“He is responsible for the giant leap”


I missed something in the text of that fundraiser to buy an expensive prezzy for Matt Taylor to console him for his “abuse” at the hands of the monster feminists.

Matt Taylor is a project scientist for Rosetta, the first human made object to have ever landed on a comet.

He is responsible for the giant leap. It is a glorious moment for human space exploration and future.

Instead of receiving the recognition he deserved, he received tremendous backlash due to the fact that he was wearing a T-Shirt depicting scantily clad women.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaait a second there. No “he” is not responsible for the giant leap. Of course he’s not! What an absurd claim. The whole team is responsible for it, along with the many teams before them who did the work they built on. It’s a collaborative enterprise, to put it mildly. No one person is responsible for it. You can bet Matt Taylor would say the same thing.

This whole thing is unfair to him, along with everything else it is. He apologized, and then went on to do his job. I see no reason to think he wants outside parties inflaming what could and should have been over on Friday. I certainly don’t think he wants fans who claim he was responsible for the whole Rosetta project.

Comments

  1. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    All the better to keep the “Great Man Of History” narrative going. History is not about groups of humans trying to advance despite stumbles on the way, it is about Great (Male) Leaders inspiring lesser humans.

  2. Kira Des says

    Perhaps it could have been worded better. But did you miss the later parts of the text which talk about getting gifts for other members of the team?
    Nowhere does it say that he was the *only* one responsible.

    “I see no reason to think he wants outside parties inflaming…”
    And yet I see you writing post after post and tweet after tweet about it. Or do you mean he only wants to hear feminist voices, especially feminists who have the same views as you? Everyone else is ‘an outside party’ ‘inflaming’ the incident.

  3. Maureen Brian says

    Yes it’s that lone male genius fantasy again, folks. Now watch all the little gnomes run wild with it!

    Sadly for them, though, Dr Taylor has been in that post since just summer of 2013. Before that he was somewhere else entirely. And I have to report, gnomes, that when the theoretical work began 30-odd years or so ago he was at school.

    Of course he still did it all by himself, dears./snark

  4. Onamission5 says

    But success is like a pyramid! There’s always one very important white man at the top who serves as an underappreciated beacon to all we unwashed masses. Anyone else involved merely exists to provide him with a platform to stand on, their actual functions, credits, and accomplishments are irrelevant. You know who the Important Man is because he’s the one who gets to speak on television. Won’t anyone think of the obviously first tier important person, and everything he’s been through, utterly thanklessly, with zero reward? (except for that whole being on globally broadcast tv as the spokesperson, going down in history, was part of accomplishing something amazing thing)

    Dear Dawkins: Individual Chosen for Spokesperson =/= Island of Supreme Solitary Authority, Lone Wolf Who Did It All Himself. I have no doubt that Taylor’s contributions were vast and crucial to the project’s success. I also have no doubt that the same could be said for any of the potentially hundreds of not-Taylor people who also worked very hard and contributed years of dedicated effort to the historic success of the mission.

    Dawkins’ comment says way more about him and his perceptions than it does about Taylor.

  5. SteveG says

    Mumble mumble rah rah.
    I donated to his fundraiser bc I saw the guy break down on video due to pressure put upon him for wearing his Harmless shirt gifted to him by a pal of his. no one deserves that and if it can accept the Gift or not I will be happy if the almost 8 Grand gets donated to a charity he promotes or has promoted in the past

  6. Blanche Quizno says

    It’s also the “lone genius” concept that Jared Diamond discusses in “Guns, Germs, and Steel”, the idea that nothing happened for aeons, until a lone genius (always a man, somehow) just up and had this brilliant idea – from a vacuum. In reality, for every famous person to whom an invention or innovation is attributed, there were many others who laid the foundations, did the ground work, and established the precedents that facilitated the later developments:

    All this is not to deny that Watt, Edison, the Wright brothers, Morse, and Whitney made big improvements and thereby increased or inaugurated commercial success. The form of the invention eventually adopted might have been somewhat different without the recognized inventor’s contribution. But the question for our purpose is whether the broad pattern of world history would have been altered significantly if some genius inventor had not been born at a particular place and time. The answer is clear: there has never been such a person. All recognized famous inventors had capable predecessors and successors and made their improvements at a time when society was capable of using their product. – Jared Diamond

    The whole “standing on the shoulders of giants” quote (the most familiar version of which comes to us from Sir Isaac Newton) is far more realistic than, for example, Lee Iococca, in his embarrassing book where he takes all the credit for “revitalizing” Chrysler motor company, thus creating the myth of the “Super CEO” and justifying those insanely huge top executive salaries and leading to the development of one of the most unhealthy wage gaps in the world. It is “leadership” that causes the entire company to be successful, in other words, not the fact that lots of people worked really hard to make it happen (and weren’t paid for their contributions, of course).

