Now this is how you apologize.
ASAPScience, a Youtube channel run by Mitch Moffit and Greg Brown, has been a favorite of The Mary Sue’s for a long time–they consistently post funny, sensitive, and informative videos designed to make STEM more accessible.
Moffit and Brown also aren’t afraid to get political on their channel, and have made videos in the past addressing the hate they get as an openly gay couple. In other words, ASAPScience is reliably great in all kinds of ways, which is why it’s hard to believe that the image they chose to represent “Silicon” in their popular 2013 “Periodic Table Song” video was a woman’s well-endowed, disembodied torso. It’s even more surprising that no one called them out before now:
WTF? Why is @AsapSCIENCE using this image in an educational video about the periodic table? #STEM#YesAllWomenpic.twitter.com/xeEu0lsCHl
— Laurence D. (@ElleDeeTweets) October 29, 2015
Although ASAPScience’s channel isn’t geared toward kids (they’ve recently posted videos on mature subjects like the Science of Cheating or masturbation), it’s particularly jarring to see an objectifying image like this in the Periodic Table Song, since that particular video is a great way for students to study for school. It’s also startling because, yeah…silicone is not silicon, and it doesn’t seem worthwhile to alienate some of your viewers just for the sake of a misleading mnemonic device.
Well, first of all it’s not accurate b/c silicon is not the same as silicone. @BrentAtLooooop @AsapSCIENCE
— Laurence D. (@ElleDeeTweets) October 29, 2015
And even if it were correct, there’s no need to objectify & sexualize women to illustrate an educational vid. @BrentAtLooooop @AsapSCIENCE
— Laurence D. (@ElleDeeTweets) October 29, 2015
If Moffit and Brown had decided to ignore criticism over the video, they would have had support from many a man on Twitter:
@ElleDeeTweets @AsapSCIENCE what if they put a blokes chest as the image, would you complain theat they’re being sexist to men? Pleb.
— #LowHaf (@Cade_360) October 29, 2015
“A joke’s a joke.” The battle cry of bigots everywhere. pic.twitter.com/1YAnmeOWbQ
— Laurence D. (@ElleDeeTweets) October 29, 2015
.@Oliver7354 @MSatris @AsapSCIENCE Preeeeetty sure the most popular use of silicon is computer chips, bruh.
— Rachel Feltman (@RachelFeltman) October 29, 2015
@RachelFeltman @AsapSCIENCE This is not #everydaysexism This is the equiv. of confusing Germanium with a Geranium.
— DumbBunnyFooFoo (@cinnamonchimera) October 29, 2015
But to their eternal credit, the team took the video down, publicly apologized, and re-tweeted some of the criticism leveled against them:
Thank you for pointing this out, we are always trying to become better feminists and definitely made a mistake https://t.co/LxaKGsFODu
— AsapSCIENCE (@AsapSCIENCE) October 29, 2015
As men in patriarchal society we were blind to the damage this image could do. pic.twitter.com/ePAuqlWqs8
— AsapSCIENCE (@AsapSCIENCE) October 29, 2015
We acknowledge our ignorance and are embarrassed for having never addressed this before.
— AsapSCIENCE (@AsapSCIENCE) October 29, 2015
We are committed to promoting #WomenInSTEM and will be editing our video.
— AsapSCIENCE (@AsapSCIENCE) October 29, 2015
No matter how well-meaning your intent, it’s impossible to always think outside your own lived experience (that’s something I’ve definitely struggled with at The Mary Sue). The one thing you can do is listen when members of marginalized groups point out your mistakes, and commit to learning from them. It can be hard for men to recognize that the scientific community is designed to favor them over women, and I respect ASAPScience more than ever for admitting that and pledging to do better.
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