Does the weather need dumbing down?
Just seen on the news that the met office are having to look for 'alternative' ways to present the weather as the mass public dont understand the scientific terms in it... not being horrible, and not wanting an argument, but (I know nothing usually counts before the but), shouldn't this be a point of people to GO AND FIND OUT AND LEARN SOMETHING about it rather than just saying 'its chucking it down' on national news so that everyone doesnt need to think, oh hang on, what does that mean .... then won't we then have arguments from people claiming that they are using unfamiliar colloquialisms, and then that will have to go as well?
There are so many great sources of information out there, just google things like 'technical weather terms' or go to the met office website, its a plethora of knowledge!
Plus, what about those of us that actually favour the scientific way of wording it as its more accurate? Surely, 'chucking it down' isn't anywhere near as accurate as 'occluded front' which characteristically brings heavy rain but it isn't guaranteed? That way we can make judgements for ourselves!
The people reporting the weather are often professionals at what they do as much as anyone else - they are meteorologists! Some of the BBC ones I think are just TV people but, the met office ones certainly are scientists, and not just people that read off of autocue. Quite an awkward position, and I think they do a cracking job of making the language accessible, as believe me, when you start digging you will appreciate just how much they dumb it down already!
Maybe I'm way off base with this, but I really don't think that the weather needs 'softening' for those of a less scientific disposition. I think it should be a motivation to learn and that once we start dumbing it down, its a slippery slope.
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Plus, what about those of us that actually favour the scientific way of wording it as its more accurate? Surely, 'chucking it down' isn't anywhere near as accurate as 'occluded front' which characteristically brings heavy rain but it isn't guaranteed? That way we can make judgements for ourselves!
The people reporting the weather are often professionals at what they do as much as anyone else - they are meteorologists! Some of the BBC ones I think are just TV people but, the met office ones certainly are scientists, and not just people that read off of autocue. Quite an awkward position, and I think they do a cracking job of making the language accessible, as believe me, when you start digging you will appreciate just how much they dumb it down already!
Maybe I'm way off base with this, but I really don't think that the weather needs 'softening' for those of a less scientific disposition. I think it should be a motivation to learn and that once we start dumbing it down, its a slippery slope.
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