Scientists are keenly aware of the human foibles in scientific inquiry and the dissemination of knowledge. But there is no automatic claim to legitimacy for any and all detractors simply on the basis of the strength of their emotion or energy.
I agree that emotion or energy does not constitutes a claim to legitimacy in education. So VR framed the issue with an joke, as if alchemy should again be entertained as a serious challenge. His joke shows that he is keenly aware of one foible.
I've tried to say that this issue may involve a scope that is larger than merely a propagandist's and unscientific dislike of what constitutes the consensus of scientific knowledge, paying less attention to the particular kinds of people that are involved in this event in Ohio.