A resounding trumpet toot and bow of respect to the TV show "Salvation"!
Why?
For years, movies and TV have run this scene:
Scientist explains the situation, the solution, the problem in words of more than one syllable.
The person or persons receiving this explanation now grunts and says "In English, doc!" With enough condescension dripping on his tone to make clear what he thinks of anyone who fills their brain with so much weird knowledge.
I grind my teeth every time this exchange occurs.
The rough, tough "everyman" never comes across as apologetic for not keeping up with the information. The script is strictly pandering to the cheeto-covered viewers at home who have accidentally tuned into the show instead of "Dancing with Bachelor Pawn-brokers".
Over and over I wish the nerd-scientist would just snort and hand the Everyman Hero a dictionary. "It is English, Sparky. Try to keep up with the class."
ANYWAY...
Last night on "Salvation", this scene came up twice...but didn't.
1) A technical explanation prompted "Could you translate that for the layman?"
2) A high-powered explanation prompted "I don't speak tech..." with a quirky smile.
A perfectly respectful exchange. You're the expert. I'm not. Could you somehow make it plain to me?
In a world where ignorance is running amuck, we need a little more respect for actual nerds and science.
