After “the Death of the Author” It Only Takes 39 Words to End an Academic Career
39 Words versus curing cancer It only takes 39 words to end an academic career even if you are a Nobel laureate in physiology . . . or maybe it’s because you are a Nobel laureate. The sexist comments of the average smuck don’t go viral on Twitter. I can’t help imagining some futuristic Wikipedia article on “the cure of cancer.” It would go something like this: “Professor Tim Hunt’s work on cell division proved instrumental in developing the cure for cancer, however he became notorious and his career was ended in 2015 for his off-the-cuff remarks on women in science at a conference in Korea.” The 39 words in question According to The Guardian these are the 39 words which Professor Hunt uttered: “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in the lab. You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them, they cry.” The Danger of irony His wife, Professor Mary Collins, an immunologist, concurs wi