Posted on 11/14/2014 4:46:14 PM PST by smokingfrog
Matt Taylor, who's a great scientist and seems to also be a pretty cool dude, gave a teary, heartfelt apology for his choice of attire on the day of Rosetta's probe landing.
"I made a big mistake, and I offended many people," Taylor said at Friday's media briefing, his voice trembling, "and I'm very sorry about this."
With that, the briefing moved onto the science (as it should -- Philae's days are numbered, and we want to find out as much as we can from the little probe that could). Taylor seemed to have trouble speaking for a few minutes, but perked up by the end. Many praised his apology on Twitter, and whether or not he was aware of that response, it seemed to have taken a weight off his shoulders.
Because none of the people calling out Taylor's attire wanted him blacklisted from science, or punished, or to run into a corner and cry. The coolest people in the world (like the ones who land probes on comets) should also be held to the highest standards -- they're the ones that the children of the world are watching for cues.
And for young women in the world, a shirt covered in hyper-sexualized women does not send a good message, conscious or otherwise.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
[ I’m suspicious because this shirt is satin ]
NASA Ground control wears Muslin shirts!
I’d say, if there’s a problem, it’s with the tats, not the shirt!
Me, too.
President of Harvard, if I recall correctly.
And he wasn't drummed out for pointing out that many women do not have the temperament for science - he was drummed out for asking why it seemed women don't have the temperament for science.
Being “kooky” and “edgy” is just his schtick. It’s a little juvenile, but still, he shouldn’t apologize. There are people in this world who, if they were not in a perpetual state of feeling offended, would have no purpose in life. She needs to get another hobby or get laid.
Indeed.
The most ironic thing about that incident was that all of the hyperemotional and hysterical little feminists whining about his supposed sexism are exactly the kind of irrational dimwits we would not want anywhere around the lab. Women who go into science tend to be rational thinkers who eschew the perpetual grievance hunting of feminists. I doubt that a single woman who got all hyperventilated about Summer’s comment was majoring in anything close to a hard science or mathematics.
She needs to stop "geek shaming".
The uncovered "sleeve" tattoos would be the first round eliminator.
It's liberal feminism and the internet. Haven't you heard? MATH IS HARD!
I wasn’t robbing the cradle. He had a PhD in math and was 30+. It’s called Peter Pan syndrome for a reason. They. never. grow. up.
Funny how those of us in high tech and with terminal degrees on this board have never worked with anyone who dresses like this. This guy, regardless of his accomplishments, is an anomaly. And not in a good way.
One of the sagest pieces of advice I ever recieved was this: At work, the strongest statement should be your work. I wore a pair of jeans with ‘fashionable rips’ to work one day. In my defense, I wasn’t even 30 yet and it was my very first job and I’d worked there less than a month.
This guy didn’t do all this by himself. There is a huge support group of people with educations and experience just like his. It’s like the Oscar’s. He had a chance to recognize them, their assistance with this project and congratulate everyone involved. Instead the whole conversation has been about this guy’s poor wardrobe choices. What a loser. 30 or more and still needs his mommy to dress him in the morning.
Did you work for Caltrans?
I think we’re getting our wires crossed here. You’re trying to sell me the concept that the guy’s attire was unprofessional, tacky, etc. But if you read my posts to you, you’ll see I don’t disagree with that, although I’m not going to try and psychoanalyze him.
You don’t have to sell me, either, on looking good when you leave the house. I live most of my life in jeans, but they’re stylish, good-looking jeans, and I wear them with cute, fashionable tops, heeled boots (sometimes my old Justin cowboys-—I have black AND red) or another type of nice shoe, and I always wear makeup. I’m Southern, born and raised, and I make an effort to look good.
But I’m not at all the formal type. Some women think men look their best in a suit; for me, it’s a nice look, but I much prefer jeans and a shirt with rolled-up sleeves.
My issue here is with the screeching feminists who can’t stand seeing the women on his shirt. That’s what I have a problem with. If the shirt was printed with just about any other design, we would never hear a peep.
I can't tell where the shirt ends and his unnatural arms begin.
he looks like a parody
oh gosh, now i see... math is actually a weapon used by the white male patriarchy in positions of power to disenfranchise women and minorities in the workplace and deny them opportunities for advancement...
(... and besides, math has all those complicated EQUATIONS, with all those wierd Greek letters and stuff...)
"Indeed!"
but this is exactly why we must promote more feminists who majored in gender studies to managing such people, so that gender equity is reached in these labs. we can then measure the success of female managers in the organization by the extent to which the technical people that they manage realize and explicitly admit their unconscious sexism and their unearned white male privilege, and we can also fulfull our federally mandated gender employment quota at all levels within the organization...
... and denying this will just prove that you are sexist, yada yada ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.