Professor Hunt has been treated disgracefully by my alma mater, UCL, and should be reinstated immediately - along with a full and sincere apology from the faceless creeps that forced him to resign. He has been bullied without mercy by the professionally offended who have done nothing to advance the cause of female equality that they claim to represent. Freedom of speech is a universal right - not just for those whom the Guardian newspaper happens to agree with.
S
Simon Curtis
11 years ago
Free Speech Now!
N
Nick Wickham
11 years ago
UCL administrators should hang their heads in shame at creating a precedent of ceding the decision regarding the tenure of a distinguished academic based on mean, spiteful and hate-filled Twitter commentary.
M
Michael McVeigh
11 years ago
Loss of such knowledge for telling a non-PC joke should be a joke
A
Anonymous
11 years ago
Great scientist. Substantial career, and contribution to society. Makes joke -- oops. Crucified by feeble minded do nothings, and administrators on social media and real life. What have they accomplished? They've never said anything they regret?
J
John Temple
11 years ago
Equal opportunities?absolutely, unquestionably. Equal pay for equal work? always. Immunity from jokes - er why? I remember a maths department office - the staff there were mainly women - with posters with joke diagrams showing the single commitment cell in a man's brain, and listing the many problems for women that begin with the 3 letters "Men... " . Did I take offence? No, as a bloke, I thought they were rather amusing and quite clever. UCL should judge Prof Hunt by his scientific work and his historical actual encouragement of women, and not listen to the Twitter lynch mob. UCL and the outraged twiteratti should remember that the devil fell through taking himself too seriously. As far as I am concerned TH and UCL have both lost prestige and judgement in their respective actions, but TH will only harm himself, whereas UCL's unfair,unjust, hasty and ill-considered response will throw their integrity and fairness into doubt for ages; we bring disasters on ourselves so often. As the Professorship was honorary, Tim Hunt probably cannot sue for wrongful dismissal -alas. Can I please have an outraged Twitter storm the next time Prof Dawkins ridicules my deeply held Christian belief. Oops- that would possibly contradict my also deeply held belief in freedom of speech.
W
Willie Grieve
11 years ago
We shame ourselves as a society if Rim Hunt is not reinstated. UCL have already irremediably shamed themselves by acting so foolishly.
A
Anne MacDonald
11 years ago
I believe in free speech--even for men!
M
M. Edgar Joel
11 years ago
Because I don't want to live in a world where you must be perfect to keep your employment. I don't want to live in a world where you're deemed either right or evil; i.e good people aren't allowed to be wrong
A
Anonymous
11 years ago
Everyone makes mistakes and jokes get blown out of proportion. He's sorry.
E
ed stokes
11 years ago
There is no hope for the world of "jocular" comments cannot be seen as such. Tim Hunt being sacked is an outrage. He should be re-instated. This is PC and Twitter-dom gone mad.
Ed Stokes
S
Simon Whittaker
11 years ago
I can only hope that the senior at UCL who is responsible for this will meet his/her match one day.
S
Sperandio Reinaldo Del Caro
11 years ago
One instant of stupidity should not end a brilliant career. To err is human, forgiviness is divine.
C
Cristian Petculescu
11 years ago
What happened to Tim Hunt is totally unfair. Political correctness taken to the absurd.
P
Peter Thomas
11 years ago
Disgusting way to treat a man! He made a joke perhaps in bad taste but no reason to ruin his life and unleash such a storm of hate. Usual overreaction from the PC Brigade and the humourless, sour-faced harridans of the feminist movement!
E
Elena
11 years ago
This culture of hypocrisy is abhorrent. Tim Hunt must be allowed to continue in his field. More have done and said a whole lot worse. He quoted fact; the journalist who highlighted this needs to realise this.
C
Chris
11 years ago
The British went through 2 world wars but as colleague once said to me "today...we are as tough as Blancmange". Not nice to hear but I often wonder if he was right. We constantly beat ourselves up over what we did hundreds of years ago. We support those who wish us harm and we persecute those who make small human mistakes. When our businesses do well, we criticise them. We really are a screwed up nation.
