No, those are not stereotypes. They are characters probably based on real people. I watch the show and it completely reminds me of my college and grad school years and the people whom I knew then, including the Texan. It literally gives me flashbacks.
The thing is -- I understand why some people think these are stereotypes. It's rare, even among the hyper-nerdy communities, to find a collection of traits as extreme as represented on the show in a small group of people. But all of these traits and behaviors do exist; they aren't fictional.
I could be wrong about this, but I think part of the problem is that many people who think of themselves as "nerds" in the real world because they were good at math and science in high school and were unpopular or wh
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I agree with everything you said.
Fact is too many people appear offended by a simple show meant to entertain with no harmful intentions. If anything, they portray bullies as primates so everybody is getting a piece of the pie. People offended by the show need to take that stick out of their asses.
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I can find several people in real life that are like the stereotypes on that show. That makes it funny too.
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A difference completely without distinction.
Of course we don't laugh, that reference isn't used for humor, it's used as an insult.
What a moron you are.
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Not the whole audience. Some of us actually do care that they're not spouting the technobabble you hear in the typical Sci Fi shows, or that when the characters do make mention of it, it's to mock it, just as we do.
Re:Advancing science (Score:5, Insightful)
And this is different from the shows that teach you to laugh at the dumb jocks, the shows that teach you to laugh at dumb guys, the shows that teach you to laugh at dumb women, the shows that teach you to laugh at plumbers, doctors, fathers, mothers, politicians, laywers, etc. What group exists that is not laughed at?
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And which shows are these? (from American TV).
Most, if not all shows glorify the dumb jock.
My problem with TBBT is that:
1. Its not funny.
2. Its not funny. Now I realise that technically speaking that's only one flaw but I thought that it was such a big one that it was worth mentioning twice.
2. It reinforces a negative stereotype that simply isn't true.
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Dumb jocks are laughed at all over the place. Arrested Development (Steve Holt!), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, etc.
TBBT is funny to a lot of people. If you don't think it's funny watch something else, or do you feel the need to disagree online with fans of every television show which you don't personally find amusing? If you have a crusade against shows that aren't funny then you certainly have many more obvious targets to go after first (two and a half men comes to mind right away).
And you're pro
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Muslims, at least not on TV.
"Little Mosque on the Prairie" took the piss out of Muslim's on a regular basis, from the inside.
And shows like 24 etc pretty much setup "Muslims" as a one dimensional stereotypes not really any different than 'dumb vain blond' or 'dumb football jock' stereotypes...they get "dumb terrorist muslim".
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...said one huge helping of butthurt.
PC insanity (Score:2)
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Popularity (Score:3)
Are you a "geek"? (Score:5, Interesting)
... meaning, do you also provide input on some of the pop-culture in the show (e.g., Star Trek, Star Wars, comic books, Dr Who, etc.)?
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I'm not touching you keyboard because I know where it's been.
Why do you participate? (Score:2, Troll)
Let's be honest -- the Big Bang Theory isn't about laughing with nerds; it's about laughing at nerds.
Re:Why do you participate? (Score:5, Insightful)
As long as we're being honest: my friends and I think it's hilarious. We've all been Leonard, probably too often for comfort, and we all have at least one friend from the rest of the gang. They talk about stuff we enjoy and do things (we would hate to admit that) we do. It's not Fine Art, sure, but it's fun.
Even though the show is basically about me and my friends (and apparently you and your friends, too), I never felt like it was making fun of me.
Re: Why do you participate? (Score:2, Interesting)
I actually can't relate to the characters at all. I'm all for self-deprecating humor (unless it's fishing for compliments under the guise of humor), but the show isn't about nerds laughing at themselves; it's about non-nerds laughing at nerds, and nerds not "getting" what's so funny.
A show like Futurama or even Silicon Valley is more for nerds, and doesn't apologize for making jokes that most people won't actually get. They laugh at themselves as well. Although Silicon Valley is only moderately funny, IM
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This, it's essentially nerd blackface.
Mod Parent Up (Score:2)
As a black "nerd", I'm only offended that you were marked as a troll - as I share your opinion of the show.
