To iterate on this quality sneer:
We should tell Steven Pinker that cancel culture is the same thing as soliciting minors for sex work, so that he thinks it's okay when done over the internet.
I settled on continuing the riff “Someone should tell Steven Pinker that cancel culture is the same thing as a graduate student being sexually harassed so he won’t care about it”
Pinkers letter makes it sound like the dude just made a few
innapropriate jokes. And then you read the actual account and the guy is
sending shirtless pictures, fucked up lolita references, and love
letters about her feet. Very rational and honest there.
Got to love how Pinker didn’t even argue his friend didn’t do it,
instead arguing on the principle that he should be allowed to sexually
harass students because of how brilliant he is.
Some entire different world he must live in. The world I live in,
that’s an immediate termination. In case of a subordinate or an intern,
without even requiring that there is any complaint. And that’s great, it
keeps people from doing this shit.
edit: read that fucker’s entire letter:
http://philospot.com/letter-from-steven-pinker/ he’s also threatening
the university in the end.
Yeah, in a way it is much more damning than Epstein’s legal defense, although it would be interesting to see what exactly Pinker himself wrote in tab A at 3.
>such an action would put a chill on communication between faculty and graduate students and on the openness and informality on which scholarship depends.
Optimal faculty-student relationships are hot, open, and informal.
I hate that there is a cat in that picture, because it makes me want to respond "Kitty!!!!!!!" rather than the appropriate response, viz. copious vomiting.
What is he even trying to do here? What part of this is meant to arouse? The part where his upper arm pushes up that leathery hide of his?
I am so confused.
It is part of evolutionary psychology, you wouldn't understand, basically the fittest best man gets the best position in the heirarchy. And what do we value most in society? Smarts? Hell no. Looks? Nah, those are transitionary, and fade. Money and Power? Now you are getting somewhere, but that still does not describe the top.
If you look at the top of the world (The USA of course) right now, what do you see? A clown, so clearly the best of the best is somebody who makes you laugh. So by the rules of evo psych, if you laughed at professor who did weird pushups in front of his cat, he now OWNS you. And leathery hide professor demands you post feet!
Bruh, I didn’t even know this. Not even surprised, my experience in
academia tells me those instances are quite often, but pinker being that
public supporting this shit is like so unhinged
To be fair to Pinker, he changed his mind about the case later
on.
“There’s no doubt he behaved badly,” said the Harvard psychologist
Steven Pinker, who in June wrote a letter in support of Mr. McGinn but
said he has since revised his opinion of the case. “The outcome was too
severe, but there definitely should have been consequences.”
That's not "changed his mind" that's backpedalled a little in face of backlash.
How in the world was the outcome too severe? He broke a rule, not by accident. Following workplace rules is a condition for employment, just as actually showing up for work is. edit: also often times breaking rules is not tolerated even if rules are not broken in self interest but in pursuit of the overall corporate goal, which was most certainly not the case. It's not like he was I dunno staying late fudging regulatory paperwork to meet a deadline.
Taking my workplace as example: this kind of behavior is absolutely prohibited even if it is another employee (rather than a student/intern) and AFAIK even if the lower ranked employee is not positioned under you, and definitely even if there is no complaint from the person who's being sent those texts etc. My understanding is that this is the norm for white collar occupations. Absolutely prohibited doesn't mean stern talking to, it means getting fired. edit: also note that Pinks didn't dispute that it happened, he instead argued that this behavior should be tolerated because of how "brilliant" this professor is.
What other options are here for an employer anyway? Just let him get away with it retaining his position with a "warning" not to do it again? Ridiculous, so now you can just keep doing it until you get a warning.
[removed]
Pinkers letter makes it sound like the dude just made a few innapropriate jokes. And then you read the actual account and the guy is sending shirtless pictures, fucked up lolita references, and love letters about her feet. Very rational and honest there.
Got to love how Pinker didn’t even argue his friend didn’t do it, instead arguing on the principle that he should be allowed to sexually harass students because of how brilliant he is.
Some entire different world he must live in. The world I live in, that’s an immediate termination. In case of a subordinate or an intern, without even requiring that there is any complaint. And that’s great, it keeps people from doing this shit.
edit: read that fucker’s entire letter: http://philospot.com/letter-from-steven-pinker/ he’s also threatening the university in the end.
If I had to see this, you do too.
CaNcEl CuLtUrE
Bruh, I didn’t even know this. Not even surprised, my experience in academia tells me those instances are quite often, but pinker being that public supporting this shit is like so unhinged
To be fair to Pinker, he changed his mind about the case later on.
“There’s no doubt he behaved badly,” said the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, who in June wrote a letter in support of Mr. McGinn but said he has since revised his opinion of the case. “The outcome was too severe, but there definitely should have been consequences.”