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https://johnhorgan.org/cross-check/scientific-american-loses-its-bold-leader>
"HOBOKEN, NOVEMBER 15, 2024. Well before
Scientific American’s editor vented
her despair over the election, social injustice warriors were bashing the
magazine for its political views. Critics include anti-woke bros Jordan
Peterson, Charles “The Bell Curve” Murray, Pinker wannabe Michael Shermer,
Dawkins wannabe Jerry Coyne and the right-leaning
Wall Street Journal and
City Journal.
On election night,
Sci Am editor Laura Helmuth called Trump voters “racist
and sexist” and “fucking fascists” on the social media platform BlueSky, a
haven for Twitter/X refugees. Yeah, she lost her cool, but Helmuth’s labels
apply to Trump if not to all who voted for him.
Although Helmuth apologized for her remarks, Elon Musk (perhaps miffed that
Scientific American recently knocked him) and others called for her head.
Yesterday Helmuth announced she was stepping down.
Trump spews insults and wins the election. Helmuth loses her job. Critics of
cancel culture cheered Helmuth’s cancellation. I’m guessing we’ll see more of
this sickening double standard in coming months and years.
I’m writing this column, first, to express my admiration for Helmuth. She is
not only a fearless, intrepid editor, who is passionate about science (she has
a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience). She is also—and I’ve heard this from her
colleagues and experienced it first-hand--a kind, considerate person. That’s a
heroic feat in this mean-spirited age."
Via Dave Farber.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