K
Katherine Stafford
11 years ago
What a disgraceful witch hunt!
N
Ng Chee Eng
11 years ago
Brilliant scientist (man or woman) talking truthfully must be respected.
J
John Bradshaw
11 years ago
This crazy Country is controlled by (Ismist and Rights movements).
God help us
Professor Hunt has been treated disgracefully by my alma mater, UCL, and should be reinstated immediately - along with a full and sincere apology from the faceless creeps that forced him to resign. He has been bullied without mercy by the professionally offended who have done nothing to advance the cause of female equality that they claim to represent. Freedom of speech is a universal right - not just for those whom the Guardian newspaper happens to agree with.
Free Speech Now!
UCL administrators should hang their heads in shame at creating a precedent of ceding the decision regarding the tenure of a distinguished academic based on mean, spiteful and hate-filled Twitter commentary.
Loss of such knowledge for telling a non-PC joke should be a joke
Great scientist. Substantial career, and contribution to society. Makes joke -- oops. Crucified by feeble minded do nothings, and administrators on social media and real life. What have they accomplished? They've never said anything they regret?
Equal opportunities?absolutely, unquestionably. Equal pay for equal work? always. Immunity from jokes - er why? I remember a maths department office - the staff there were mainly women - with posters with joke diagrams showing the single commitment cell in a man's brain, and listing the many problems for women that begin with the 3 letters "Men... " . Did I take offence? No, as a bloke, I thought they were rather amusing and quite clever. UCL should judge Prof Hunt by his scientific work and his historical actual encouragement of women, and not listen to the Twitter lynch mob. UCL and the outraged twiteratti should remember that the devil fell through taking himself too seriously. As far as I am concerned TH and UCL have both lost prestige and judgement in their respective actions, but TH will only harm himself, whereas UCL's unfair,unjust, hasty and ill-considered response will throw their integrity and fairness into doubt for ages; we bring disasters on ourselves so often. As the Professorship was honorary, Tim Hunt probably cannot sue for wrongful dismissal -alas. Can I please have an outraged Twitter storm the next time Prof Dawkins ridicules my deeply held Christian belief. Oops- that would possibly contradict my also deeply held belief in freedom of speech.
We shame ourselves as a society if Rim Hunt is not reinstated. UCL have already irremediably shamed themselves by acting so foolishly.
I believe in free speech--even for men!
Because I don't want to live in a world where you must be perfect to keep your employment. I don't want to live in a world where you're deemed either right or evil; i.e good people aren't allowed to be wrong
Everyone makes mistakes and jokes get blown out of proportion. He's sorry.
There is no hope for the world of "jocular" comments cannot be seen as such. Tim Hunt being sacked is an outrage. He should be re-instated. This is PC and Twitter-dom gone mad. Ed Stokes
I can only hope that the senior at UCL who is responsible for this will meet his/her match one day.
One instant of stupidity should not end a brilliant career. To err is human, forgiviness is divine.
What happened to Tim Hunt is totally unfair. Political correctness taken to the absurd.
Disgusting way to treat a man! He made a joke perhaps in bad taste but no reason to ruin his life and unleash such a storm of hate. Usual overreaction from the PC Brigade and the humourless, sour-faced harridans of the feminist movement!
This culture of hypocrisy is abhorrent. Tim Hunt must be allowed to continue in his field. More have done and said a whole lot worse. He quoted fact; the journalist who highlighted this needs to realise this.
The British went through 2 world wars but as colleague once said to me "today...we are as tough as Blancmange". Not nice to hear but I often wonder if he was right. We constantly beat ourselves up over what we did hundreds of years ago. We support those who wish us harm and we persecute those who make small human mistakes. When our businesses do well, we criticise them. We really are a screwed up nation.
What a disgraceful witch hunt!
Brilliant scientist (man or woman) talking truthfully must be respected.
This crazy Country is controlled by (Ismist and Rights movements). God help us