A crowd could not help but laugh after an anthropologist was asked a question about the biological differences between men and women.
The moment occurred during an event with swimmer Riley Gaines, who made headlines for speaking out against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas’ participation in sports for biological women.
During the event, Gaines asked an anthropologist, “If you were to dig up two humans 100 years from now, both man and woman, could you tell the difference, strictly off of bones?”
He replied, “No.”
The crowd burst out in laughter.
He responded, saying, “I’m not sure why I’m being laughed at if I’m the expert in the room.”
The anthropologist asked, “Have any of you been to archaeological sites? Have any of you studied biological anthropology? I’m just saying, I’ve got over 150 years of data. I’m just curious as to why I’m being laughed at.”
Gaines went on to explain she has “put a lot of research into this.”
The anthropologist pushed back, saying he had a Ph.D.
The crowd laughed again.
Watch the video below:
.@Riley_Gaines_ to anthropologist: "If you were to dig up… 2 humans… 100 years from now, both man and woman, could you tell the difference, strictly off of bones?"
— Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) March 30, 2023
"No."
*CHAOS*
"I'm not sure why I'm being laughed at if I'm the expert in the room. … I have a PhD!" pic.twitter.com/YYW76ISevI
Twitter users shared their reactions to the viral video, with one writing, “Defund every public university in America. Fire all of the professors and administrators and start over with sane people.”
Defund every public university in America. Fire all of the professors and administrators and start over with sane people. https://t.co/sZ53qxJuMR
— Dan Gainor (@dangainor) March 31, 2023
Another tweet suggested the video is proof “that PhDs can be idiots.”
Watch this. More proof that PhDs can be idiots https://t.co/DCVTuNMyxA
— Douglas Carswell🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@DouglasCarswell) March 31, 2023
“Pretty soon these people will be defending that 2+2=5 because they ‘have a PHD’. Credentials don’t displace demonstrated empirical reality and correspondence to it. But they are trying to grow the group of people who can’t tell the difference, to make a political block,” another user argued.
Pretty soon these people will be defending that 2+2=5 because they ‘have a PHD’.
— The McMullan – Meritocracy is my fault apparently (@TheMcMullan) March 31, 2023
Credentials don’t displace demonstrated empirical reality and correspondence to it.
But they are trying to grow the group of people who can’t tell the difference, to make a political block. https://t.co/XUj3I9kBYH
Gaines also made headlines recently for calling out the opposition to her event at the University of Pittsburgh.
“When Dylan Mulvaney (transgender actress) comes to UPitt, he gets paid $26,000 from school funding. When Riley Gaines comes to UPitt, she gets protested, threatened with violence, and attempted to get the event canceled by students, faculty, and lawmakers,” she tweeted.
Gaines added, “Something tells me Im doing something right.”