He clearly was an exceptional scientist, but also likely an a*hole. Also unfortunately when people get older, many people's negative qualities are amplified. That seem to have happened with Watson and has tarnished his legacy.
Especially when the accomplishment is built on basically stolen/unacknowledged work. I’d rather have more Rosalynd Franklin in the world than more James Watson.
Ask yourself why we talk so much about Franklin and so little about Gosling. Perhaps the world is, in fact, NOT as discriminatory against women as you think.
(There is also plenty of evidence that Franklin could be quite unpleasant. If that tarnishes Watson, then it certainly also tarnishes her. What is good for the gander is good for the goose.)
If we accepted peoples’ completely biased views of what makes a human “good”, that’s how I’d respond. But we don’t, which is why that would be a ridiculous response - just as ridiculous as pretending that being a meanie-head makes you a “bad person”.
Such childish playground logic exuberantly deployed in the pursuit of defending an unrepentant flaming racist asshole.
Do you always get so triggered when people call out racists that you're compelled to reflexively leap to their defense for some reason?
"I know you are but what am I" was funny when Pee-Wee Herman said it ironically and comedically, but not when you do.
We as a society should prioritize valourzing the non-assholes who do great things over the assholes who do great things.
I'm not trying to criticize those people or imply anything about them. But in my experience a lot of assholes kind of fly under the radar because they're not in the public eye and no one speaks up.
I personally know LOTS of brilliant people in the bay area tech scene who are not assholes, and are wonderful kind people, so if you only know assholes, you're hanging out with and licking the boots of the wrong people, and that's your problem, and you should re-think who your friends and heros are.
And I flagged your comment for accusing me of licking boots. You don't even know me. Do better.
I wonder if conflating assholery with talent or accomplishment is particularly common in bay-area start up culture.
Just seemed like a fun thought experiment.
People save other people's lives all the time. We hear about it and also would hear about people dying in the attempt and yet.. Don't hear much about it.
The less assholes you have to deal with in your day to day affairs the better off you are.
If the goal of the collective action is to cancel anyone who (like Watson did) asserts that one race of people is on average less intelligence than another race, then say so.