  7. Anthony K says

    As the saying goes,

    “If I have seen further, it is by standing on these super-tall legs I grew by willpower alone!

  8. Kevin Farrell says

    I’d just like to point out that those organising this are also planning to give gifts to other members of the team. Part of the reason for the main focus on Dr Taylor is that he is the one reduced to tears on what should have been a wonderful day by a simple minded media narrative that demonstrated the very lowest parts of human nature.

    Consider it if you will as something of a collective apology on behalf of the kinder parts of humanity for his treatment by the media.

  9. Blanche Quizno says

    I meant “weren’t paid adequately for their contributions, without which no success would have been possible, and whose efforts were never acknowledged”, of course.

  10. Remember your humanity says

    If you read the rest of the campaign, you would realize that it actually intends to raise enough to gift something to the whole Rosetta Team. Clearly the organizer’s heart is in the right place. Why is it necessary to tear into a kind act? Surely even if you disagree with the philosophy behind it you cannot think that doing something kind to someone who has undoubtedly experienced significant abuse is bad. Also, perhaps before you judge the organizer’s intentions, you might want to get to know them. (she is a woman in science, which a small amount of research or communication could reveal.) A slight benefit of the doubt would allow you to realize, especially if you took time to research the organizer, that there is not a literal claim that one person is responsible for the landing. People like you who focus on attacking shirts and charities, while ignoring the context and humanity of people involved, are why positive conversations rarely happen.

  11. Kevin Farrell says

    Dismissing people on the basis of who/what they are rather than the validity of arguments or evidence presented…

    I suppose that given the root of this whole Shirtstorm nonsense is people embracing style over substance despite it being utterly fallacious it shouldn’t surprise me. As for the gifts to other members of the team, look at the actual indiegogo page, or better yet talk to the person that started it. You’d be amazed how far you can get with basic things like reading and actually talking to people…

    The person that started collecting the donations is indeed a supporter of GamerGate. As a journalism graduate with a serious disdain for unethical conduct by journalists, so am I.

    I have noted that she has deliberately not involved this campaign with the hashtag as this is unrelated to games journalism.

  12. Jackie says

    Yep, the gamergaters have taken up this cause too because clearly it is all about ethics in gaming journalism.

  13. Kevin Farrell says

    “Yep, the gamergaters have taken up this cause too because clearly it is all about ethics in gaming journalism.”

    It’s almost as if I didnt metion directly above this that is wasnt about gaming journalism…wait, I did…five minutes before you posted this.

    Do you automatically dismiss things on the basis of who is involved rather than what they’re doing, or are you capable of independent thought? Judge people on what they actually do…it isnt hard. Not on what they look like, or how they dress, or how that makes you “feel” but on their actual words and actions!

    An attitude where feelings trump empirical evidence is more likely to keep someone from success in a STEM field than any shirt.

  14. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    Kevin, is there anything about GG that is not disingenuous and terrible?

  15. Z says

    Support from GGators is unsurprising, since “Shirtgate” has been all over the usual GG haunts, e.g. the “KotakuInAction” sub-reddit. And yes, it’s no longer “about ethics in game journalism”, if it ever was. It’s a “culture war” with feminists, excuse me, “SJWs” now.

  16. Lady Mondegreen (aka Stacy) says

    given the root of this whole Shirtstorm nonsense is people embracing style over substance despite it being utterly fallacious…

    Oh, sweetheart.

    The “substance” of the objections has been clearly and repeatedly explained.

    And you need to learn the meaning of the word “fallacious.”

    If you read the rest of the campaign, you would realize that it actually intends to raise enough to gift something to the whole Rosetta Team.

    Riiiight.

    If they receive more than the goal, the rest of the team might possibly receive small tokens:

    If more money is received, it would make it possible to either organize a large dinner for the entire team or send everyone a bottle of whiskey with a custom label mentioning their names and role in the mission.

    ^ From the Indiegogo page.

    Gamergaters are so cute when they pretend to give a shit about reason or “humanity.”

  17. Hj Hornbeck says

    Oh wow, this is total deja-vu. The only other fundraising campaign that person set up was GamerGate’s contribution to UNICEF. That had a pretty clear goal:

    Naturally, a large number of people have been less than receptive in regards to the movement’s aforementioned goal, and have subsequently treated members within GamerGate with acts of harassment and general hostility. However, regardless of one’s stance on GamerGate, what many may be unaware of is that, on October 17th, individuals associated with GamerGate set a proverbial ball in motion by donating over $10,000 to the PACER Center National Bullying Prevention GamerGate Charity in less than 24 hours.The aforementioned charity was started in response to the various acts of cyber-bullying and “doxxing” (which is the Internet practice of researching and publishing personal information about an individual) suffered by individuals on both sides of GamerGate.

