Shirtgate

[fauxmaha]

Have you seen this?

One of the scientists on the comet mission is getting blasted for wearing this shirt on TV:



Heh.

I'm torn. On the one hand, that seems like pretty much the last thing I'd pull out of my closet if I thought there was a chance I would spend the day in the international media spotlight. On the other hand, if I just sent a washing machine 4 billion miles and landed it on a 2.5 mile diameter comet traveling 84,000 miles per hour, I might just wear whatever damned shirt I want.

[Deleted]

I can see why folks are complaining, but it always struck me that people in Europe tend to view such things differently (to wit, "Page 3 Girls," etc.) than we do. It isn't the type of shirt that is going to attract a lot of female students to STEM, and in the U.S., we need all those we can get.

I do know you'd never catch anyone from NASA wearing one, and they put men on the Moon using slide rules and computers with less computing ability than your basic cell phone.

[John B]

I was about to ask, "isn't he European?" but David beat me to my point.

[j]

So now European have a worse sense of fashion than Americans? What kind of bizarro world did I wake up in?!

[billhammond]

Nov 14, 2014 17:50:47 GMT -5 j said:

So now European have a worse sense of fashion than Americans? What kind of bizarro world did I wake up in?!

[dradtke]

Dammit, Bill.

[fauxmaha]

Didn't need to see that one. Thanks, Bill.

[Deleted]

Tattoo cool. Choice of shirt less so.

[billhammond]

Nov 14, 2014 18:07:41 GMT -5 fauxmaha said:

Didn't need to see that one. Thanks, Bill.

Like you've never seen a scantily clad man before ....

[j]

Borat is Central Asian.

[Doug]

Nov 14, 2014 17:50:47 GMT -5 j said:

So now European have a worse sense of fashion than Americans? What kind of bizarro world did I wake up in?!

 No just less hung up on sexual stuff.  

[Doug]

Nov 14, 2014 18:40:08 GMT -5 j said:

Borat is Central Asian.

Hey that's close enough to Europe for Americans.     

[billhammond]

Nov 14, 2014 18:40:08 GMT -5 j said:

Borat is Central Asian.

Oh, right. Sorry.

[j]

And that's just spiffy.

[Lonnie]

This is an example of everything I detest about political correctness. In the light of this astounding achievement there are people so wound up in finding offense under every rock. Jeez, people (not you, the shirtgaters), pick your battles.

[patrick]

Nov 15, 2014 11:29:30 GMT -5 Lonnie said:

This is an example of everything I detest about political correctness. In the light of this astounding achievement there are people so wound up in finding offense under every rock. Jeez, people (not you, the shirtgaters), pick your battles.

We do astounding achievement every day at the NIH and that shirt would get you fired.

Especially wearing it on a day you knew you would be on international TV.

[Doug]

I vote with Lonnie.  So short people and tall people vote that it's not something to get your panties in a twist over.  What they never wore bunny ears. 

[fauxmaha]

Nov 15, 2014 11:29:30 GMT -5 Lonnie said:

This is an example of everything I detest about political correctness. In the light of this astounding achievement there are people so wound up in finding offense under every rock. Jeez, people (not you, the shirtgaters), pick your battles.

I tend toward that view.

This is one of the most remarkable scientific/engineering achievements in history, and all the Junior Anti-Sex League can think to say is that he wore the wrong shirt.

That being said, it is a ghastly shirt, more suited for a stag poker game or a bowling league. But dude's a scientist. Not sure when we started demanding aesthetic sensibility from scientists.

[patrick]

Nov 15, 2014 15:15:29 GMT -5 fauxmaha said:

I tend toward that view.

This is one of the most remarkable scientific/engineering achievements in history, and all the Junior Anti-Sex League can think to say is that he wore the wrong shirt.

That being said, it is a ghastly shirt, more suited for a stag poker game or a bowling league. But dude's a scientist. Not sure when we started demanding aesthetic sensibility from scientists.

We don't expect aesthetic sensibility so much as a modicum of respect for your colleagues. I'm trying to think of the job in which that shirt would be appropriate. Maybe bouncer in a strip club.

Here's the control room of the NASA mission landing Curiosity on Mars:



Here's the SpaceX control room:



Not exactly a group obsessed by fashion. Its widely recognized that we are not attracting women into STEM careers, and women in them report high levels of sexual harassment and extra obstacles. If you're a girl thinking you like science and want to pursue it, do you want to work someplace where that guy not only thought that shirt was appropriate, but no one else so much as said, "Dude, really?"

Incidentally, I find the criticism of this shirt far less emotional than the criticism of the criticism.

[fauxmaha]

Nov 15, 2014 16:27:41 GMT -5 patrick said:

Maybe bouncer in a strip club.

One of the guys I work out with ("Big Lenny") works as a bouncer in a strip club. Dude's insanely big: Six feet tall, probably 425 pounds. Strong as an ox. Not fast, but any punch from him that connects will end any fight, and if he connects with a kick to the body it could be life threatening.

He's got some amazing stories. Mostly, guys take one look and want nothing to do with him. Occasionally, an alcohol and testosterone fueled patron will have a go at him, with bad results.

Not sure anyone tells Lenny what shirt to wear.

Incidentally, I find the criticism of this shirt far less emotional than the criticism of the criticism.

The criticism of the criticism of the criticism is what's really over the top.

But in all seriousness, its a bad choice in shirts, but the idea that women interested in careers in science are so fragile as to be dissuaded by that strikes me as rather sexist itself.