Re: Why do you participate? (Score:4, Insightful)
but the show isn't about nerds laughing at themselves; it's about non-nerds laughing at nerds, and nerds not "getting" what's so funny.
That's your opinion, and you're certainly welcome to it. I've mostly seen early seasons of the show, but my impression is that it's only partly about what you say.
In general, the show is often about a failure to communicate. The non-nerds laugh at the nerds, it's true, but the nerds get plenty opportunities to laugh at the non-nerds too. Have you seriously missed all the jokes made at Penny's expense? (And I'm not talking about Sheldon's weird attempts at humor that the other nerds often don't find funny -- I mean jokes about Penny's ridiculousness, her ineptitude, her inability to function in some everyday tasks, etc.)
The show points out the problems that both sides have with ineffective communication, and that's a big source of humor. But, on the other hand, the show celebrates the virtues of both sides too. The nerds often solve problems or do awesome things, and the non-nerds are suitably impressed -- when the problem solved is actually something "practical" and not something having to do with comic books or sci-fi or some weird technological achievement with no obvious practical benefit. Penny sometimes occasionally demonstrates some sort of "obvious" solution to a problem that the nerds missed because they got mired in details and couldn't see the simple solution. Both of these things happen in real life, too.
So, if you don't like the show, don't watch it. But I'd say that the "non-nerds laughing at nerds" is only one part of the show. It's a pretty "equal opportunity offender" in targeting the ridiculous characteristics of ALL characters, nerd and non-nerd alike.
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Is that you Sheldon?
I'm a scientist (with a degree and everything) and find the show to be reasonably funny. It reinforces the universal law of humanity: People are both smart and stupid, often at the same time. I have met some brilliant people I woudn't trust to tie my shoes, and some not-so-seeminly-bright I'd trust with my life in certain circumstances. Those that feel 'persecuted' need to get a grip on the fact that idiocy and genius are not mutually exclusive states. Those 'normal' people out ther
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We've all been Leonard
Did you act like you were into chicks, all the while making a huge blip on the gadar screen??
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That must be it. I clearly have trouble tying my own shoes. Leonard is also barely above average, with an IQ of only 173 [wikipedia.org] and a Princeton PhD at 24. If you know a lot of Leonard characters but consider them below par, I suspect you may have a bit of Sheldon in you.
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Like when Penny was making fun of Leonard for being a cry baby during Toy Story 3. "The toys were holding hands in a furnace!" was his retort. When I went to see it in the theaters, there was audible sobbing during that scene.
It's okay, it's the 21st century and men are allowed to cry now. Wuzz.
Geeks AND Nerds (Score:2, Interesting)
Why are characters that are supposedly very intelligent so obsessed with fiction, specifically superheroes?
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You have to watch the show since Sheldon explains why in one of the episodes.
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Also, considering something like Star Trek, there is some comfort in imagining a society where intellect and honesty are rewarded rather than ridiculed. Which, of course, can be a central aspect of speculative fiction; how far can an ideal geek society go, or do you need someone to be an asshole to take action in the end.
However, I agree with the OP to some extent. As a science/math/electronics/programming/music geek, I've never understood the stereotypical geek fascination with games, comics and other p
Beyond the Big Bang (Score:2, Interesting)
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At the moment before the Big Bang
That's not a meaningful thing to say. Time began with the Big Bang (as per the standard model).
It's like asking what's 1m to the north of the north pole
What would they NOT let you do? (Score:5, Interesting)
propagating stereotypes (Score:2, Interesting)
Does it ever bother you that you're contributing to a show that derives most of its jokes from the stereotype of scientists (especially male scientists) as pathologically awkward, abrasive, and antisocial? Do you ever worry that this risks marginalizing the profession and perpetuating the already-poor representation of women in science? How do you think a teenage girl will react to a sitcom where the one "normal" woman is a waitress, and the female scientists are mousy, nerdy, nearsighted, almost as awkwa
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did you find this much romance in grad school? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:did you find this much romance in grad school? (Score:4, Informative)
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Penny: Wow! So that means you're a doctor, you're a doctor, you're a doctor, you're a doctor... and Howard, you know a lot of doctors!
from IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt19... [imdb.com]
Do all geeks hate the show? (Score:4, Interesting)
Are we being used, right now? (Score:2)
In fact, I'm curious what made Dr. Saltzberg come to Slashdot. Are the producers aware of a "geek backlash", and are they attempting to address it by sending their show's technical adviser to Slashdot? Are we secretly being monitored for a later article about how real geeks all love
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I'm of the same opinion as you. I love the show and I was victim of some of these stereotypes portrayed on the show. The show helps display what nerds/geeks go through in real life. I think it does more good than harm. The reality is that we all somewhat grow out of it while still enjoying portion of what made us nerds/geeks in the first place.