    It was a blatant Xanatos Gambit. If you tried to alert UNICEF that they were getting money from a hate group, you were depriving needy children of charitable funds. If you let it pass, you were helping legitimize GamerGate by allowing them to pull the “but look at all the good charity work we do!” card.

    This fundraiser doesn’t look any different, though it’s a bit more transparent about it.

  18. Kevin Farrell says

    “Kevin, is there anything about GG that is not disingenuous and terrible?”

    What exactly do you think is?

    Provide some detailed examples and I’ll be more than happy to discuss them with you. I’ve spoken with many people that have helped with the #GamerGateHarrassmentPatrol, working to report abusive behaviour and doxxing on twitter. I’ve spoken with others who have been working to uncover details of the financial ties between the developers of Fez and the Indie event that gave it awards. I’ve looked into the quality of the BBC coverage myself, finding it rather disappointing in relation to the duties of a public service broadcaster, which was one of my main areas of study at university. There’s been evidence collated of numerous ethical breaches by various journalists working in the gaming press and a massive collective effort to document them at http://press.gamergate.me/dossier/

    I’ve seen trolls send death threats to people on both sides, though when you dig a little it is generally clear that it is indeed third party trolls for the most part. @Teridax_ being a prime example of such. There’s also been plenty of hate from prominent figures against #GamerGate, including for example Geordie Tait who seems to be genuinely mentally ill and calling for a ‘final solution’ to the gamer problem.

    But if you have particulars you would like to debate please let me know, though it is not really related to the topic here. I’m easily reached via twitter if you wish to talk @Fearghul.

  19. Kevin Farrell says

    So, donating to UNICEF is a bad thing because the people donating are bad people?

    Purity above all?

    What would it take to prove that GamerGate isnt a hate movement to you?

  20. Kevin Farrell says

    “Oh, sweetheart.
    The “substance” of the objections has been clearly and repeatedly explained.
    And you need to learn the meaning of the word “fallacious.””

    Where? All I’ve seen are articles full of bullshit about how discouraging and chilling this objectifying shirt is. I’d really love to see these clear explanations that aren’t based on vague assertions that lack supporting evidence.

  21. says

    If anyone were curious to what extent Kevin Farrell is commenting in good faith here, his Twitter account is fairly contra-indicative on that score. Not worth the effort.

  22. Kevin Farrell says

    “How about a solid argument that they aren’t a hate group? Because right now, the science says they are.”

    Be sure to get back to me when there’s something that actually qualifies as science rather than a blog post by a student. You are aware she has not actually graduated, right? That is clear in the article isnt it? What about her published papers? I’d love to read those…shame I cant find a single one…

    Jezebel has no editorial standards, and given that the Gawker Media Network has been the primary target of GamerGates ire they would be the last people I’d turn to for an objective piece or reporting.

  23. Hj Hornbeck says

    Kevin Farell @28:

    All I’ve seen are articles full of bullshit about how discouraging and chilling this objectifying shirt is. I’d really love to see these clear explanations that aren’t based on vague assertions that lack supporting evidence.

    Benson did post a link to this a few days ago.

    [Tamar] Saguy’s study is one of the first to provide evidence of the social harms of sexual objectification – the act of treating people as “de-personalised objects of desire instead of as individuals with complex personalities”. It targets women more often than men. It’s apparent in magazine covers showing a woman in a sexually enticing pose, in inappropriate comments about a colleague’s appearance, and in unsolicited looks at body parts. These looks were what Saguy focused on. […]

    Saguy explains, “When a woman believes that a man is focusing on her body, she narrows her presence… by spending less time talking.” There are a few possible reasons for this. Saguy suspects that objectification prompts women to align their behaviour with what’s expected of them – silent things devoid of other interesting traits. Treat someone like an object, and they’ll behave like one. Alternatively, worries about their appearance might simply distract them from the task at hand.

    So you can start there.

  24. carlie says

    All I’ve seen are articles full of bullshit about how discouraging and chilling this objectifying shirt is. I’d really love to see these clear explanations that aren’t based on vague assertions that lack supporting evidence.

    Let’s walk through this slowly.

    Assertion: this shirt is discouraging and chilling to women in science.

    What would the evidence be? Answer: women in science saying this is discouraging and chilling.

    Articles written by women in science: “Hey, this shirt was discouraging and chilling.”

    So Kevin, how exactly is that “bullshit”?

  25. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    Kevin, when some of the biggest names supporting GG are long time right wing activist, a lawyer selling fraudulent products, “dark enlightenment”, technocrats who argue that enslaved people had a sweet deal, MRAs and others of that ilk, I really have no desire to talk about what GG actually stands for. The people who carry the water says everything I need to know.

    But I guess I should thank GG for defending Western Civilization.

