What do you call a society where honesty and factual data are less respected than falsehood and fanciful illusions? One of the things you might call such a society is unsuccessful.
On June 9, 2015, Sir Tim Hunt, a Nobel prize-winning British biochemist, resigned from University College London after being labelled sexist. Among the “terrible” things he said was that one of the problems with girls in the lab is that they cry when criticized. He also spoke of love affairs in the labs reducing efficiency. I have read many articles in women’s magazine discussing how women in business find their tendency to cry when getting negative feedback problematic. My real-life experience, and probably yours as well, tells me that women cry more easily than men. For goodness sakes, women watch certain movies in order to make themselves cry! How many men do you know who do that?
Anyone who lives in the real world knows this to be true just as they know that flirting, relationships and affairs interfere with productivity. They are also almost inevitable when people spend hours together daily, united in a common cause. Dr. Hunt wasn’t saying that women shouldn’t work in labs; he was simply saying that sex-segregated labs might be more productive. Yet, it was deemed irrelevant whether Sir Tim’s accusations were true or not. In today’s hyper-sensitive world offense trumps reality and qualified people must be hounded from their jobs if they aren’t politically correct. (After all, we mustn’t make women cry.)
The ludicrousness of this entire episode should serve as a plot for a slapstick comedy. That it instead serves as a prescription for running scientific research is a tragedy. In Ayn Rand’s brilliant book, Atlas Shrugged, the talented and accomplished members of society escape to live in their own secret world. In effect, they have given up on the stupid, petty and unsuccessful politicians, media spokesmen and bureaucrats who are running things. As exemplified by the protagonist, John Galt, they refuse to work any longer only to be vilified for their achievements.
Resigning from his position, Sir Tim Hunt said, “I’m really really sorry that I caused any offense, that’s awful. I just meant to be honest, actually.” How foolish of him! Honesty has long been expelled from academia. Not surprisingly, wisdom accompanied it out the door.
We can demand that scientists be suave, dishonest sycophants. We can demand that they be full of tact and personable. We will pay the price with fewer inventions, life-saving discoveries and technological advances. Certainly, many of the fruits of science that enhance our lives owe their creation to people who would never have won a congeniality award. It may be a price that women who want the right to cry and also don’t want anyone to mention their tears are willing to pay, but I pity the rest of us who will live in the world these small-minded, Madame Defarge reincarnations (and their male counterparts) create.
Hey, sorry ‘bout that. The movie may be interpreted as a metaphor for the calamity provided by anything, any factor whether terrestrial or extraterrestrial, that depersonalizes or dehumanizes a human being, i.e., robs a human being of essential human characteristics. AJW cross-reference: think of an extraterrestrial invasion of Nimrod as a bean pod on an insidious, parasitic VINE.
That explains my ignorance. I don’t do terrifying.
The VINE grows more Body Snatcher seed pods to take over more humans (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Movie of the 1950’s, remade in the 1980’s, both times terrifying).
What is VINE, Peter?
I love what you wrote, Lora.
Atlas Shrugged is one of those books I wished I hadn’t read. I wanted to just have that “ignorance-is-bliss” thing going for me. But it doesn’t really work like that anyway. A few days ago my brother was talking to me on the phone, wondering aloud if and when we might have to come together and build enclaves for safety and to preserve truth. Reading your post soon after his comment just brought it more strongly to mind.
I do know this much: we can make our homes as enclaves of a smaller sort. It’s something that I know many, many people do. It has become more clear than ever that this means redefining everything, from peace and joy to success and sustainability. We have to return to God’s definitions of what life is, what gives it meaning, etc. It may mean we go without some things, too, especially those things more completely corrupted by worldly influences. I also see other changes around us- Christian colleges offering more courses, and more free courses, all accessible long distance. I see some artists and authors, etc., putting forth powerful testimonies of Good and God. I think people of faith are coming together and building relationships- emotional and spiritual enclaves- so I think we are being lead by God to prepare. I just want to get my life in better order. I hope I can improve my faith and then have the courage to act in whatever ways are asked of me. One day at a time, I guess.
You said it, Pete! It’s as if the Invasion of the Body Snatchers is complete and successful. It’s in their DNA: the liberals are all the descendants of seed pod changelings that have submerged their humanity beneath the imperative of the VINE.
It is rather scary how quickly this is all happening.
Hi Susan:
The way Sir Tim Hunt has been treated over his failed attempt at humor is beyond disgraceful. What it illustrates is how the political Left is not unlike the Islamic Supremacists in how it deals with blasphemy, i.e. violating the doctrine of Political Correctness (read: Totalitarian Orthodoxy). The latter justify capital punishment for what their Shari’ah law deems to be blasphemy while the political and academic Left has to settle for destroying the heretic’s livelihood and legacy. Either way, they both revere and advocate a muscular government to suffocate the rights of the individual along with freedom of speech in the process.
That’s another quote I’d like to see!
Me too! IF I find it, I’ll send it along to you somehow. Did he say that all women were hypersensitive? NO. Did he say anything bad about women? NO. He was trying to protect himself because of a few at the outer edges of the bell curve, maybe feminists among them, that take quick offense and fly off the handle. Between you and me, I’m glad I don’t have to endure the roller coaster of hormonal emotion. Once on a Health Network channel they interviewed some man who was ‘transitioning’ like Bruce. He spoke about receiving megadoses of estrogens and lamented on the air that estrogens unleashed a veritable tidal wave of emotions and tears and nothing could prepare a man for that onslaught.
I’m going to look for that Dr. Seuss quote.
Sir Tim is not the first. In a news interview long before the false doctrine of political correctness was mandated by the Journalistic Left, the kindly old Theodore Seuss Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) was asked why so few of his cartoon characters were female. To this he replied: “Girls are hypersensitive and quick to take offense at perceived attacks or slights, so I find it better just to leave them out (or words to that effect).” For all the good that Dr. Seuss has done for children in our culture, I shudder to think how the Leftist media thugs would brutalize the poor Doctor for such a reply today. A man has a right to his opinion. Let a man speak his peace and leave him alone!
In this programmed defamation and marginalization of Sir Tim by search-and-destroy media-bots, we are seeing just one more assertion of their senseless diatribe, how women and men are equal, and that gender and differences between men and women are mere arbitrary social constructs and false facades the patriarchy erects in order to enforce the dominance of men over women. And anyone whose opinion deviates from the Party Line must be destroyed. Wrong. Biomedical sciences confirm that there exist biologically based differences between men and women. Up Sir Tim for telling the truth!