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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Philae fashion faux pas: Rosetta scientist apologizes for offensive shirt |
| 2014-11-15 |
| [CSMONITOR] It was the biggest international astronomy story since the moon landing. Rosetta's lander was about to touch down on a comet hurtling through space. And while the world eagerly waited to hear if Philae managed to successfully land on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Rosetta scientist Matt Taylor filled the eager populace in on the challenges involved in the monumental task. And what did Dr. Taylor choose to wear for this historic occasion? Maybe a lab coat? Or perhaps a sharp button down? No, the voice of the Rosetta mission showed up in a loud bowling shirt that was not only garish, but was also slathered in buxom, leather-clad, anime babes. Women in the scientific and science writing community--many of whom have spent their careers attempting to shatter conceptions that women are not welcome in science--were less than amused. "No no women are toooootally welcome in our community, just ask the dude in this shirt," tweeted The Atlantic's Rose Eveleth. I wasn't aware that The Atlantic employed scientists, so I doubt if Rose actually has a dog in the show. Dr. Taylor wouldn't have had this problem had he showed up for work in a jacket and tie, as would have been expected of him twenty or thirty years ago. Women have long been underrepresented in science and many of the historic contributions to science made by female researchers have frequently been minimized or misattributed to their male colleagues. In recent years, some have argued, most notably renowned economist and former president of Harvard University Larry Summers, that women are not equally represented in the sciences because they simply aren't interested in science. However, advocates of women in science have argued that girls and women are discouraged from pursuing science and when they do, they run into double standards, discrimination, and outright harassment. There are more men than women employed in the hard sciences, but there are more men than women in hard science courses at the undergrad level. I've only worked for three places who routinely employed scientists--NASA and NIA and that other place--and never actually did a head count, but my impression was that what women were there were just as smart and just as respected as the men. I'd guesstimate the ratio as 60:40 men:women. At NIA (National Institute on Ageing) I was particularly struck by the number of Russians, Chinese, and Europeans there were. Many were post-docs but they were well represented, both male and female, in the management chain. I presume that applies to the rest of NIH as well, though Doc Steve knows more about that than I do. The other government agency I worked at was big on mathematicians and engineers and linguists. I don't remember the ratios--it was back in the Lower Paleolithic--but I do remember working with some pretty brilliant women, some of whom the agency went out of its way to recruit and train from scratch in its own schools. My opinion on this whole episode: Doc Taylor shouldn't have come to work dressed like a slob, especially on a day when ten or fifteen years work, from idea to success, was being celebrated. And the women with no skin living in a sandpaper world should have been congratulating him to his face and quietly rolling their eyes at his lack of taste when they were chatting in the elevator or in their cubicles. Beethoven's friends used to sneak into his room while he was asleep and steal the clothes he had been wearing for a few weeks, replacing them with new ones. But women outnumber men in schools of music, so I guess it's understandable. The only female composer I can think of off hand was Clara Schumann, and she wasn't all that much compared to Beethoven, to her husband Robert (whom she dumped), or to Wagner (her paramour). Her love life was a lot more interesting than her musical efforts. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 What a weeping mangina, someone revoke his man card. |
| Posted by: Woodrow Stalin1308 2014-11-15 19:56 |
| #8 It's well past time to bring back the spirit of Bobby Knight and tell these clowns to fuck off... |
| Posted by: Raj 2014-11-15 10:18 |
| #7 "The Atlantic's Rose Eveleth." When Did the Left Turn into Rick Santorum? http://ricochet.com/left-turn-rick-santorum/ |
| Posted by: Frank G 2014-11-15 09:13 |
| #6 His real offense is the tasteless shirt clashes badly with his tats. |
| Posted by: KBK 2014-11-15 08:42 |
| #5 With the Congressional repeal of the ban of women in combat, I can't wait to make up for 200 plus years of gender discrimination in front line duty awaiting the Social Justice |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-11-15 08:12 |
| #4 Men have long been underrepresented in child birth and breastfeeding. I blame lack of interest and historic conditions as root causes here as well. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-11-15 06:50 |
| #3 All part of the war against men in academia. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-11-15 03:51 |
| #2 i thought his shirt was funny. I am sad he was forced to apologise. Just goes to show how retarded life is now |
| Posted by: anon1 2014-11-15 02:08 |
| #1 I've seen non-pilots wear pilot-themed Hawaiian shirts. Clothing is a statement, I guess. |
| Posted by: Elmeregum Gravique7215 2014-11-15 00:48 |