  26. Hj Hornbeck says

    Kevin Farrell @30:

    Be sure to get back to me when there’s something that actually qualifies as science rather than a blog post by a student.

    You never read that article very closely, did you?

    Xanthe @29:

    If anyone were curious to what extent Kevin Farrell is commenting in good faith here, his Twitter account is fairly contra-indicative on that score. Not worth the effort.

    Duly noted.

  27. Kevin Farrell says

    “If anyone were curious to what extent Kevin Farrell is commenting in good faith here, his Twitter account is fairly contra-indicative on that score. Not worth the effort.”

    I have said that I felt I might be banned here given that apprently the person who posted the indiegogo is banned from commenting here. Other than that I’d love to see some evidence of your assertion. What have I said that makes my opinions worth dismissing?

  28. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    And now Kevin Farrell has painted himself as a martyr for free speech.

    As for why I hate GG.

    Fucking burgersandfries is enough.

  29. Kevin Farrell says

    You claimed science disagreed, what I read was a students blog post saying they really felt that GamerGate fitted the definition they had read somewhere.

    Pro-tip, I asked for evidence, something that blog is woefully lacking in, particularly since GamerGate fails to actually fufill the first criteria on the list, that of leadership…the smuding of the work of Woolf and Huslizer just continues from there. Of particular note she feels that mockery of her poll constitutes proof of dehumanization by GamerGate without any evidence of such.

    Without that part what you have is the definition of a group.

  30. Hj Hornbeck says

    Kevin Farrell @37:

    You claimed science disagreed, what I read was a students blog post saying they really felt that GamerGate fitted the definition they had read somewhere.

    Just a student?

    Allaway’s research began as part of Willamette University’s Carson Undergraduate Research Program. Through the program, select sophomores and juniors receive grants up to $3,000 to undertake scholarly, creative or professional summer research projects.

    Allaway’s presentation, “Sexism and the Game Industry: An Empirical Study,” was based on 34 interviews and a survey, which accrued 344 respondents. She co-presented with Necrosoft Games Director Brandon Sheffield.

    C’mon now, you’re not arguing against her at all, you’re just tossing out ad hominims as if they meant something. You asked for evidence, and you got it. Now get to an actual argument.

  31. Kevin Farrell says

    I’m no martyr and make no claims to be. I pointed out the only thing I’ve said which I felt might be taken as disingenuous and asked what it is I’ve said on twitter that makes you think I am.

    I’m a journalism graduate with a particular interest in ethics. I’m many other things as well, but that is what connects me with GamerGate. I’ve spent several years of my life studying ethics in relation to the media with many excellent academics, and I do not care to see those standards sullied. Quality of sources, verification of information and most of all separation of author and subject have all been handled poorly in the gaming media and need to be addressed. I’ve run across this in other issues and become involved then too, no women in those cases, but if you look in to Hitz Radio from Prestwick and the situation there, you’ll see another one where press failed massively on the first two points I mentioned. Most of the British tabloids, along with many local papers and the BBC itself all failed miserably to uphold basic journalistic standards. I complained vociferously about those as well.

  32. Kevin Farrell says

    “Why do you say “apprently the person who posted the indiegogo is banned from commenting here”? No she’s not.”

    I mentioned that because that was the context of what I was replying to with my tweet. She said that she tried to comment and was banned. I used the term “apparently” because I have no confirmation and I do take that kind of thing seriously.

  33. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    Because Kevin has to spin the narrative that he is the brave defender of facts and great men standing up against the baseless hatred of GG.

    So, Kevin, please explain the goings on of the former burgersandfries and the racism, sexism and homophobia of 8chan.

    And why so many of the big name defenders are open bigots.

  34. Kevin Farrell says

    “Just a student?”

    Yes. What you posted amounts to “popular student”

    As for ad hominem, that is the standard of the article and I’ve addressed it in kind.

  35. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    Fine, Kevin is no martyr but damn, he likes to plants his words with plausible deniability. Because he takes such matters seriously.

  36. Lady Mondegreen (aka Stacy) says

    I’m a journalism graduate with a particular interest in ethics. I’m many other things as well, but that is what connects me with GamerGate.

    Come off it. “Gamergate” started with indefensible attacks on women who dared to criticize some aspects of some games. Which made gamers look bad, so in a desperate attempt at a hail mary they invented the “it’s about ethics in journalism” line.

    Quality of sources, verification of information and most of all separation of author and subject have all been handled poorly in the gaming media and need to be addressed.

    Which has jack to do with the issue under discussion.

  37. Lady Mondegreen (aka Stacy) says

    Why do you say “apprently the person who posted the indiegogo is banned from commenting here”? No she’s not.

    Heh. Betcha “she” is (under another nym.)

    Oh, Kevin, you slipped up there!

