I'm With Awesome - Celebrate Matt Taylor, Don't Attack Him

"The best and worst of mankind in the space of a few days." Thorium Ð

Transcript: Hello everyone, Thorium here. Last week something stupendous took place: the European Space Agency successfully landed a probe, referred to as 'Philae', on the surface of a comet travelling at somewhere in the region of 55,000 kmph. To state the obvious: this is a historical first.
Amid scenes of jubilation, congratulation, and general feeling-good-about-humanity for a change, something entirely innocuous occurred. Matt Taylor, project scientist for the aforementioned Rosetta mission, had the temerity to wear a shirt.
Featuring heavily-stylised scantily-clad ladies, guns, and every colour known to man, it was nothing out-of-the-ordinary for those familiar with the world of Geekdom. As many of you will already know, this piece of attire sparked outrage on social media - as an aside, I am so fucking tired of the words: "sparked outrage on social media" - and became known as shirt-gate.

XOJane writer Susan Smith had this to say: "The fact that a scientist of any gender, but especially a man, would think it's a good idea to wear a shirt covered in naked women while representing a major space agency and a significant research project is appalling; and clearly, he had no idea that he was engaging in exactly the kind of casual sexism that drives women away from STEM"
How exactly is this shirt an example of casual sexism? Are the women dressed in maid outifts and begging their husbands for permission to meet up with friends? Are the women clad in victorian dresses, corsets and all, wimpering at the thought of having to lift a kettle lest they faint? No.

As for driving women away from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), is she unaware that there were female scientists working with Matt on this very project? Any individual who would give up their choice of career because of a geeky shirt has far bigger problems, for what it is worth.

The twittersphere also disgorged some inane tosh on the matter, such as:

"we land on a comet, and some twit just has to go spoil it. wake up ESA HR department; reprimand & apology in order."

The only twits spoling this momentous occasion are people like you, you clueless fuck.

"one small shirt for a man, one giant sexist remark for mankind".

You're aware that his shirt was covered in girls with guns, and not the words "bitches be crazy", right?

Fortunately, there were some people speaking sense:

"if a shirt is all that it takes to stop you from working at a job you're interested in, then you don't deserve to be in that particular field."

"if I had a doctorate from Imperial, and had just landed a space thingy on a comet, I'd wear what I damn well pleased.

Alas, the Feminists and Social Justice Warriors got their way, as they always seem to. Matt Taylor, while participating in a conference on the status of the Philae probe, had this to say.

The man was practically in tears. This is the crowning achievement of a life's work, and because a group of sewer-dwelling, knuckle-dragging, professionally-outraged, dictatorial cunts, he has been made to apologise in public for wearing a shirt. A fucking shirt.

I implore each and every one of you to visit Matt's twitter page, which will be linked to in the description, and send him your support. Show that the majority are fully behind him.

I would also encourage you all to check out the Indie-Go-Go project that has been set up to buy Matt and the rest of the Rosetta team a gift, specifically an astronomical watch. If you are able to donate even a dollar or two, I would appreciate it. Link in the description, as always.

It saddens me that we live in a world where great men like Matt Taylor are forced to kow-tow to the demands of cretins. This man led the first successful mission to land a probe on a comet. What have any of them achieved?

Links:

Matt Taylor Twitter: https://twitter.com/mggttaylor

IndieGoGo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ma...
 

Additional:
This is what a modern feminist looks like. "Heart warming story" via Stephen Fry's twitter.