Bring Back Tim Hunt!

I am a feminist but I feel that the way that Sir Tim Hunt has been treated is completely disproportionate to what he said. Look at his record on equality over the decades not a few ill-judged remarks.

Punishing any sexist, racist or prejudiced spontaneous comment will create an intolerable atmosphere, contrary to science (and reason).

This poor man doesn't deserve to be treated this way!!

Give me a break. Someone's life's work destroyed over this? Witch hunt much? Good grief.

I disagree completely with what he said, I think he should submit a better formal apology, and I think we should all work towards a better gender implementation in science. On the other hand, I think the witch hunt was shameful, and the outcome was out of proportion. It was just a joke, a bad sexist joke, he shouldn't have his career destroyed just for that.

I don't like witch hunts.

This is a witch-hunting, to punish a Nobel Prise Winner for his joke in such a cruel way! Tim Hunt is not a sexist ! And - yes, I am a women working in science.

Disgraceful.

This witch-hunt is not about one of the best scientists of the UK, who expressed in a nut-shell and somewhat ironically exaggerated his own experiences. It is about the bigotry of an society, in which everybody who is not sharing the current version of politically correctness, is optionally a rassist, a fascist or - a sexist. It is the easiest way to get rid of him or her. It is reminiscent of the cultural revolution in China where 'revisionist' professors were driven out of their offices by their prospective students, to do farm labour. The results is known. It also reminds me on my own experience in communist East Germany were people were forced to public self-critism when stating opinions in conflict with the official propaganda. It is sad to see that these times come back.

Tim Hunt has been an excellent and productive scientist for many years. He has been a first-rate mentor to young scientists, both male and female and of many backgrounds adn nationalities. Unlike many senior scientists he also has a sense of humour. Not all of his jokes are funny and not all of them are in good taste but does the punishment really fit the crime in this case?

A fine man like Sir Tim should be exalted, not abused like this, it's awful.

This is truly a sad state of affairs. Public shaming by every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the Internet has reached alarming rates, and with the success it is receiving, it is not likely to abate.

Dr. Hunt's comments should be considered as light hearted and of minor significance.

This is a silly witch-hunt case, Hunt was unfairly treated by the media mob. He should not be forced to resign or to be sacked. Equality should be based on quality merit, not on quota or on politically correctness or against male or female, in action.

Professor Sir Tim Hunt has been subjected to a gross, retributive and disproportionate "justice" by the University administration, which appears to have reacted materially in reliance on a hyperbolic and mostly wilfully misinformed reaction from media and social media. His remarks have not been interpreted in light of a sober and contextual analysis, but have been held up as damning exemplars of *committed* and obnoxious views which he does not hold. He has been treated as a *representative* of these views, and the retribution he has suffered has been justified on this *representative* basis. What matters according to this version of retributive “justice” is the extent to which an individual's putative transgressions are indicative of *systematic* wrongs, which the individual did not cause and is not bound by a legal obligation solely to cure. What happened to a legal process which focuses primarily on the nuances of individual intention, action, and circumstance? What happened to natural justice? The University's response is alarmingly precipitous, suppositious, unjust, and damaging both to science and the principles of “equality” and “diversity” it purports to uphold. And the University's statement that it “accepted” Sir Tim Hunt's “resignation” *in order to* send a "signal" about its "commitment" to these principles is a disgrace, implying as it does that the gentleman is positively *not* committed to them or positively threatens them. How such a conclusive judgement, and potentially defamatory imputation, could reasonably arise solely from a proper consideration of the words Sir Tim Hunt actually uttered is totally mysterious, compounding the wrong the University has inflicted.

this is pc gone mad. Shabby treatment by UCL. Unnecessarily nasty and destructive. Not women's finest hour!

Science > Feminism

Absurd that a good man should be trashed over a single off-hand remark, which when you come right down to it, is probably true.

How many people had try to make a joke and came out as stupid comment. Judge Sir Tim Hunt for this comment forgetting all his acomplishment is ridiculous and inhuman.

Sense of humor is one of the rarest commodity here in Korea. I am sure whatever he said was in a joke and If he was serious then it was his freedom of speech. Women can criticize men and Men can criticize Women.. Its called the freedom of speech..