Is it something in the Bovril?
Cat Ferguson at BuzzFeed reports:
Tim Hunt, who won the 2001 Nobel Prize in medicine for his work on cell duplication, was speaking at an invitation-only lunch in honor of women in science. He reportedly opened his talk by saying: “Thanks to the women journalists for making lunch.”
The 72-year-old scientist went on to say that he has a reputation as a chauvinist, and that labs should be segregated by sex. The problem with female scientists? “You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticize them, they cry!”
“You” of course are a heterosexual male. Isn’t everyone? Everyone who counts?
Hunt is a member of the Royal Society, which quickly distanced itself from the remarks, first tweeting “Tim Hunt’s comments don’t reflect our views,” and then releasing an official statement.
“The Royal Society believes that in order to achieve everything that it can, science needs to make the best use of the research capabilities of the entire population,” they wrote on their blog.
“Too many talented individuals do not fulfill their scientific potential because of issues such as gender and the Society is committed to helping to put this right. Sir Tim Hunt was speaking as an individual and his reported comments in no way reflect the views of the Royal Society.”
Also, he’s obviously an asshole, and assholery is not part of the mission of the Royal Society.
The problem is that there are too many male scientists who ASSUME women fall in love with them. Why do they assume they are such sex magnets? I’ve been in many a lab (and field) situation with male scientists, and haven’t fallen in love with any of them, nor have they fallen in love with me. And none of them ever made me cry. Spit nails? Yeah, from time to time. Cry? No.
Ophelia,
I think you’re probably right, but it’s not so obvious to me; might it be he was indulging in the second person (i.e. speaking for himself) rather than speaking for science?
FUUUUUUUCCCCK this guy. Arggggg.
Wow.
Ugh. I’m well familiar with this brand of smug old scientist. I’ll never forget one of them, who led a graduate seminar, looked angry when several women attended, and assigned them seats in the back of the room (yes, he made us sit in assigned seats, and he actually called roll each week). I distinctly remember him asserting once that “women have no place in the sciences.” He was a really shitty educator, too.
ahh well then he was speaking as an individual. I imagine the Royal Society is made up of lots of individuals, at least one of whom has his old grey head up his old grey ass. I only say this b/c I am in love with him, of course. . .
The club in “old boys club” is the one the caveman carries as he drags a woman by the hair. That certainly seems to be his attitude, and he “thinks” it’s normal.
O RLY?
Tim Hunt was on Radio4 Today this morning and being made to grovel.
I’d love to think that Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society and pretty clued up about this, would have him in for a little talking to!
“…went on to say that he has a reputation as a chauvinist”
In that case, what prat invited him to speak at this particular lunch ?
I’ve met Tim Hunt several times and he seems to suffer from a special, more benign kind of “Nobel disease”. While not thinking of himself as science Jesus as many other Nobel prize winners seem to do, Hunt really enjoys celebrating his status beyond the rat race that is science by taking nothing serious and filling his public appearances with stupid jokes and boring anecdotes. His sexist remarks are thus likely the results of misplaced joviality. While this excuses nothing, Hunt never seemed like a old smug, petrified asshole à la Watson or Dawkins. I really really hope – and I am not entirely pessimistic about that – that this episode leads Hunt to actually fucking think. I also wonder if Hunt had anything of use to contribute to the meeting.
Yikes! I missed this part when I read it on Pharyngula.
This tells me he is not just some casual misogynist with a bad case of oral diarrhea. He seems to have gone out of his way to hurt women as much as possible. Fuck him!
The Royal Society should kick him out so fast he leaves skid marks on the pavement. If they don’t, fuck them too!
I recently had a fellow tell me that girls get all emotional but guys just get mad. I pointed out that anger was an emotion. He was speechless. I think he’ll think about it some… I hope.
“Old gents’ club” Huh? Sexist assholes have been found to exist in all age cohorts. Your choice of headline suggests unaware ageism. As for Cat Ferguson, if Hunt were not 72 but 32 would that age be pertinent? I may be that sexism skews toward older men,, perhaps there is research. Iit also may be that the old are more likely to have a public platform on which to display it. The gratuitous stereotype is not useful to anyone.
Oh for fuck’s sake. I’m old myself. It’s a play on Old Boys’ Club.
If it had been “old gent’s club” that would have been ageist. Old Boys’ Club uses “old” in a different way – it doesn’t mean all the boys in the club are old.