To what extent is math and science marginalized and shown in a negative light in the US culture?

I see this frequently on various media forms as well as public perception.



On many popular TV shows/movies (Spongebob, Numb3rs, Mean Girls, etc), the characters eschew math/science because it is prohibitively difficult (Spongebob), or they are ridiculed and seen as geeks or nerds for their talent (Mean Girls), or seen as ridiculously smarter than the average person (Numb3rs).



None of these are intrinsically true - except they require a true understanding of prerequisite subjects (ie, you need basic arithmetic for algebra, algebra for calc, etc.)



On the other hand, shows such as Jimmy Neutron, Wild Thornberrys, and House celebrate such skills.



Additionally, science is commonly believed to be the solution to many world problems. ...but is that view merely a way to shove the onus onto the scientific community?



In short, is there a stigma against math/science in children's education and/or in general? Or am I imagining it?To what extent is math and science marginalized and shown in a negative light in the US culture?
For sure.



Generally folks who are 'scientists' in the mass media are shown as either nerdy and bookish geeks (the women often will take off their glasses and let down their hair to blossom into a party animal) or they are they the typical 'mad scientist'.



These mad scientist(s) are often employed by a large faceless corporations that end up (weather by design, greed or mismanagement) unleashing something nasty onto the unsuspecting population.



It is sad that Smart Kids are seen as geeky in US Culture (same in Australia where I live - here sport is the sexy career mostly - duh). The US is likely to lose it technological edge to Asia, where brains are seen as highly sexy.



With the popularity of some TV series (mainly SciFi and Crime shows) has made science a bit more attractive, or at least interesting. I am mostly thinking shows like CSI, Law and Order, ER and X-files. As as rule though, the movies have not been kind to the scientists and maths folks over the years.To what extent is math and science marginalized and shown in a negative light in the US culture?
Most scientists who "practice" science in academia and laboratories have taken it upon themselves to become activists and then put on an air that they are correct because they are the scientists.

Oceanographers want to ban fishing, physicists and biologists want to ban God, Climate scientists want to ban the automobile, Social scientists want to ban capitalism, environmental scientists basically want to ban humanity.



They run their computer models with spurious and biased initial conditions and assumptions until the output is what they want.



Engineers solve problems. Scientists play god.To what extent is math and science marginalized and shown in a negative light in the US culture?
You are definitely imagining this, because schools have raised the amount of math required to graduate high school. The only way for TV shows/movies to make money is to play on stereotypes. Would you want to watch House if Dr. House wasn't seen as exceptionally smart, but just a normal person who knows science? Or, would you want to watch a movie where everything is normal? The media plays on the interpretation of education, not the actuality of education. This is because it shows that if someone is exceptionally well in the area of either math or science, they are unquestionably smart. Math and Science are the largest part of the schools curriculum, (along with English and History) because if one is educated along these areas, students will be ready to venture into the profession they choose, and will hopefully have a large selection. The schools know the importance of math and science in the modern world, and the media is starting to catch on (or else people who watch shows like house, or ER, or any other show that has extremely smart characters, the viewers would not understand a word that the characters are saying.) In conclusion: I believe math and science have become more important than ever before, because the world has become super competitive and nations want to have the best and brightest to make discoveries.