Today nerds/geeks are not viewed the same way as before. They aren't picked on at school and they are rather a fairly large percentage of the student population. Fact
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I'm a geek and I liked it. Past tense 'cause the changes kinda made it stale for me, but the idea itself is funny. Yes, it plays on stereotypes. Heavily. Well, DUH, you don't say. Really? A sitcom that exploits stereotypes about a group? Now that's unheard of.
That's what makes it funny. Yes. there are geeks that are awkward, there are geeks that are into Star Trek, there are geeks that are into comic books, there are geeks that have ... $Sheldon_Idiosyncrasy, yes, they exist. But not in one person! Such a p
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Speaking of which do the writers have any background in science, or do they just call in the science adviser every now and then to double check things?
A quick wikipedia search indicates that both the creators are TV people to the core, with no involvement in science. Chuck Lorre spent 2 years in college where he "majored in rock 'n' roll and pot and minored in LSD", but has no other academic credentials. Bill Prary's page does at least suggest he did some work on Star Trek: Voyager, but that's the only connection he has to the show's sci-fi loving characters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C... [wikipedia.org]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B... [wikipedia.org]
Some help, please... (Score:2)
How long does it take to travel 80 miles if you're going 80 mph? Surely someone with your math and science creds can finally give a definitive answer.
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Reference frame is irrelevant to this question. If you, in whatever reference frame, measure travel distance as 80 mile and speed as 80mph, you will measure travel time as 1 hour. Others in other reference frames may measure different travel times, but they will also measure correspondingly different distances and speeds; and whatever they measure as 80 miles will still take what they measure as 1 hour to traverse at what they measure as 80mph.
Guest stars (Score:2)
There has been a very impressive list of tech or geek related guest star appearances on the show (Stan Lee, Stephen Hawking, Neil deGrasse Tyson, ...).
Do you have any control over who guest appearances are written for?
Are there any tech related people who you would like to have on the show as a guest star, but have been unable to get?
Where are all the foreign scientists? (Score:3)
It used to be that most of the scientists from US universities I met at international physics conferences or summer schools were green card holders or recent immigrants. There were hardly any american born ones. Did that change in the last 20 years or does the show slightly misrepresent that ratio.
I am asking because in his way Sheldon reminds me of some Russian physicists I used to know.
No one knows everything, so... (Score:5, Interesting)
The show touches on a somewhat wide range of technology and culture. There must be science related questions that are outside your area of expertise. Who do you contact for advice when you need it?
How do you explain slashdot's reaction? (Score:3)
Although I realize you are a "physicist," not a "psychologist," it's still one of those "phy" type words. What do you think of Slashdot's (so far) overwhelmingly negative reaction to its editors asking for questions about the SCIENCE of the show for the show's SCIENCE ADVISOR and instead getting comments about the show's characterizations, humor, laugh track, and a fixation on the size of Kaley Cuoco's breasts? As the show's SCIENCE ADVISOR are you in a position to change or influence any of these "transgressions?"
Is this proof that the Geekdom of Slashdot is not capable of paying attention to the question at hand and has completely missed the point, were all forced to play the cello as kids, are letting their pent up emotions get in the way of asking an intelligent question and instead choose to lash out at a show they all watch, or still, after all these years, are incapable of getting laid? Or all of the above?
XBOX One vs PS4 (Score:2)
There's an exchange Sheldon hems and haws about the RAM - PS4's 8 GB GDDR5 vs XBOX One's 8 GB DDR3 + 32 MB eSRAM.
