The professor of the #distractinglysexy fame loses his job

[DGuller]

On 9 June 2015, Hunt gave a speech at the 2015 World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul, delivered at a lunch for female journalists and scientists, entitled "Creative Science—Only a Game?", in which he said:

"   Let me tell you about my trouble with girls ... three things happen when they are in the lab ... You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.[14]

So, I'm going to say that this kind of shows not only poor taste, but seriously poor judgment. He's effectively nothing but a lecturer and speaker now, and this is how he presents himself and his University. Yeah, he deserved to lose his "job" over this.

Should people lose their jobs for what they say on Facebook/Twitter? It depends entirely on what they say and what their job is. In this case, yes. In all cases? No.

Or maybe it sounded different in context?  I assume that unless you're a total idiot, you probably save your best offensive jokes for the company that is least likely to be offended by them.

[Martinus]

Given that this guy is a Nobel Prize winner he is probably more valuable to humanity than anyone on this board. I hate that we live in a world where this is not obvious.

[Berkut]

personally, I'd rather have a Nobel prize winning genius asshole than a mediocre nice guy in any position of means.

I saved the only part of your post worth the electrons it took to post it.

[Berkut]

On 9 June 2015, Hunt gave a speech at the 2015 World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul, delivered at a lunch for female journalists and scientists, entitled "Creative Science—Only a Game?", in which he said:

"   Let me tell you about my trouble with girls ... three things happen when they are in the lab ... You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.[14]

So, I'm going to say that this kind of shows not only poor taste, but seriously poor judgment. He's effectively nothing but a lecturer and speaker now, and this is how he presents himself and his University. Yeah, he deserved to lose his "job" over this.

Should people lose their jobs for what they say on Facebook/Twitter? It depends entirely on what they say and what their job is. In this case, yes. In all cases? No.

I dunno, it all depends on the context he said it in, doesn't it?

And really, I would rather have a nobel prize winner with poor social judgement working for me than...welll, almost anyone else.

I guess I would prefer a nobel prize winner with great social judgment, but it would seem that the set of people who win nobel prizes is rather small.

Ironically, if he was not such an accomplished human being, his social gaff would likely be ignored - it is only because he is so accomplished that there is enough of a faux internet outrage over it to warrant his being forced out by the howling mob.

[merithyn]

On 9 June 2015, Hunt gave a speech at the 2015 World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul, delivered at a lunch for female journalists and scientists, entitled "Creative Science—Only a Game?", in which he said:

"   Let me tell you about my trouble with girls ... three things happen when they are in the lab ... You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.[14]

So, I'm going to say that this kind of shows not only poor taste, but seriously poor judgment. He's effectively nothing but a lecturer and speaker now, and this is how he presents himself and his University. Yeah, he deserved to lose his "job" over this.

Should people lose their jobs for what they say on Facebook/Twitter? It depends entirely on what they say and what their job is. In this case, yes. In all cases? No.

Or maybe it sounded different in context?  I assume that unless you're a total idiot, you probably save your best offensive jokes for the company that is least likely to be offended by them.

He was apparently called on it right after his speech by several journalists at his table, and he felt 100% justified in his comments. At the time, he didn't say it was a joke. That came later.... After the outcry.

[The Minsky Moment]

Given that this guy is a Nobel Prize winner he is probably more valuable to humanity than anyone on this board. I hate that we live in a world where this is not obvious.

He probably was more valuable than the entire board combined.
But his value added as an Honorary Prof that gives light speeches and does committee work can be questioned.

[merithyn]

On 9 June 2015, Hunt gave a speech at the 2015 World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul, delivered at a lunch for female journalists and scientists, entitled "Creative Science—Only a Game?", in which he said:

"   Let me tell you about my trouble with girls ... three things happen when they are in the lab ... You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.[14]

So, I'm going to say that this kind of shows not only poor taste, but seriously poor judgment. He's effectively nothing but a lecturer and speaker now, and this is how he presents himself and his University. Yeah, he deserved to lose his "job" over this.

Should people lose their jobs for what they say on Facebook/Twitter? It depends entirely on what they say and what their job is. In this case, yes. In all cases? No.

I dunno, it all depends on the context he said it in, doesn't it?

And really, I would rather have a nobel prize winner with poor social judgement working for me than...welll, almost anyone else.

I guess I would prefer a nobel prize winner with great social judgment, but it would seem that the set of people who win nobel prizes is rather small.

Ironically, if he was not such an accomplished human being, his social gaff would likely be ignored - it is only because he is so accomplished that there is enough of a faux internet outrage over it to warrant his being forced out by the howling mob.

He was at a gathering of women scientists and he said that there shouldn't be mixed labs because women were "too distracting" and "cried too much". The luncheon was about how to encourage growth in the sciences by women. He did not, at the time, say anything about it being a joke. (That came later.)

And again, his entire "job" (no pay) right now - Nobel Prize winner or not - is to go around lecturing and speaking on behalf of his University. He was there to represent his University on how to encourage growth in the sciences by women.

He failed spectacularly at his "job". Yes, he should have been fired.

[merithyn]

Surprise!

If you disagree with what I'm saying, then say so, and why. Try to pretend that I'm something more than a vagina. It would make a nice change.

