{"id":21614,"date":"2015-07-14T05:45:21","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T09:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=21614"},"modified":"2015-07-13T22:28:57","modified_gmt":"2015-07-14T02:28:57","slug":"how-a-nobel-prize-winner-got-fired","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2015\/07\/how-a-nobel-prize-winner-got-fired\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Nobel prize winner got fired"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Timothy Richard Hunt is a biologist who won the Nobel Prize.\u00a0 A faculty member at University College London, a fellow of the Royal Society, and a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, he was knighted for his accomplishments.\u00a0 But he said this in a speech:<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they\u2019re in the lab: You fall in love with them; they fall in love with you; and when you criticize them they cry.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A lame attempt at humor.\u00a0 Offensive to women.\u00a0 Politically incorrect. So he got fired from all of his positions!\u00a0 Even though he has a Nobel Prize!\u00a0 (I wonder if they can take that away from him.)<\/p>\n

Lesson:\u00a0 No one is safe making those kinds of remarks.\u00a0 You can\u2019t joke about this kind of thing.\u00a0 Your intentions won\u2019t count.\u00a0 Your career will be in jeopardy.\u00a0 For all of our alleged lack of inhibitions, we do have social taboos and you will be punished if you break them.\u00a0 Even if you have a Nobel Prize.<\/p>\n

\n

From Geofrey Pullum,36 Words \u2013 Lingua Franca \u2013 Blogs \u2013 The Chronicle of Higher Education<\/a>:<\/p>\n

You\u2019re 72; a respected male biologist, fellow of both the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences, 2001 Nobelist in physiology and medicine, husband to a distinguished female immunology professor, knighted for services to science. You\u2019re giving an informal speech at a Women In Science lunch, part of a conference of science journalists in faraway South Korea. With a twinkle in your eye, you risk revealing your human side with a candid 36-word admission about your experiences when younger:<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they\u2019re in the lab: You fall in love with them; they fall in love with you; and when you criticize them they cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The audience smiles appreciatively at your self-deprecating humor, and your ironic flirtation with stereotypes.<\/p>\n

No it doesn\u2019t. This is 2015. The room freezes. You struggle on for five minutes trying to win back the stony-faced audience. The hole you\u2019re in is deep, but you just can\u2019t stop digging.<\/p>\n

And the room is full of journalists. At the speed of a tweet your remarks circle the globe. Overnight your name becomes mud.<\/p>\n

This was real life for Sir Timothy Richard Hunt FRS FMedSci, honorary professor in Life Sciences at University College London, between June 9 and 11. The Royal Society dropped him like a hot potato instantly, on the day of the speech. \u201cI\u2019m really sorry that I said what I said,\u201d Hunt told the BBC, back-pedaling desperately; but it was too late. Before he was off the plane from Seoul, his wife had been told that he must resign from UCL or be dismissed. 48 hours after the speech he had lost his departmental affiliation, his role in the European Research Council, and his seat on the Royal Society\u2019s awards committee. His academic occupation is gone.<\/p>\n

\u00a0[Keep reading. . .]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Timothy Richard Hunt is a biologist who won the Nobel Prize.\u00a0 A faculty member at University College London, a fellow of the Royal Society, and a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, he was knighted for his accomplishments.\u00a0 But he said this in a speech: \u201cLet me tell you about my trouble with girls. 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