Chris Lintott’s Universe

May 8th, 2007

For the record

Posted by chrislintott in Uncategorized

I disagree with (almost) all of this. But you knew that, didn’t you?

21 Responses to ' For the record '

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  1. Rob Simpson said,

    on May 8th, 2007 at 8:16 pm

    Good! I’d hope so too. But just so you know, some of the old fogeys in Cardiff muttered something like “well he’s just saying what we all think”. Which I said was utter bo**ocks and thankfully we don’t allow TV to be dictated by octogenarians. (That’s what the monarchy is for…).

    Haven’t three of his five Sky at Night producers been women?!

  2. Dave Pearson said,

    on May 8th, 2007 at 8:28 pm

    Which bits don’t you agree with?

  3. Ceebs said,

    on May 8th, 2007 at 9:00 pm

    Ok so which bits do you agree with?

  4. Richard said,

    on May 8th, 2007 at 9:44 pm

    I read this today, and I must say Patrick certainly knows how to stir things up! No shrinking violet he. Still, if you can’t have your own opinions at 84, when can you have them?

  5. Jo said,

    on May 9th, 2007 at 7:50 am

    It’s sad that many otherwise intelligent people hold odd views. Richard Feynman is my absolute hero and idol, but he didn’t think women were capable of analytical reasoning or deduction. He changed his mind somewhat on overhearing them discuss the geometry of a knitting pattern, but he still thought you would have to change your methods of teaching for the gender of your audience.

  6. chrislintott said,

    on May 9th, 2007 at 10:40 am

    I thought this was spot on: He claimed that interesting programmes were screened too late at night, and said he would “rather be dead in a ditch” than appear on Celebrity Big Brother. but that’s about it.

    I’d say Joan Bakewell is about right in the Guardian today, especially here:

    If the programmes are no good, the explanation lies elsewhere: the relentless demands of multiple channels, pressures to catch and retain popular attention, tight budgets imposed on struggling programme-makers, and the BBC’s global ambitions to be all things to everyone: broadcaster, publisher, website, world service.

  7. Heather said,

    on May 9th, 2007 at 12:01 pm

    I think Patrick should watch the Harry Enfield sketch ‘Women – know your limits’
    He would absolutely love it! ;-)

  8. Jo said,

    on May 9th, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    I agree that many interesting programmes are screened far too late at night *waves*, but the introduction of BBC4 has really helped to make these more programmes accessible. The amount of cooking, DIY and reality shows I have to trawl through to find something worth watching is depressing, so thank go for the internet! :)

    Also – I watched The Sky at Night special on the Sun, looking forward in particular to seeing my lecturer, Yvonne Elsworth on her specialist subject, along with another guest. It distressed me to see her sidelined and practically ignored throughout the interview. It’s lonely being a woman of science.

  9. Ian Regan said,

    on May 9th, 2007 at 12:48 pm

    Dr. Phil Plait (aka the Bad Astronomer) rules out any future appearance on The Sky at Night after Patrick’s comments:

    http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2007/05/08/patrick-moore-blows-it-big-time

  10. Sticks said,

    on May 10th, 2007 at 7:45 am

    On Phil’s Blog we have tried to get him to change his mind, could you not post on his Blog or get in touch with Phil as he won’t speak to Patrick.

  11. chrislintott said,

    on May 10th, 2007 at 9:26 am

    I sent him an email as soon as I saw the post. I hope he’ll reconsider – it feels horrific that the whole team gets tarred with the same brush. Or indeed, tarred at all.

  12. Sue Mitchell said,

    on May 10th, 2007 at 11:08 am

    Good to know there’s someone on T.S.A.N. to balance such a misogynistic and sweeping generalization. His comments lacked the objectivity which is a sine qua non for a scientist. Sad, very sad. :-(

    We enjoyed the 50th Anniversary party though. :-)

    Best wishes,
    Sue – whose 10th birthday was celebrated by the Russians launching Sputnik 1. {BG}
    –

  13. Sticks said,

    on May 10th, 2007 at 11:26 am

    I sent him an email as soon as I saw the post. I hope he’ll reconsider – it feels horrific that the whole team gets tarred with the same brush. Or indeed, tarred at all.

