Nobel Laurette's Academic Career Ended by a Single Joke

[ThePhantasm]

http://www.theguardian.com/science/...g-out-to-dry-interview-mary-collins?CMP=fb_gu

Sir Tim Hunt, a brilliant biochemist, says his career has been ruined by a huge overreaction to a joke that he admits was wrong. His wife, Mary Collins, one of Britain’s most senior immunologists, and a committed feminist, agrees that the reaction has gotten way out of hand.

The University of London has fired Tim Hunt for "sexism," even though people who know him well have confirmed that he is not a sexist in any way.

Overreaction or justified firing?

 

[KevanG]

Severe overreaction. The guy won a nobel prize for ****s sake. He made a stupid joke and should have gotten a slap on the wrist or something. People need to calm the **** down.

 

[Boy Scout]

I don't think he deserved anything more than a slap on the wrist. His remarks were inappropriate, sure, but they weren't so malicious or severe that he should've been fired for them.

 

[Marvolo]

My God. I'm amazed anyone gives interviews these day. A single brain fart or momentary loss of inhibition and a person's life is ruined.

Like one commenter on that site said, Twitter is the modern day McCarthyism. Context doesn't mean **** to the Social Justic Warriors. It's all knee jerk reactions.

 

[Quasimod0]

It was just a dumb joke. Firing him is in no way justified.

 

[Schlosser85]

The so-called Social Justice Warriors are a bunch of losers with no lives on Twitter who co-opt the actual struggles of people with real problems and take them over and trivialize them in their own pursuit of something to make them feel important.

They don't actually give a flying **** about racism, or sexism, or whatever they're ranting about this week.

The way they hijack other people's real struggles and legitimate problems and genuine cases of social injustice in the service of their own self-importance is nauseating.

 

[dude stannis]

I rally can't top what Schloss and Marv said, so I'll just put it into perspective.

You're an SJW loser and you're hounding some actor? Sure go for it, he'll go cry on top of his pile of money.

But a leading biochemist, who is now teaching all the brightest minds of the future? You've literally tried to impede the progress of the human race you idiots.

 

[Victarion]

My God. I'm amazed anyone gives interviews these day. A single brain fart or momentary loss of inhibition and a person's life is ruined.

Like one commenter on that site said, Twitter is the modern day McCarthyism. Context doesn't mean **** to the Social Justic Warriors. It's all knee jerk reactions.

Context is laying in a trench, lungs filling with blood.

But of all the things to take a stand against...they decide to stick to their armchairs.

 

[Lencho01]

Were people really calling for him to be fired?

 

[Mad Ones]

He is not above criticism because he won a Nobel prize. It was a sexist joke and it should be criticized, especially because criticism brings to light the sexism in some labs and within the scientific community, where women have to actively avoid sexist professors.

However, the context of his apology, and the stories of his wife and some of the women he has taught and worked with make his firing beyond extreme and purely reactionary, and takes the focus off of actual sexism. The story becomes about the crucifixion and about a single individual, and not about more important social forces.

 

[jmc]

Social media is now a tool for naming, shaming, and ruining peoples lives. People can no longer say anything stupid without a bunch on Neville Nobodies getting up on their high horses pointing fingers and demanding blood. It's the digital version of torches and pitchforks.

 

[dude stannis]

You realise there's a spectrum of sexist jokes right? Saying "Women fall in love and cry when criticised harshly" isn't like he said "Women should be chained to the kitchen and have no rights".

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I completely agree the reaction is OTT. He deserves criticism, but firing him? No way.

But what I want to know is what was going through his head when he decided to say that. It was obviously the wrong thing to say, especially amongst people you don't know and if you weren't going to follow it up. Why would people assume it is a joke?

 

[DarthSkywalker]

You realise there's a spectrum of sexist jokes right? Saying "Women fall in love and cry when criticised harshly" isn't like he said "Women should be chained to the kitchen and have no rights".

The problem with what he says, is that it implies women shouldn't be there. As if they are a source of trouble, as if they get in the way.

 

[Mad Ones]

You realise there's a spectrum of sexist jokes right? Saying "Women fall in love and cry when criticised harshly" isn't like he said "Women should be chained to the kitchen and have no rights".

He said labs shouldn't be mixed-gendered because of those reasons. I.e. women are bad for science. And this joke speaks to a belief that a lot of people had/have about women in science. It was a bad unprofessional joke and one that female scientists (and others) have the right to be annoyed about. But as I said, firing is much too far.

 

[dude stannis]

Probably because he's 72 and comes from a better time when people could get away making bad tasteless jokes like that, because people used to be mature enough to understand how harmless said joke was.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Probably because he's 72 and comes from a better time when people could get away making bad tasteless jokes like that, because people used to be mature enough to understand how harmless said joke was.

You mean a time when women were treated like property, and blackface was a "harmless" joke? Those times.

 

[dude stannis]

He said labs shouldn't be mixed-gendered because of those reasons. I.e. women are bad for science. And this joke speaks to a belief that a lot of people had/have about women in science. It was a bad unprofessional joke and one that female scientists (and others) have the right to be annoyed about. But as I said, firing is much too far.

I'd argue female scientists are the only group who a: have the right to criticise Hunt and b: actually handled this correctly. They put up some funny reaction pics and went about their jobs of making the world a better place.

 

[Snow Queen]

Probably because he's 72 and comes from a better time when people could get away making bad tasteless jokes like that, because people used to be mature enough to understand how harmless said joke was.

Right...that was why.

 

[Mad Ones]

Probably because he's 72 and comes from a better time when people could get away making bad tasteless jokes like that, because people used to be mature enough to understand how harmless said joke was.

Haha sorry, but 72 years ago might have been a "better" time for some people. Guess who.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Right...that was why.

Stop being sensitive.

 

[dude stannis]

You mean a time when women were treated like property, and blackface was a "harmless" joke? Those times.

Haha sorry, but 72 years ago might have been a "better" time for some people. Guess who.

Right...that was why.

FFS, he was born in 1943, not 1843. His major contributions to medicine where happening in the 80's and 90's.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

FFS, he was born in 1943, not 1843. His major contributions to medicine where happening in the 80's and 90's.

So he grew up and lived through the 50s and 60s. Hell he is alive now, where there is still a huge gap between the genders. So what is your point? At what point in his life was a good time for a sexist jokes in front of a bunch of people you don't know. The 80s and 90s?

 

[dude stannis]

So he grew up and lived through the 50s and 60s. Hell he is alive now, where there is still a huge gap between the genders. So what is your point? At what point in his life was a good time for a sexist jokes in front of a bunch of people you don't know. The 80s and 90s?

I agree wholeheartedly there's a huge gap between genders that shouldn't be there.

But the 80's, 90's and early 00's didn't have the Social Media Inquisition going on and you could get away with terrible jokes like that.

 

[Marvolo]

I'd argue female scientists are the only group who a: have the right to criticise Hunt and b: actually handled this correctly. They put up some funny reaction pics and went about their jobs of making the world a better place.

Too bad the SJW's didn't follow the lead of the women that actually know him.