[Berkut]

On 9 June 2015, Hunt gave a speech at the 2015 World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul, delivered at a lunch for female journalists and scientists, entitled "Creative Science—Only a Game?", in which he said:

"   Let me tell you about my trouble with girls ... three things happen when they are in the lab ... You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.[14]

So, I'm going to say that this kind of shows not only poor taste, but seriously poor judgment. He's effectively nothing but a lecturer and speaker now, and this is how he presents himself and his University. Yeah, he deserved to lose his "job" over this.

Should people lose their jobs for what they say on Facebook/Twitter? It depends entirely on what they say and what their job is. In this case, yes. In all cases? No.

I dunno, it all depends on the context he said it in, doesn't it?

And really, I would rather have a nobel prize winner with poor social judgement working for me than...welll, almost anyone else.

I guess I would prefer a nobel prize winner with great social judgment, but it would seem that the set of people who win nobel prizes is rather small.

Ironically, if he was not such an accomplished human being, his social gaff would likely be ignored - it is only because he is so accomplished that there is enough of a faux internet outrage over it to warrant his being forced out by the howling mob.

He was at a gathering of women scientists and he said that there shouldn't be mixed labs because women were "too distracting" and "cried too much".

No, he did not say that at all. He never said that there should not be mixed labs.

This is exactly the problem with this kind of response - you are imagining him saying something he never said, and inventing the context for him. When he tries to explain the context of it being a joke, you reject it out of hand in favor of your own context, which he categorically denies.

His comments were problematic, even if joking. The response is almost worse though. He said something stupid in the setting he said it - but the response has been to esentially lie about what he said to try to turn him into some kind of stereotype ogre of the boorish man in science.

The luncheon was about how to encourage growth in the sciences by women. He did not, at the time, say anything about it being a joke. (That came later.)

You don't normally announce that the joke you just made is a joke. Only later, when someone demands that it was NOT a joke is there a need to explain that it was...of course, you can just assume he is lying if you wish, I am sure you know better than he does what he meant.

[merithyn]

No, he did not say that at all. He never said that there should not be mixed labs.

Actually, he did say that exact thing.

LINK

Hunt, who was speaking at the World Conference of Science Journalists in the South Korean capital, Seoul, went on to say that scientists should work in gender-segregated labs, adding that he hoped not "to stand in the way of women," the Guardian reports.

This is exactly the problem with this kind of response - you are imagining him saying something he never said, and inventing the context for him. When he tries to explain the context of it being a joke, you reject it out of hand in favor of your own context, which he categorically denies.

His comments were problematic, even if joking. The response is almost worse though. He said something stupid in the setting he said it - but the response has been to esentially lie about what he said to try to turn him into some kind of stereotype ogre of the boorish man in science.

Um... yeah... except not.

The luncheon was about how to encourage growth in the sciences by women. He did not, at the time, say anything about it being a joke. (That came later.)

You don't normally announce that the joke you just made is a joke. Only later, when someone demands that it was NOT a joke is there a need to explain that it was...of course, you can just assume he is lying if you wish, I am sure you know better than he does what he meant.

Except that he was called on it right after his speech... and he didn't say anything about it being a joke. He didn't defend his comments at all until after the firestorm hit his doorstep the next day.

In fact, even his apology doesn't make mention of a joke. Instead, he says that he was "just trying to be honest".

"I did mean the part about having trouble with girls. It is true that people -- I have fallen in love with people in the lab and people in the lab have fallen in love with me and it's very disruptive to the science because it's terribly important that in a lab people are on a level playing field," he said. "I found that these emotional entanglements made life very difficult.

"I'm really, really sorry I caused any offense, that's awful. I certainly didn't mean that. I just meant to be honest, actually," he added.

The guy has no business being a talking head for a University anymore. Whatever his contributions to science, he clearly shouldn't be out giving speeches as a representative.

[Eddie Teach]

Given that this guy is a Nobel Prize winner he is probably more valuable to humanity than anyone on this board. I hate that we live in a world where this is not obvious.

Yasser Arafat also won a Nobel.

[Valmy]

Should people lose their jobs for what they say on Facebook/Twitter? It depends entirely on what they say and what their job is. In this case, yes. In all cases? No.

So...yes unless if fulfills some arbitrary distinction. That arbitrary distinction being what? How much outrage it generates?

Well I disagree. This seems more likely to create an atmosphere of oppression and terror to me. Well it already has. Color me terrorized.

It seems though that this was not some comment on a social media site though. The hashtag and vagueness of Marty's explanation made me think that it was. If he said it under that context, at a conference of some kind, well that is different.

[Berkut]

OK, I stand corrected - the guy is not just a minor dumbass, he is a complete dumbass. There is no "light hearted" way of saying that there should be segregated labs, especially when trying to clarify your comments, and then saying you stand my the basic content.

[LaCroix]

Given that this guy is a Nobel Prize winner he is probably more valuable to humanity than anyone on this board. I hate that we live in a world where this is not obvious.

doesn't seem like he's offered an extraordinary valuable to humanity for the past ten years. today, looks like he's just another has-been in his field.

anyway, re: context. this wasn't a joke among close friends at home. this was a speech at a conference. in those situations, there is never a time where non-comedians should make offensive jokes. it doesn't matter what the joke is. if "hitler was a great guy, and i applaud the holocaust" is unacceptable, then so is any other. it's inconsistent to disallow some offensive jokes but not others.

[Valmy]

Frankly it is not even the fact people might get fired it is the very public and arbitrary manner they are pilloried that makes it horrifying.