Matt Taylor and Shirtstorm/Shirtgate

[Lolretadin]

No one seemed to have made a thread on this, but I supposed that it was about time someone started a thread to discuss the topic...

On Wednesday, November 12th, a team lead by Matt Taylor landed the Rosetta mission on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. What should have been one of the proudest moments of Taylor's life, however, took a turn for the worst when he and his shirt caught the ire of social-justice ideologues who sought to berate and shame Taylor for his choice in clothing, with many feminism-oriented websites, such as The Verge and Stem Women, journalists, such as Rose Eveleth, and even a few fellow scientists took Taylor to task, using him as a poster boy for men in STEM fields contributing to "the pervasive power of sexism" that makes women not want to enter said fields. The shirt in question was apparently made by his friend, Elly Prizeman, for his birthday. Since the drama has started, two hastags on Twitter have sprung up, namely #shirtgate and #shirtstorm. Taylor has since made a public apology during the live stream of the event.


Personally, I find this entire situation reprehensible and believe that it should be the people actively shaming Taylor who should have issued a public apology for their behavior; shaming and brow-beating someone to the point of tears for no reason other than them mildly offending your sensibilities is by no means appropriate behavior. This entire issue just screams to me that it's likely people with an agenda looking for a scapegoat to attempt to prove rampant sexism in STEM fields without doing any actual research into the topic. What do you all think of the issue?

Link dump for more information...
The Telegraph - "Rosetta mission scientist Dr Matt Taylor cries during apology over 'offensive' shirt"
The Telegraph - "Matt Taylor's sexist shirt and the day political correctness officially went mad"
CBC - "Rosetta Mission scientist apologizes for wearing 'sexist' shirt covered in half-naked cartoon women"
NPR - "'Shirtstorm' Leads To Apology From European Space Scientist"
The Guardian - "Rosetta scientist Dr Matt Taylor apologises for 'offensive' shirt"
DailyMail - "He can land a probe on a comet but he can't park a car! Sister of tattooed Rosetta scientist Dr Matt Taylor reveals his 'lack of common sense'"
Know Your Meme - "Shirtstorm"

[Moralgy]

Poor guy probably liked that shirt his friend made for him, but now, he won't ever wear it again because of some crazy people complaining very loudly.

[apepi]

A thread was made and locked about this topic.

[Deleted]

A thread was made and locked about this topic.

It was probably locked because it made feminists look evil.

[Al Gorefiend]

A thread was made and locked about this topic.

This one is well constructed that leaves room for both sides of the argument to speak their opinions. No mod worth their position would lock it.

[Nefarious Tea]

I think the funniest part about this is how the shirt was made by a woman. Now all the feminists will scream about " b-but MUH PATRIARCHY!!1!"

Personally? I give no shits about the artwork on his shirt, although I'm a little surprised he didn't wear something more formal to a press release.

[Deleted]

Should he have worn a differnet shirt when the eyes of hte world were on him? Probalbably, is it going to expllode world? No

- - - Updated - - -

I think the funniest part about this is how the shirt was made by a woman. Now all the feminists will scream about " b-but MUH PATRIARCHY!!1!"

Personally? I give no shits about the artwork on his shirt, although I'm a little surprised he didn't wear something more formal to a press release.

"IT was made by a woman!" is a bad dfense in the same way htat "It's not racist i have black friends" is a bad defense. Still, its an over reaction i think

[Fencers]

I am not totally sure what is offensive about the shirt other than it being somewhat loud & gaudy for a press conference.

Cartoon depictions of women are common and saturate every media in the world.

[Deleted]

I am not totally sure what is offensive about the shirt other than it being somewhat loud & gaudy for a press conference.

Cartoon depictions of women are common and saturate every media in the world.

Cartoon depictions of people, for that matter. How mayn of you know some gekeky guy girl rwhatever at work or school or w/e with bad with comic book space people on yes nothing enw wtith thsi short

[Fencers]

I thought the shirt artwork was pretty tasteful toward women given the style of shirt and artwork. It was deliberately Western comic book orientated artwork derived from pulp magazines and paperbacks.

Some comment I saw made mention to the effect: "Explain why I can't be a scientist in a space dress but this guy can wear that shirt."

Nonsense. Your argument isn't even understandable from the text you wrote.

This "outrage" is irrational.

[Yarathir]

I think I'd feel pretty shitty too, if my greatest scientific achievement was overshadowed by the fact that a bunch of oversensitive, whiny whiners who are only happy when they feel terrible, and when they make others feel terrible, didn't like the shirt I was wearing.

[THE Bigzoman]

I think I'd feel pretty shitty too, if my greatest scientific achievement was overshadowed by the fact that a bunch of oversensitive, whiny whiners who are only happy when they feel terrible, and when they make others feel terrible, didn't like the shirt I was wearing.

Nothing I could say could beat this.

GG yarathir.

[taliey]

This a controversy?

Goddamn patriarchy oppressing me through shirts.

[Thorngrove]

Hey. No one should be thought less of because of the clothes they wear.

No one deserves to be ridiculed because of the clothes they wear, nor should they be insulted, threatened, or all around treated like shit because of it.

No one has the right to bring someone too bloody TEARS because of what they wear.

http://i.imgur.com/KfjGkEr.jpg

[Nefarious Tea]

Hey. No one should be thought less of because of the clothes they wear.

No one deserves to be ridiculed because of the clothes they wear, nor should they be insulted, threatened, or all around treated like shit because of it.

No one has the right to bring someone too bloody TEARS because of what they wear.

http://i.imgur.com/KfjGkEr.jpg

Oh man, that fucking response at the end of that. Priceless.

[Zvinny]

Maybe these feminist organizations that harassed him can go land on a comet, and stay there.

[s_bushido]

It's stupid, and the people who made a big deal about it should be ashamed of themselves. If he had worn a shirt depicting...I don't know...some half-naked barbarian men slaughtering their enemies, no one would have cared. Other than to say: "man, what a tacky shirt"

[Garnier Fructis]

The -gate suffix is the worst crime committed upon the English language in the last century. It's practically an indicator of bullshit controversy, which the shirt thing really is.

[ramjb]

This is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read. But did he actually have to cry in front of a camera?

[Shadowmelded]

The -gate suffix is the worst crime committed upon the English language in the last century. It's practically an indicator of bullshit controversy, which the shirt thing really is.

A thousand times this.

OT: Yeah sure it's a tacky shirt but I think he's been more concerned with science and shit than keeping up with trends or what does or doesn't set off idiots on the internet.