A contemporary of mine is at the conference and we've been spending time together because we don't know other attendees very well. Getting to know this contemporary is... let's say, frustrating. He tends to steer conversations towards topics that make me uncomfortable in a professional situation. Let's make a list, and think of how many times I'm trying to hit my head on the wall while he's espousing these ideas to complete strangers...
1. "Women faculty don't work as hard as women because they take too much time off for child caring. I know one female colleague and she works from home once a week. We all know that she isn't working, but taking care of her kid." [said to table full of women including myself]
2. "Catholicism is a tainted religion" [said to a table full of Catholics including myself]
3. "Asians are just ignored. We never think of them." [said to a famous Japanese professor while I was at the table]
This guy just makes me want to scream! He's a tenured professor at a large state school, too. I don't know what to do when I encounter someone so tragically bigoted. Correcting him only resulted in arguments. And I don't like to argue, so I just gave up. Sigh.
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8 comments:
Haha! Sorry, I know it is mean to laugh, but I worked at a place for two years where such a guy (with an especially thin publication record, to boot!) made such pronouncements regularly at lunch (except for the Catholic part, which he happened to be himself). And then, his opinions would be discussed at length at lunch. At least, you only enjoy it at this conference.
toe curling stuff, but an excellent character in a film ...
I didn't know one of my "favorite" department colleagues was attending this meeting ;)
Yikes! I strongly dislike icky people like that.
I hope others at the conference can see that although you are hanging out with him, you don't support his statements.
I would promptly stop hanging out with him!
I worked for three of these guys in a row, and then I quit science.
And people wonder why I say scientists are assholes, and why women are dropping out of the academic track.
There are plenty of professors who say stuff like this. And then there is everyone else who tolerates it.
Did you hear about [that famous guy] at ILU several years ago? Because THAT one was a doozy. Except it's a walking, talking lawsuit that already happened!
Jenny F - Do you have any links on that?
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