  38. Hj Hornbeck says

    Kevin Farrell @43:

    What you posted amounts to “popular student”

    Scholarships are earned through popularity? Look, you talked a big game about caring about ethics and quality of sources, but in the end you’ve done nothing but ignore evidence and dodge arguments. It’s a pathetic show, and really highlights how disingenuous GamerGate supporters tend to be.

    We’re done here.

  39. says

    What would it take to prove that GamerGate isnt a hate movement to you?

    Huh. That’s rather like asking “What would it take to prove that the KKK isn’t a white supremacist movement to you?”

    The hate is in the acts of self-proclaimed gamergaters. The only way to undo recognition of that hatred would be to reverse time or brainwash the people who have observed it.

  40. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    Kevin, just what do you think of Milo’s claim that GG is defending Western Civilization?

    And why is he using such a racially loaded term?

    And just how did DD save the only civilization worth saving?

    Not a hate group, my fucking ass.

  41. Kevin Farrell says

    “Because Kevin has to spin the narrative that he is the brave defender of facts and great men standing up against the baseless hatred of GG.”

    I’m not attempting to spin a narrative. I leave narratives to hacks, you’re welcome to them.

    “So, Kevin, please explain the goings on of the former burgersandfries and the racism, sexism and homophobia of 8chan.”

    You have been on the internet long enough to know that the chans are brutal in their approach to everything? Right? Everyone is a “faggot” on the chans, newfag, oldfag, namefag, anonfag….its not a term actually related to sexuality any more there, its just part of the cultural lexicon.

    You are aware that 8Chan for example is involved in a legal dispute with
    Julien Blanc at the moment…the PUA and extreme misogynist? Here is an example of what their LAWYER is like:

    https://media.8chan.co/takedownjulienblanc/src/1416096575643.pdf

    They are indeed assholes, but that’s not the same as being a hate group. I have never said that everyone connected with GG is some kind of saint. The world is not a black/white place with good guys and bad guys. I have pointed out that GG as a collective is trying to do something good with regards to ethical standards, that doesn’t mean that everyone connected with it is good and incapable of being wrong.

    You want an explanation of the burgerandfries stuff? It’s the internet, pithy phrases are catchy and will spread like wildfire. It was a line in the blog of Eron Gjoni that got used in the title of a video….that video got taken down on the basis of a DMCA claim. Censorship kind of kicked a lot of this stuff off….so the “fiveguysburgerandfries” thing became a talking point, referring to the video as well as the content of Eron’s blog. Pithy phrases are at the heart of memes spreading on the internet, see “shirtstorm” for another example…

    I personally dont give a damn who sleeps with who in what configurations. I do give a damn about journalists not disclosing relationships with sources and also about censorship of discussion. It’s impossible to deny that Eron’s blog was a spark that helped kindle the fire of the latest round of outrage at the gaming press, but its not really a core of the issues with gaming journalism. Close connections between devs and journalists is. From the connections between Phil Fish, Gamasutra and the IGF to the reviewing of friends work by Patricia Hernandez, its unacceptable conduct for someone calling themselves a journalist.

    Gamergate isnt some saintly group, and all this talk of martyrs is stupidly messianic.

    “And why so many of the big name defenders are open bigots.”

    Who in particular are you referring to? I know there are assholes aplenty supporting stuff…I’d need to know who you consider a “big name defender” and “open bigot” to really address that one.

  42. Kevin Farrell says

    “The hate is in the acts of self-proclaimed gamergaters. The only way to undo recognition of that hatred would be to reverse time or brainwash the people who have observed it.”

    There is a major difference between the KKK and GamerGate, do you have any actual evidence of acts committed by supporters of gamergate causing harm to someone? Do you have any actual evidence of a coordinated campaign of hate or harassment?

    What acts? Give specific details please.

  43. carlie says

    Kevin, you haven’t answered. What would you accept as evidence that “that shirt contributes to an unwelcome climate for women in the field”, if not actual corroboration from women in the field that it makes them feel unwelcome?

  44. Kevin Farrell says

    “Kevin, just what do you think of Milo’s claim that GG is defending Western Civilization?
    And why is he using such a racially loaded term?
    And just how did DD save the only civilization worth saving?
    Not a hate group, my fucking ass.”

    It’s an editorial piece, it is opinion. That is his opinion, which is why I figure he wrote it. So long as opinion does not preclude accurate information and there is no hiding of relationships and proprietary interests, its not an issue. I’ve dont agree with Milo’s politics, but I do my utmost to be “one of those civilized individuals who did not insist upon agreement with his political principals as a precondition for conversation or friendship.” and hope that its possible for others to do the same. I do not care much for opinion pieces/blogs, but I dont take issue with them so long as they arent misrepresented as some kind of fact or proof of anything….

