Most western countries are "flunking" science because it's hard work, lacks prestige, pays poorly, and you're unlikely to discover anything new even if you put in the necessary hours.<p>As we discover more and more about the world the more dedication it will take to make progress in a field. So it makes sense that you want fewer and more dedicated people.<p>Does Hollywood caricature scientists? Of course. But Hollywood isn't exactly know for its nuance. Business men are always evil (unless the business is failing, in which case the owner is the sympathetic underdog). Politicians are corrupt or incompetent. Is Hollywood to blame for the general indifference to science, I doubt that.<p>To summarize:<p>1. fewer people devote their life to science. I don't think this is a bad thing.<p>2. (young) people are indifferent about politics, the world, science, and most "stuff that matters". This probably is bad, but it certainly does not have a simple identifiable cause.
"Crichton had little patience for scientists' complaints about ridiculous sci-fi plots and wild scientist stereotyping. In a 1999 lecture before the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he countered such gripes with his own perspective on why scientists will probably never be very happy with the products of Hollywood. As Crichton advised, there are at least four important rules of movies that just don't mesh with the real process of research: '(i) Movie characters must be compelled to act. (ii) Movies need villains. (iii) Movie searches are dull. (iv) Movies must move.' Crichton argued that real science, with its long, drawn-out intellectual processes and frequent dead ends, simply can't be reconciled with such exigencies. 'The problems lie with the limitations of film as a visual storytelling medium,' he concluded. 'You aren't going to beat it.'"<p>The other important message of this article is that being smart doesn't prevent people from having mistaken ideas about science. Smart people can fall for plausible but scientifically incorrect statements about topics debated about in politics, because not all people, and not even all smart people, devote much time to examining evidence and making sure that conclusions are supported by evidence.
Because science is boring. There are too little interesting opportunities out there. For every "dream" "fun" science job, there are millions of monotone, low paying, grinding positions that suck the life out of you.