The Politics of #Shirtstorm: Don’t Wear It or Get Over It?
The head of PR at @esa when he saw that shirt… #ShirtGate pic.twitter.com/Y1UCSMA7TA
— Ryan Bromley (@RSBromley) November 12, 2014
The big news from the European Space Agency (ESA) over the last day or two hasn’t been of the Philae lander (current prognosis: dicey) but of ESA scientist Matt Taylor’s choice of shirt on the landing day. Wearing a rockabilly “girls and guns” print designed by his friend Elly Prizeman, an uproar ensued and Taylor quickly apologized.
Among the complaints were that the shirt contributes to a science culture that is hostile to women and discourages them from pursuing careers in STEM fields, that it displayed pornographic poses and that it was inappropriate work attire. As to the last point: in most cases, yes. I imagine most of us could never get away with wearing a Hawaiian shirt to work outside of some dress-themed day. Some workplaces are really relaxed about that though, and walking around in flip flops is perfectly fine. The ESA is apparently one of those places.
As to why he chose to wear that particular shirt on that day of all days – when he had to know he’d be getting interviewed for a large audience – it seems he was doing it as a shoutout to his friend. That’s how Prizeman took it: “I never expected him to wear my gift to him for such a big event and was surprised and deeply moved that he did.” He may not have considered how it would have been taken by the audience that didn’t have that context (which consisted of basically everyone but Prizeman). He seems to devote most of his brain activity to science, so that possibility might never have even occurred to him.
In addition, here’s something that US audiences missed:
There’s another issue I want to address, which I think resonates more in the UK than it does to American audiences. Because there is a class aspect to this too. Americans looking and listening to Matt Taylor hear a white dude with a British accent. Brits hear someone who’s from a social background that doesn’t normally get to speak for British science.
There may also be a certain prickliness in the UK about a storm of criticism from the US towards a British scientist – a sense of hey, leave our people alone. (And something else we’re all still figuring out in the social media age is how to treat someone plucked from obscurity who suddenly becomes an object of intense interest. The position seems to be freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from being criticized – when one agrees with the criticism. When one disagrees, it’s a bullying and harassing mob.)
The charge that the shirt created a hostile work environment is the most interesting one to me, though. Whether or not a picture creates a hostile environment seems incredibly subjective. Some people can walk right by something like Taylor’s shirt and not find it the least upsetting. Plenty of women have spoken out to that effect already (here and here for two examples), while others are greatly bothered by it. Dr Space Junk put her discomfort with it in the context of a larger sexism in society:
The underlying view of the world doesn’t change until individual people start to act based on a different view. The aggregation of a thousand personal everyday choices, like what shirt you wear on the television, add up to either support or subvert the status quo.
But the idea that being uncomfortable with something is a reason to restrict it has some pretty troubling applications. Lots of people are uncomfortable seeing two guys holding hands as they walk down the street. I suspect most liberals would respond: This is the world as it exists now, get over your discomfort. If you say there’s a world of difference between opposing antigay sentiment and propping up a patriarchal status quo, it then turns into a political position. Those who don’t share that view on patriarchy (at least in this instance) can then claim hypocrisy. You say get over it for this, but not that.
I’ve seen a number of people whose opinions I’ve come to respect make the hostile work environment claim on this issue, so I’m not dismissive of it. But I still tend to side more with the position that says if you don’t like it (and it isn’t harming you), look past it.
I’m very much interested in feedback on this and will do my best to respond, though it might take a few hours.
The politics of #shirtstorm: Don’t wear it or get over it?
The head of PR at @esa when he saw that shirt… #ShirtGate pic.twitter.com/Y1UCSMA7TA
— Ryan Bromley (@RSBromley) November 12, 2014
Cross posted from Pruning Shears.
The big news from the European Space Agency (ESA) over the last day or two hasn’t been of the Philae lander (current prognosis: dicey) but of ESA scientist Matt Taylor’s choice of shirt on the landing day. Wearing a rockabilly “girls and guns” print designed by his friend Elly Prizeman, an uproar ensued and Taylor quickly apologized.
Among the complaints were that the shirt contributes to a science culture that is hostile to women and discourages them from pursuing careers in STEM fields, that it displayed pornographic poses and that it was inappropriate work attire. As to the last point: in most cases, yes. I imagine most of us could never get away with wearing a Hawaiian shirt to work outside of some dress-themed day. Some workplaces are really relaxed about that though, and walking around in flip flops is perfectly fine. The ESA is apparently one of those places.
As to why he chose to wear that particular shirt on that day of all days – when he had to know he’d be getting interviewed for a large audience – it seems he was doing it as a shoutout to his friend. That’s how Prizeman took it: “I never expected him to wear my gift to him for such a big event and was surprised and deeply moved that he did.” He may not have considered how it would have been taken by the audience that didn’t have that context (which consisted of basically everyone but Prizeman). He seems to devote most of his brain activity to science, so that possibility might never have even occurred to him.
In addition, here’s something that US audiences missed:
There’s another issue I want to address, which I think resonates more in the UK than it does to American audiences. Because there is a class aspect to this too. Americans looking and listening to Matt Taylor hear a white dude with a British accent. Brits hear someone who’s from a social background that doesn’t normally get to speak for British science.
There may also be a certain prickliness in the UK about a storm of criticism from the US towards a British scientist – a sense of hey, leave our people alone. (And something else we’re all still figuring out in the social media age is how to treat someone plucked from obscurity who suddenly becomes an object of intense interest. The position seems to be freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from being criticized – when one agrees with the criticism. When one disagrees, it’s a bullying and harassing mob.)
The charge that the shirt created a hostile work environment is the most interesting one to me, though. Whether or not a picture creates a hostile environment seems incredibly subjective. Some people can walk right by something like Taylor’s shirt and not find it the least upsetting. Plenty of women have spoken out to that effect already (here and here for two examples), while others are greatly bothered by it. Dr Space Junk put her discomfort with it in the context of a larger sexism in society:
The underlying view of the world doesn’t change until individual people start to act based on a different view. The aggregation of a thousand personal everyday choices, like what shirt you wear on the television, add up to either support or subvert the status quo.
But the idea that being uncomfortable with something is a reason to restrict it has some pretty troubling applications. Lots of people are uncomfortable seeing two guys holding hands as they walk down the street. I suspect most liberals would respond: This is the world as it exists now, get over your discomfort. If you say there’s a world of difference between opposing antigay sentiment and propping up a patriarchal status quo, it then turns into a political position. Those who don’t share that view on patriarchy (at least in this instance) can then claim hypocrisy. You say get over it for this, but not that.
I’ve seen a number of people whose opinions I’ve come to respect make the hostile work environment claim on this issue, so I’m not dismissive of it. But I still tend to side more with the position that says if you don’t like it (and it isn’t harming you), look past it.
I’m very much interested in feedback on this and will do my best to respond, though it might take a few hours.
