Watson “Retires”…
If you’ve been following the story of Nobel Laureate James Watson on this blog, and haven’t heard the latest news, the saga has taken its final twist. The Cold Spring Harbor Board of Trustees, who suspended Watson following the crazy public comments he made recently in London, have accepted his resignation with immediate effect. In case there’s any doubt - he would have been fired if he hadn’t resigned, so he really didn’t have any choice.
Watson has been an accident waiting to happen for years; he’s been making these kind of ridiculous statements: blacks are less intelligent than whites; Hitler had the right idea in trying to create a master race; aborting pregancies where babies would grow up to be homosexual would be a great thing)… all couched in psuedo-science, for years. However, the recent events were the first time he’s expressed his views to a national newspaper.
However, just as a week is a long time in politics, so it is in news. The fuss over recent events will die down, and I’d expect to see Watson back on the speaker circuit before long. I suspect, though, that will be a difference from now on… in the audiences. I very much doubt people will feel the need to keep quiet and listen respectfully to “the great man” if he starts spouting pseudo-scientific nonsense again. So, unless he sharpens up his act, I think he might be in for a pretty rough time…
Asam Bashir wrote:
I think it’s doesn’t really matter about Watson anymore, he is old and if he is senile then he should be treated like any other old person, with politeness and curtsy, just as you would with any other elder person..
What is important should be the fact that this is a clear statement from the British public and press to the scientific community - we’re in the 21 st century now, racism in any form is not acceptable under any circumstances - if you listen to someone with raciest views and you ignore it without saying anything you are just as bad and as guilty and perhaps, made to be just as accountable….
Posted 29 Oct 2007 at 2:43 am ¶