    Or is Milo’s piece proof that GamerGate has saved western civilization in the same way that the Jezebel article above is proof too?

  45. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    You have been on the internet long enough to know that the chans are brutal in their approach to everything? Right? Everyone is a “faggot” on the chans, newfag, oldfag, namefag, anonfag….its not a term actually related to sexuality any more there, its just part of the cultural lexicon.

    And yet it remains the home of GG.

    And some part of GG is against Julien Blanc.

    Good for you! You get a cookie. And we will all pretend that Adan Baldwin, Milo Yiannopoulos, Davis Aurini, Jordan Owen, Justine Tunney, Matt Forney, Mike Cernovich and others are not long time bigots. And people like Christina Hoff Sommers plays “based mom” in order to keep her form of anti-feminism a talking point.

    So, yes, Kevin, I will dismiss a movement of assholes, built on lies and championed by by long time bigots.

    And I will dismiss you.

    Deny it all you want, you you have a narrative and facts will not detract it for you.

    Have fun being an asshole troll.

  46. Jackie says

    Cupcake Kevin,
    You’re like a creationist in every way. You’re foolish, dishonest and ignorant. Still, you think you are the smartest guy in the room and the brave defender of truth. You’re shitting on the board right now and I have no doubt that you think that means you are winning.

  47. Kevin Farrell says

    “Kevin, you haven’t answered. What would you accept as evidence that “that shirt contributes to an unwelcome climate for women in the field”, if not actual corroboration from women in the field that it makes them feel unwelcome?”

    Given the number of women in STEM fields that have said they dont have a problem with it, do you suggest we play dueling annecdotes to see who can collect more? I’d like some kind of causal mechanism linking his personal dress sense to gender disparity in STEM fields.

    How does the fact that a scientist is dressed in regular clothing that they personally like do anything other than show that scientists are normal people too?

    Do you feel that scientists need to be held to higher standards in their attire to ensure that they present the right image and help foster the right attitudes in others?

    Does it interfere with the work they are doing? Is it materially unsafe? If the answers to those are no, then its irrelevant what the hell they’re wearing.

  48. komarov says

    I’d be curious to know what Taylor thinks of this effort.

    Principally I can accept the notion of raising some cash to send a successful mission team a few gifts. It’s an interesting idea, the online version of giving an artists flowers after a successful performance perhaps.*
    But the way this has been handled, the way they set up the fundraiser taints it from the start. It’s not about the successful mission, it’s not about the team. It’s probably not even about Matt Taylor – a figure of convenience at most – but about that damned shirt. It’s about women who pointed out a problem and were (miraculously) listend to. Matt Taylor has already apologised and still they are propping him up on a horse to use as a symbol for some cause that is pointless, backwards and utterly lost.

    In Taylor’s place I’d feel very uncomfortable about this. People raising cash to send me gifts for a project in which I made up just one part of a huge effort? And worse, they are doing this because I screwed up and was called out about it? I wonder what the gift card would read. “Nice shirt, mate!”, perhaps? That seems to be the sentiment and it’s about as appropriate as “Condolences for your loss” tacked onto a birthday present. Thanks, but I’ll need that receipt.

    In short: Interesting idea, terrible implementation, awful motivation. Let’s try this again next time CG-67P comes around the sun.

    *As I recall, back in the shuttle days a couple used to send a bunch of flowers to mission control for each launch. They even put in some special flowers (might have been roses in different colours) as a remembrance for those who died aboard Challenger and Columbia. NASA-TV covered this briefly when the shuttle was retired and it seemed like a very nice gesture. (The flowers, not the coverage, although …)

  49. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    Given the number of women in STEM fields that have said they dont have a problem with it, do you suggest we play dueling annecdotes to see who can collect more? I’d like some kind of causal mechanism linking his personal dress sense to gender disparity in STEM fields.

    Let’s us ignore all of the women who just got tired of daily displays of sexism that the shirt represents and either dropped out or never entered STEM fields, fields that these women could have been qualified for.

    What you are doing is just a more verbose way you yelling, “Women need to grow a thicker skin!”.

  50. Kevin Farrell says

    First off, the main reason there is GG on 8Chan is because it was banned from 4Chan…secondly there are a lot of communities that are part of GG, notably KotakuInAction on Reddit for example.

    “Good for you! You get a cookie. And we will all pretend that Adan Baldwin, Milo Yiannopoulos, Davis Aurini, Jordan Owen, Justine Tunney, Matt Forney, Mike Cernovich and others are not long time bigots. And people like Christina Hoff Sommers plays “based mom” in order to keep her form of anti-feminism a talking point.”

    I have only heard a small handful of the names on your list there. Adam Baldwin is an actor and largely irrelevant, Milo is a journalist and has at least attempted to keep facts accurate in his reporting I might not agree with his politics, but I can acknowledge that he has done decent work in information gathering….