Everyone knows the 32 MB of eSRAM doesn't mean shit compared to the raw bandwidth advantage the PS4 has. Why was the 32 MB eSRAM considered a point for XBOX One? It would be like comparing a 2-legged runner to a 1-legged runner and saying "But the one legged runner does have a detachable peg leg.".
Forum choice? (Score:2)
Why are you posting an AMA on slashdot instead of reddit?
/. is better (Score:2)
because this is a better moderated forum with less noise from dumb/troll/flamebait commentors
reddit is great because of the breadth and diversity of comments...but it is still the 'open internet'...AMA's are anarchy
also /. just has better commenters for tech stuff
again, reddit has diversity which /. is sorely lacking, and valleywag.com is 'faster' on a few things...but /. still has the best comments
best to see it as *more* options not a competition...reddit, slashdot, and for me valleywag all have value ad
non-science questions (Score:5, Interesting)
Mr. Saltzberg, thanks for taking questions! It's much appreciated.
My question: Do the writers (or actors) ever ask you about your daily life or your experiences as a scientist? What non-scientific/factual input have they asked from you?
Dramatic plot vs. Scientifically accurate (Score:5, Interesting)
What was the hardest bit of scientific inaccuracy to fight, because the writers deemed it necessary to keep it "wrong"?
Any advice for actual geeks? (Score:3)
I have watched the show off an on, I somehow missed the first three seasons entirely -- but as a rather "normal" geek (I have a social life beyond playing D&D and videogames, I even work on cars and ride a motorcycle) -- I have to ask if you can offer any advice about scoring a smoking hot chick on the level of Penny -- I fail to see what it is Leonard offers in the relationship that appeals to Penny, other than complete monogamy.
She is simply so out of his league in terms of looks that ironically, that's the portion of the show I find the most hilarious. The real world simply doesn't work that way and I challenge you to find an example to prove me wrong (excluding billionaires, of course, we all know a fat wallet makes you more attractive).
I've a bone to pick (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem - the assertion by Barry Kripke was wrong. Einstein's blunder was he invented the cosmological constant to show a static universe. At the time it was not known if the universe was moving or not. Einstein's early equations showed a moving universe. That bothered him, so he invented the cosmological constant to show a static universe. Later Einstein met astronomer Irwin Hubble who was able to show Einstein the universe was moving and not static. The cosmological constant was a blunder in that it was used to show a static universe. The fact that the cosmological constant was used elsewhere successfully is irrelevant; that did not change the mistake Einstein made.
Someone should have picked up in that.
Are the actors interested in physics? (Score:2, Interesting)
Do any of the actors have an interest in learning about physics? Or do they just read their lines and that's it?
Do the writers "dumb down" the science? (Score:4, Interesting)
Do the writers "dumb down" your scientific advice in order to make the material more accessible to a general viewing audience?
You're the science advisor, but ... (Score:2)
Have you had many of your own jokes / comic ideas worked into the dialogue, too? (Another way to ask this: is it too late by the time you're asked to give some credence to the writers' portrayal of science to re-write some of it more thoroughly?)
Stephen Hawking (Score:2)
What was it like working with occasional guest star Stephen Hawking?
Accuracy (Score:2)
Who was responsible for accuracy in other areas? The part where they're in a string quartet is one of the poster children for Bad in the classical community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
caltech consultant? (Score:2)
In addition to being a science consultant, do the writers ask you to be a stand-in Caltech (culture) consultant?
If so, do you actually have an sub-consultant for that, or do you just base it on generic post-doc culture? (seems to be the latter, but I'm curious)
More Time on Your Hands? (Score:2)
In the last 3+ seasons of Big Bang, we've seen a gradual switch from a Science based show that we loved, to a generic "just your average TV show" with stories that can appeal to more viewers.
With less of the "science and informative" show we originally fell in love. And the fact it appealed to those who had an IQ above 100. Do you have more time on your hands now the show is mainly filled with "day to day" storylines to increase viewers below that IQ range?
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Re: Comedy (Score:5, Informative)
They have never used laugh tracks. They use professional, paid, audience members to guide laughter.
Re:Comedy (Score:5, Interesting)
I've seen the show in person. They have a mix of regular and professional audience members.
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I've seen the show in person. They have a mix of regular and professional audience members.
