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How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

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Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#81

Post by Evolved »

onewaystreet wrote: post #39
Blahah wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Diverse, as long as you respect your colleagues. Wearing a t-shirt with scantily clad women (or men) on it is not acceptable in any workplace. Just like watching porn is not appropriate in the workplace. There is no end in sight for independent thought in science, but the end of thoughtless marginalisation of women is most definitely overdue. edit: honestly - downvotes for this? Think about what that means.

It's hard to say that he was disrespecting his colleagues considering that not one of them told him not to wear it. Even if they were scared to do so you would expect someone of higher or equal status to him to say something if it was really seen as a problem. IMO this is a culture clash between American and British culture. In the US it would be unthinkable for someone to wear a shirt like that just because it would…

Do you think they didn't tell him not to wear it because they didn't deem it offensive or perhaps even because they are scientists and engineers that determined that it is merely an article of clothing and it would be prudent to wear any shirt in lieu of going on camera not wearing a shirt at all? (I hope you appreciate the humor in my response as I upvoted yours because I agree with your thoughts on the matter).

Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#82

Post by Evolved »

mikeyouse wrote: post #34
nyrulez wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is this shirt sexist ? Since when are scantily clad women based themes sexist ? Or was it something he said that's missing in the article ?

It was a questionably appropriate shirt but when they interviewed him, he gave a strange answer about how this comet was “The sexiest mission there’s ever been. She’s sexy, but I never said she was easy.” http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/13/why-women-in-...

Thankfully, the term "sexy" doesn't just apply to sex as the informal definition is something exciting, appealing, interesting and/or stimulating.

Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#83

Post by [deleted] »

wozniacki wrote: post #63
lmartel wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have to agree with the sibling comment here, I still have no idea what you're getting at with the Blade Runner stuff or how it ties into the rest of your point.

You have me truly puzzled over whether you are feigning incomprehension over this or you honestly don't get what the ordinary joe six-pack or the average hockey mom makes of a future filled with dehumanizing conditions for mankind when coupled with the film's vivid representation of replicants [1] not to mention the deluge of postindustrial decay in its imagery. If you are truly clueless of how those images translate…

[deleted]

Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#84

Post by slacka »

sharkweek wrote: post #5

I highly recommend folks watch Particle Fever (for a variety of reasons, and it's on Netflix), but one section particularly stuck out, when the documentary addresses the original LHC location in Texas being de-funded. It shows members of congress arguing how "discovering the origins of the universe" should not be a priority. I think it's easy to make a very public argument against budgeting research, as the general p…

When the government needs to make cuts, science, education, and technology R&D should be the last to go.

Solyndra is another great example of how they demonized a R&D program designed to encourage energy independence. Instead of losing the planned $10 billion, the program has turned a profit for the government.

http://www.npr.org/2014/11/13/363572151/after-solyndra-loss-...

Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#85

Post by hellgas00 »

Houshalter wrote: post #65
sharkweek wrote: post #5

I highly recommend folks watch Particle Fever (for a variety of reasons, and it's on Netflix), but one section particularly stuck out, when the documentary addresses the original LHC location in Texas being de-funded. It shows members of congress arguing how "discovering the origins of the universe" should not be a priority. I think it's easy to make a very public argument against budgeting research, as the general p…

Has the LHC ever produced any benefit to humanity? Serious question.

Yes, humans now have a better understanding on how the fundamental building blocks of the universe work. Has this directly affected your quality of life, no. Do you derive enjoyment from knowing that your fellow man now has a better understanding of the inner workings of every atom that make up the mass around you? I do. Could it possibly benefit you in the future, that is unknown.

Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#86

Post by jarin »

bayesianhorse wrote: post #75
hobs wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, his shirt wont keep women away from science. The entire fiasco is not about science, it is LITERALLY the thing that I would want to avoid if I had planned going into this field, and I assume that women also do not want long drawn out discussions about what they are wearing INSTEAD of their impressive scientific achievements.

So you are saying pictures of scenes degrading and objectifying women as sexual objects can't make women feel degraded and objectified?

Consider that it may be more degrading and objectifying to treat all women as weak, fragile beings who must constantly be sheltered from things like shirts with retro tattoo art on them.

While the rest of us are busy trying to help provide opportunities for more women to get into STEM careers, there's a whole cadre of privileged, middle class noise generators doing a great deal of harm (or at the very least, not helping) with these sexist stereotypes.

Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#87

Post by hellgas00 »

Zikes wrote: post #50

What about three times as much on a video game nobody's heard of? http://freebeacon.com/issues/feds-spent-10-million-on-a-vide...

Does it lead to kids changing their dietary habits? I would have to guess not. If it did, would it be justifiable? The effectiveness of the product should be discussed first then the cost effectiveness of the product can be considered. There is no point of waving and screaming look at all of this money being spent on this thing, unless you also examine the thing which the money is being spent on.

Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#88

Post by jordanb »

lotsofmangos wrote: post #19

Reminds me of the research into French fruit flies that Palin tried to make the same political point with - http://news.sciencemag.org/policy/2008/10/french-fruit-fly-f... I wonder if they just find it icky and are then rationalizing the politics afterwards.

Palin shares her hatred of Fruit Fly research with Stalinist Soviet Russia[0]

[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism

Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#89

Post by icelancer »

wozniacki wrote: post #35
sharkweek wrote: post #5

I highly recommend folks watch Particle Fever (for a variety of reasons, and it's on Netflix), but one section particularly stuck out, when the documentary addresses the original LHC location in Texas being de-funded. It shows members of congress arguing how "discovering the origins of the universe" should not be a priority. I think it's easy to make a very public argument against budgeting research, as the general p…

When these topics, concerning the general disinterestedness and the indifference of the voting populace toward science and technology come up, one is left to wonder how it is even arithmetically possible in 2014, that there isn't yet a financially lofty interest-group apparatus in Washington, advancing policies that collectively foster the cause of basic research in science & tech. Where are the think tanks? Where ar…

>one is left to wonder how it is even arithmetically possible in 2014, that there isn't yet a financially lofty interest-group apparatus in Washington, advancing policies that collectively foster the cause of basic research in science & tech.

Not really. People who are interested in actually contributing to the world by scientific research and technological innovation have zero interest in a field that is overwhelmingly useless and idiotic: Politics.

Re: How a Shrimp Treadmill Became a Political Plaything

#90

Post by techsupporter »

jack-r-abbit wrote: post #9
8_hours_ago wrote: post #6

Add it to the list along with the million dollar space pen[0]. Oversimplifying things like that seems to be pretty common in politics. When you say something like "the government spent millions of dollars on a shrimp treadmill!!", the desired reaction is achieved well before any well-reasoned rebuttal can be made. And by the time that the truth comes out -- if it ever does -- it's too late to correct the audience's i…

"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes" Very few people will see this truth.

I've pretty much stopped talking, with actual words through actual speech, politics with people around me. What usually happens is "damn, did you hear about the stupid shrimp treadmill." Right as I go to inhale[0], whomever said the first sentence will inevitably cut me off with "yeah, yeah, I'm sure it's not that bad and there is some reasonable explanation that I'm not gonna get, but shit, man, shrimp treadmills, what the fuck?!"

0 - I freely admit that I can also be a little overenthusiastic about political matters, mostly because I'm really starting to dislike the sigh-and-keep-quiet approach.

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