    The next four I’ve never even heard of….

    Mike Cernovich has been quite clear that he isn’t a leader of gamergate, just that he agrees on some issues with it. He’s also recieved threats and had his personal information published as a result, which while I dont care for him as a person is unacceptable, much like the threats against Zoe Quinn, Brianna Wu, Anita Sarkeesian and others….I dont have to like someone to agree with them, and I dont have to disagree with someone simply because I dont like them. I prefer looking at what they have to say on any given topic.

    I’ve not seen anything particularly objectionable about the writings or work of Sommers, do you have some examples that I could see? I would be interested to know if she’s advocated anything outright barbaric.

    If you want to play guilt by association do you want Arthur Chu, Iain Miles Cheong and Geordi Tait for your club? Perhaps you’d like to be called homophobic because you disagree with someone who is gay?

  51. angharad says

    HJ Hornbeck posted a link above to a study that shows a ‘chilling ‘ effect from sexualisation of women. Here’s a link with several references to studies which demonstrate more. Including that people tend to rate (any) women as less competent after viewing sexualised imagery of women.

  52. Jackie says

    komarov says,
    Exactly right.
    They are not recognizing him for his accomplishments. They had no intention of sending him a gift previously and it isn’t as if this endeavor was initiated and completed over night.
    They are lauding him for wearing a sexist shirt on TV as a representative of his team and their mission. He’s getting a treat for scoring a point for Team Misogyny.
    I hope he rejects this gift publicly. If he does not, I will doubt the sincerity of his apology.

  53. Jackie says

    I noticed this on the Twitters:

    Canoness Julie M.△ ‏@milky_candy 4h4 hours ago
    @OpheliaBenson Just read your article about my fundraise. That was both childish and petty – Never said a thing about feminists. #shirtgate

    Relax, y’all. This has nothing to do with feminism.
    Bwahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa…
    *cough*
    *clears throat*
    Haaaaahahahahaha!

  54. Iliad says

    Pretty sure it should have been over before the idiot interviewing him decided to ask that stupid shit. She should have been fired, that should have been the end of it. Letting it end after making him cry and apologize for doing absolutely nothing wrong absolutely cannot be the end of it.

  55. Hj Hornbeck says

    There’s a weird contrast there. First three tweets I saw:

    Pinned tweet:
    GAWKER MEDIA HAS BEEN LEGALLY SHADY http://wiki.gamergate.me/index.php/Operation_UV … #OpUV NOW FUCKING LAUNCHED. #GamerGate BURN EM ALL.
    4:31 PM – 6 Nov 2014

    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/matt-taylor-rosetta-project-scientist/x/8928769 … Help me get a gift for Dr.Taylor and the Rosetta Mission Team! #ShirtGate #ShirtStorm #SupportMattTaylor
    6:26 PM – 16 Nov 2014

    Meinos Kaen (retweeted by @milky_candy)
    2nd, this is far from over because #GamerGate’s just the spark of something MUCH bigger. #shirtstorm and @milky_candy are proof. Night. 2/2
    6:06 PM – 16 Nov 2014

    Do the supporters of GamerGate really think we’re that dumb?

  56. says

    Check your privilege Ophelia Benson. You have no right to demean another human being, regardless of their sex. You have no right to dictate to them what they want to wear. You have no right whatsoever outside of your own personal life. Stop dictating to men, or it will come back to bite arseholes like you on the arse. And while I’m at it, I’m one of the many gay men who despise everything that feminists like you stand for. You’re disgraceful excuses for human beings and don’t deserve oxygen to breathe, let alone a platform to scream your hate from.

  57. carlie says

    I do give a damn about journalists not disclosing relationships with sources and also about censorship of discussion.

    Really. If we look at your online record, will we see that you’ve been an activist about it for the last several years, since large companies have always bought good reviews and advertising, or did you only get into it recently after there was a woman being threatened?

    Given the number of women in STEM fields that have said they dont have a problem with it, do you suggest we play dueling annecdotes to see who can collect more?

    How many have to be driven from the field before you think it’s important? Does it have to be half? Because I think it only has to be one before changes should be made.

    How does the fact that a scientist is dressed in regular clothing that they personally like do anything other than show that scientists are normal people too?

    Calling that “regular clothing” is incredibly disingenuous, and you know it.

    Do you feel that scientists need to be held to higher standards in their attire to ensure that they present the right image and help foster the right attitudes in others?

    Yep.

    Does it interfere with the work they are doing? Is it materially unsafe?

    It interferes with the work the other scientists around them are doing. It’s really amazing how people who aren’t in the sciences seem to think it’s all about one guy standing in front of a lab bench all by his lonesome self. Science doesn’t work like that.