What the hell is a "professional audience member"??
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Here's a whole article about it:
http://www.cracked.com/article_21432_6-realities-secret-world-paid-tv-audience-members.html
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Exactly. Most of the real science they show is wrong. It might be 90% right, but that 10% wrong trumps the bits that are right. It must be agonizing to see them get so close, and then fail. And then people blame the advisor.
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Yet some are just sitting there and have a laugh. A little bit of suspension of disbelieve goes a long way.
Yes, I notice mistakes. So what? They don't kill the jokes and I'm here to be entertained. If I wanted to learn something, I'd probably switch to another program or turn the box off altogether.
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If they're just going to screw it up why have a science advisor at all?
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My educated (hehe) guess here would be that they want to ensure they don't fuck up TOO much, past the point where the average viewer will question the PhDs of the protagonists because what remains of his high school physics class knowledge tells him that they just spewed bullshit.
Writers, in general, know a bit about creating a plot, delivering a line and squeezing it all into those 22 minutes the episode may run. They are not necessarily overly familiar with the ins and outs of their characters' habits, li
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I think this leads to a more pressing question: How do you decide where to balance technical accuracy with accessibility for the majority of people who won't understand it? Does the show count on getting away with some minor mistakes, knowing that 99+% of the audience won't catch it?
I've noticed several mistakes myself (in the handful of episodes I've watched with my girlfriend, who loves the show), especially around quantum physics (my preferred subject of study). I always wonder if they're deliberately
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rationalize a smoking hot chick hanging out with nerds?
Apparently, you've missed the running gags in which this is explained. To provide her with free wi-fi, and to set up her printer.
Like others, I had hopes that this show would break down some stereotypes, but it just reinforces them for big laughs.
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Actually, she had them "augmented." She said it was the best thing she has ever done.
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Why this would be marked a Troll is puzzling in that it is an absolute fact.
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I've thought Kaley was a doll ever since I saw her on "8 Simple Rules", the old sitcom with John Ritter, that aired just before he died.. As for Bernadette, think about this... Wolowitz's never seen mother screams all the time, and what do you know? So does Bernadette, when she gets mad... Can you say "Mother-complex"?????
As for BBT, its one of the VERY few shows I actually watch on the toob....
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As for Bernadette, think about this... Wolowitz's never seen mother screams all the time, and what do you know? So does Bernadette, when she gets mad... Can you say "Mother-complex"?????
<McBain>That's the joke.</McBain>
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You're not a geek or a nerd. You're a perv.
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You're not a geek or a nerd. You're a perv.
Those don't have to be mutually exclusive.
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He didn't giggle when he asked the question so I knew he wasn't a nerd.
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exactly how is that question perverted?
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One of the many definitions of perverted.
perverted - having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented; "many of the facts seemed twisted out of any semblance to reality"
Re:Do Penny's boobs defy gravity? (Score:5, Interesting)
One of the things I find makes the show slightly less believable is that Sheldon seems to be completely asexual. In reality, as far as I can tell, most people as smart as Sheldon are obsessed with sex. (Feynman and Hawking, for example.)
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You need to learn how to read - specifically where I used the phrases "slightly less believable" and "most people". There are definitely exceptions to that rule.
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One of the things I find makes the show slightly less believable is that Sheldon seems to be completely asexual. In reality, as far as I can tell, most people as smart as Sheldon are obsessed with sex. (Feynman and Hawking, for example.)
Most people are obsessed with sex whether they are as smart as Sheldon or not. However, Sheldon is represented on the show as an outlier in many respects, so what is the difficulty in believing that he would be different in this respect too?
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You might have noticed that there is an inkling of playing on stereotypes in the show, not just with the women. It may be too subtle to catch on for most... if they're like Sheldon, that is.
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1. It's a TV show. Not a documentary.
2. It's for fun. Not for education.
3. Get a life.
And trust me, intelligent people can consider it funny. Provided they can laugh about themselves. Try it once in a while.
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Oh it's been cool for a while now. I guess at least as long as the geek was the dude to go to for the new games for your console.
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since actual smart people / nerds don't like it or watch it?
Don't they? Did you ask all of them?