Alice Roberts - what the hell?

[GenderApostate19]

I can’t tell you how utterly disappointed I feel by her comments about Sex and reproduction not being binary. She knows the truth, what the hell is she doing? I’m even more upset by her than by Sarah Champion, she’s a Scientist ffs.

It must be the morning for this type of cobblers. I've just heard Margaret Atwood on Radio 5 Live telling us all we should save our energy for something more useful than campaigning against strip clubs and it's a choice women should be able to make to work in them if they feel it empowers them .

She then appeared to argue that Madams running brothels in the wild west were bastions of female empowerment or some such because they were better employers than a male pimp.

The people who come out with this sort of argument always do so wearing heavy duty rubber gloves don't they? They know they and their family members will never have to do such work themselves, it's just fine if other women are doing it through 'choice'. A choice that well-off females don't tend to ever make, funnily enough.

I hope she's reading this thread.

Maybe the reason why her tour tickets are poor is precisely because of her "ooh, science doesn't matter, kindness to men is what matters" stance.

Cos let's face it, who's going to pay to hear that?

The "science doesn't matter" stance would be more understandable coming from someone who doesn't know any science. This is what puzzles me, Alice knows how this stuff works. She's written (very good) books about it and everything.

She has a tour to sell, look on her website seats available on every date that l can see.

If this is her tactic, she might have done better to check the two recent meetings representing each side of this debate in the sporting world. TRAs might be shouting louder on the internet, but when it comes to bums in seats, I suspect supporters are as thin on the ground as we GC women are said to be.

AnyOld Prion, maybe her PR has bought into the old all publicity is good publicity adage.

I love Francis Wheen's reply to her on Twitter:

"Why are you trashing your academic reputation by promoting this slipshod, defamatory and unscientific drivel? Clearly you don't know any GC feminists, or you'd realise how grotesque it is to smear them as agents of the "far right". Shameful."

Succinct and to the point.

The publicity might well be an own goal for her.

Women are usually the first casualties, as demonstrated in the 'no platforming' tactic.

Women GC academics first in line please.

Woke Alice, of course, won't be no platformed but for a scientist to speak to the wider public needs to get their facts right.

Maybe if Professor Doctor Doctor Professor Doctor Alice Roberts spent a bit less time striding around in a little vest for the benefit of the cameras and a bit more time in the common room at Bristol Uni, she might get the chance to have a chat with a GC academic or two.

This is what puzzles me, Alice knows how this stuff works.

Yup. Cognitive dissonance must be off the scale.

Not only that - she has effectively trashed her own reputation in public. It's like Stephen Hawkins announcing he reads his horoscope every day. Or Ben Goldacre singing the virtues of homoeopathy.

Well said, Francis Wheen.

Dear Alice

You're making a fool of yourself. Please desist.

Lang

I love that reply RoyalCorgi.

You know, no matter how “nice” I thought I was being, I can’t imagine making this kind of defamatory anti-science statement to the wider public. It’s astonishing.

Not only that - she has effectively trashed her own reputation in public. It's like Stephen Hawkins announcing he reads his horoscope every day. Or Ben Goldacre singing the virtues of homoeopathy.

Hoping someone tweets that to her...

It’s one thing to respectfully disagree with a GC POV. It’s quite another to call names and try to defame those with whom you differ.

It’s unprofessional. Also gives away that you have no actual argument or credibility.

Hadley Freeman, writer for The Guardian:

"I’m sure you meant well by tweeting that piece. But I cannot believe you actually read it before tweeting, given it’s already been multiply corrected and is full of absurd generalisations and anti science word salad. No professor would knowingly promote that".

twitter.com/HadleyFreeman/status/1171784874681950209

We must be due another flounce surely? With more wailing about people being so incredibly mean in driving the noble Roberts off twitter.

Some idiot has told Hadley off for employing the "No true Scotsman" fallacy is. That's because they haven't understood what the no true Scotsman fallacy is. Honestly, there should be a law banning stupid people from employing philosophical terms they don't understand.

She has had her head wobbled obviously. Couldn’t put up an argument on twitter for the drivel so slunk off the thread.

What a dingbat. She sounds like a 14 year old.

When in doubt, double down

She is pushing the 'nice' thing so hard, without showing any thinking, she just comes over as an airhead.

Excellent twitter thread from @HubbleVicky explaining to Alice Roberts why the Vox article is rubbish:

twitter.com/HubbleVicky/status/1171760250925539330

Martina Navratilova:

"I, along with so many women, am not gender critical but rather biology critical. A big difference. Get a clue and call it what it is- women’s sports and fairness is about biology. Not gender. So- we are not gender critical- get it now?!?"

twitter.com/Martina/status/1171772746507812864?s=19

Love this btw Antibles

The people who come out with this sort of argument always do so wearing heavy duty rubber gloves don't they? They know they and their family members will never have to do such work themselves, it's just fine if other women are doing it through 'choice'. A choice that well-off females don't tend to ever make, funnily enough.

Jans Clare Jones fabulous as always:

twitter.com/janeclarejones/status/1171724539300057088?s=19

You are confused about the meaning of essentialism. It means ‘thinking certain kinds must exhibit certain traits or behaviours’ not thinking natural kinds exist.

You know mammals are dimorphic. This doesn’t prescribe anything about behaviour. But if you think we can only undo

gendered behaviours by pretending sex does not exist, you are actually saying that gender is tied to sex. That is, it is you who are being essentialist.

Alice: "Very 1984. Anyway, any use of biology to excuse bigotry is not fine by me."

Jane:

What is 1984??? Thinking gender roles are determined by sex is ‘essentialist’ is just feminism Alice.

Tell me, I assume you don’t believe that how we do gender is determined by sex do you?

So why do we need to pretend sex doesn’t exist for people to be supported to do

gender any way they like? Why do we have to pretend that how you do gender actually changes your sex when we know that is untrue?

You are the person saying we must pretend 2+2=5 in order not to be bigots. Or we could all just accept that gender is bullshit, people can do it

anyway they like, and not try to twist the entire structure of reality because we can’t actually conceptually unhook sex from the bullshit society has projected into it?

twitter.com/janeclarejones/status/1171726887737077761?s=19

Alice not coming across well at all.

Alice is a lightweight who thinks she is very very smart because of being a doctor and all...