Enough already. Amazing the media legs that grew under Gov. Rick Scott’s throw-away line that Florida “doesn’t need a lot more anthropologists.” The context was the need for more emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and attracting the employers of the future.
Immediate umbrage was taken by anthropologists, anthropology students and university officials and professors. And, candidly, they made some good points. Most anthropologists are not budding Margaret Meads. The discipline’s application is more widespread than is generally known. Ironically, this could be a PR coup for anthropology studies.
But let’s also be fair to Gov. Scott. Yes, he’s been a disaster as governor so far. But, no, his seeming anthropology put-down in the context of referencing STEM emphasis was not totally out of line. He wasn’t talking in absolutes–but in relative priorities. He was talking hard–not social or behavioral–science. That which is most directly related to recruiting jobs of the future.
It’s just too bad Scott didn’t assert that Florida “doesn’t need a lot more lawyers.”