    Playing “Devil’s Advocate” the counter argument could be that if you did not all resign from TSAN then by default you whole heartedly endorse his viewpoint because you are still prepared to work for him. Maybe the only way to save TSAN is to sacrifice Patrick.

    I remember Sir John Harvey Jones once said to the guy who developed Apricot computers, that “The art of business was to kill your favourite child – so that the others may live”

  14. chrislintott said,

    on May 10th, 2007 at 11:46 am

    You are joking, aren’t you? I hope so.

    Has Patrick ever used the Sky at Night as a platform for these (or indeed, any other non-astronomical) views? No.
    Would he be allowed to do so? No.
    Does the Sky at Night discriminate against women? No.
    Does my working with Patrick mean I agree with his politics? No.
    Am I thoroughly sick of this whole sad, sorry episode and do I wish Patrick had kept quiet? Hell, yes.

  15. Sticks said,

    on May 10th, 2007 at 12:34 pm

    Sorry

    Of course I was not being for real here, persih the thought. (any chance we can have some emoticons on this blog)

    I was being ironic / satirical/ sarcastic about certain factions, given the hue and cry on the other blog by them, (and taking their arguments to their logical conclusions as is my practice when these nonsenses arise). It seems theses factions are out for blood and is this what they want, do they want more?.

    Refusing to appear on a programme because of what a hack managed to weedle out of Patrick and then misconstrue, seemed to me being petulant.

    I had heard a while back he had some right wing views, but considered in the grand schme of things they were irrelevant, he is still one of our greatest institutions. I remember once being told at work on a mandatory course, that we should not criticise political correctness as it was trying to do the right thing. I told the tutor of that course that “Political Correctness was the McCarthyism of the left” (Actually he was the only one who got the 1950′s American cultural reference which was kind of sad) Poor Patrick made that fundamental error of criticising political correctness, for which he is being pilloried by the chattering classes.

  16. Ade said,

    on May 10th, 2007 at 1:51 pm

    It’s all a bit sad really, but it won’t stop me watching ‘Sky at Night’ – even if that means recording it because the Beeb show it at 2am, or some equally stupid time. While it would be nice if they treated proper science programs with more respect, I’m just glad there’s at least one decent program on the BBC to justify my license fee. I hope this doesn’t have an adverse effect on the program, or cause some sort of daft knee-jerk reaction from the BBCs board of directors, as I’d like to see Patrick and you continuing with the program for many years yet.

  17. Sticks said,

    on May 10th, 2007 at 2:41 pm

    Maybe that was there cunning plan all along, the dastedly directors :o ;)

  18. Judith-Anne MacKenzie said,

    on May 10th, 2007 at 6:20 pm

    Group hug for Chris!! I think he needs it by this point.

    J-A

  19. adam mallerman said,

    on May 15th, 2007 at 11:40 pm

    Come on folks – the man belongs to a previous generation, if not 2 previous generations. Of course he holds old fashioned views. It may be a good thing the world has moved on, but surely we can have some understanding that perhaps while the world has changed, Patrick Moore hasn’t. This is a man who still types on a manual typwriter, and wears a monacle ! Lets step back from the PC indignancy and cut this veritable old gentleman a little slack

  20. James (from switzerland) said,

    on May 16th, 2007 at 12:32 am

    I agree with Patrick television is absolute trash, alot of shows are made for low IQ greasy teenagers and the female gender absolutely loves watching this non-sense !!
    Quote : “”rather be dead in a ditch” than appear on Celebrity Big Brother. Can’t stop laughing !

  21. Julie Foster said,

    on June 26th, 2007 at 11:45 am

    As Patrick has appeared on Big Brother in the past it shows that his opinions count for nothing. However, TSAN without Patrick? I don’t think so.

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