  58. Hj Hornbeck says

    me @64:

    Do the supporters of GamerGate really think we’re that dumb?

    Richard Olsen @65:

    Check your privilege Ophelia Benson. You have no right to demean another human being, regardless of their sex. …

    Well, that answers that.

  59. carlie says

    You’re disgraceful excuses for human beings and don’t deserve oxygen to breathe,

    “You shouldn’t wear that shirt because it creates a hostile environment”

    “Yeah? Well, you deserve to die”

    Well, that escalated quickly. Nothing ridiculously outsized about that response. Oh, wait.

  60. says

    So if I wear a Coed Naked shirt to work, people online will raise thousands of dollars for me? Good to know, going down to Spencer’s Gifts after work tomorrow.

  61. Al Dente says

    Richard Olsen @65

    Check your privilege Ophelia Benson Richard Olsen. You have no right to demean another human being, regardless of their sex. You have no right to dictate to them what they want to wear write.

    Free speech, just like you MRAs pretend you’re in favor of.

  62. Lea says

    Did it ever occur to you that she made this fund raise because she was unhappy with the way Matt was belittled for his clothing choice? You’re a dense lot.

    I am a STEM woman, I study physics. Anyone getting offended by a mere t-shirt *that actually looked cool* should get their heads checked.

  63. Janine the Jackbooted Emotion Queen says

    First off, the main reason there is GG on 8Chan is because it was banned from 4Chan…secondly there are a lot of communities that are part of GG, notably KotakuInAction on Reddit for example.

    I am aware of that and I do not care. I have seen enough 8chan communication to prove to me these are the racists, sexist, homophobic and transphobic shitheels I want to avoid.

    “Good for you! You get a cookie. And we will all pretend that Adan Baldwin, Milo Yiannopoulos, Davis Aurini, Jordan Owen, Justine Tunney, Matt Forney, Mike Cernovich and others are not long time bigots. And people like Christina Hoff Sommers plays “based mom” in order to keep her form of anti-feminism a talking point.”

    I have only heard a small handful of the names on your list there. Adam Baldwin is an actor and largely irrelevant, Milo is a journalist and has at least attempted to keep facts accurate in his reporting I might not agree with his politics, but I can acknowledge that he has done decent work in information gathering….

    He only named the fucking thing. And I bring up the politics because the reactionary politics of burgersandfries is what attracted Baldwin in the first place. as for his facts being accurate? Laughable.

    The next four I’ve never even heard of….

    I am not part of this shitstorm yet I have heard of them. You must be busy defending the good name of GG to notice.

    Mike Cernovich has been quite clear that he isn’t a leader of gamergate, just that he agrees on some issues with it. He’s also recieved threats and had his personal information published as a result, which while I dont care for him as a person is unacceptable, much like the threats against Zoe Quinn, Brianna Wu, Anita Sarkeesian and others….I dont have to like someone to agree with them, and I dont have to disagree with someone simply because I dont like them. I prefer looking at what they have to say on any given topic.

    He is a grifter who found easy marks. And because he has a long history of threatening people, he got some of his treatment back.

    I’ve not seen anything particularly objectionable about the writings or work of Sommers, do you have some examples that I could see? I would be interested to know if she’s advocated anything outright barbaric.

    Color me surprised.

    If you want to play guilt by association do you want Arthur Chu, Iain Miles Cheong and Geordi Tait for your club? Perhaps you’d like to be called homophobic because you disagree with someone who is gay?

    Hot even in the same neighborhood. GG is an organized group that is purposely hiding behind newly created account, in order to to create the plausible deniability that you and many others are making use of. There is no active anti-GG group, just a lot of people trying to put up with dishonest bullshit.

    And you, Kevin, are full of shit.

    Now please, show me everywhere where I am wrong. I do not care. I will not respond to you again. But I hope that the people reading reading this blog gets a good laugh at your words.

    Bye.

  64. carlie says

    If you want to play guilt by association do you want Arthur Chu

    Because he ran the Jeopardy board differently than most people do? Color me confused.

  65. says

    Oh look, a mansplainer appeared in the comment section. Color me SHOCKED. It’s almost like we’ve heard it all before and these people cover their ears and pretend to be making points.

  66. Jackie says

    Check your privilege Ophelia Benson.

    You don’t even know what that means.

    Didn’t read the rest. I can only assume it’s as pointless and stupid as this.

  67. Jackie says

    Lea,
    He didn’t say he was mistreated. He said he was sorry. She doesn’t give a damn about his feelings. This is about her axe and the excuses she’ll use to grind it. It’s about supporting and encouraging sexism.

    You not being offended personally does not make the shirt stop constituting harassment in the workplace. It doesn’t stop it from being sexist or inappropriate. So fuck off, snowflake. You don’t get it and you don’t want to.

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