Knitting normally isn’t the type of topic you’d anticipate to spark drama on YouTube. But lately, that’s precisely what occurred when science communicator Hank Green stepped into the world of yarn and purl.

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His SciShow video, “Physicists Don’t Understand Why Knitting Works,” ended up irritating knitters who felt the episode dismissed the historical past, ability, and complexity behind the craft.

The video was meant to debate how researchers research knitted buildings, however many viewers heard one thing else, an undercurrent that physics was by some means giving knitting “real” credibility.

For a craft that has lengthy been trivialized as ladies’s work, that framing didn’t sit proper with many viewers.

Hank Green responds on TikTok

After days of watching the dialog spiral, Green lastly addressed it in a TikTok video. He admitted he had been studying by a flood of feedback and watching response movies earlier than deciding learn how to reply.

“Hello, it’s Hank,” he started. “I’ve read a lot of comments about knitting in the last week. I’ve also watched some videos about knitting, and I’ve learned a lot.”

He admitted that a part of the rationale he didn’t reply sooner was that he not runs SciShow’s day-to-day operations. Jumping again in to take over from the workforce, he stated, wouldn’t really feel proper.

Still, he acknowledged that the episode hadn’t framed knitting in the way in which it deserved. “I think that this was infecting the way that I was talking about it,” he stated, earlier than describing knitting as “the tremendous, bonkers technology that it is.”

At one level, he even joked about viewers demanding that he knit socks to make amends. “Even one person suggesting I knit a pair of socks without a pattern—which, please don’t make me do that.”

@hankgreen1

I’m sorry to the knitting of us! I felt confused on learn how to reply as a result of I don’t wish to bulldoze a workforce of fine individuals coping with complicated stuff that I’m not in command of. I hope this is smart. I attempt to tread evenly and that may be tough when there are a number of teams I’m making an attempt to take care of without delay.

♬ unique sound – Hank Green

In the caption, he tried to make clear his stance: “I’m sorry to the knitting folks! I felt confused on how to respond because I don’t want to bulldoze a team of good people dealing with complex stuff that I am not in charge of. I hope this makes sense.”

Not everybody was happy with the video. Some questioned whether or not it even certified as an apology in any respect.

“Did I miss the apology because I can’t seem to find it in this video,” one person wrote. “Is the apology in the room with us??” wrote one other.

Others pushed him to observe by on the sock problem, with repeated calls to “knit the sock, knit the sock.”

Several commenters took the difficulty additional, declaring the underlying gender dynamics that the unique SciShow video failed to deal with. 

“Can we address the misogyny tho,” one requested, whereas one other stated, “This feels extremely performative. The best way to make amends is to address the internalized misogyny directly.”

Yet one other pushed additional: “Would you talk about woodworking the way you talked about knitting? Both have math at their core, both are artistic and both are approachable as a novice and refined with practice. Only difference is the gender.”

One fan shared empathy in a remark which Green preferred, which stated, “Fiber artists have been driven to insanity by the incredibly complicated hobbies that have been labeled ‘lame’, ‘boring’, and ‘for old ladies to pass time,’ and I’m kind of sorry you had to find out this way.”

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