Scientist called "whore" for refusing to write a blog for free

[dpareja]

http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2013/10/science-blogger-called-whore-for-refusing-unpaid-work.html

(I'm putting this here rather than in S&T due to the sexism in the story.)

Biologist Danielle N. Lee found herself at the centre of an internet firestorm this weekend after publishing a controversial email that saw hundreds of science bloggers rallying in support of her call for more diversity — and less sexism — in their field.

The self-described "hip-hop maven [who] blogs on urban ecology, evolutionary biology and diversity in the sciences" has been writing her blog, called The Urban Scientist, on the Scientific American network for two years.

Thursday, she received an email from a blog editor at another publication, Biology Online, asking her to write a series of posts under her blog name, DNLee.

Upon learning that the opportunity was unpaid, Lee politely declined. The reply she received from the editor was jarring.

"Because we don't pay for blog entries?" reads the email. "Are you an urban scientist or an urban whore?"

[Art Vandelay]

What the fuck is a "hip-hop maven"?

[Askold]

Someone wants to be compensated for work they do? Oh the humanity.

[Søren]

Forgive me if im missing something. But why is some random dickhead calling a random scientist a whore for not doing something for free even remotely newsworthy

[Shane for Wax]

Wow, an editor using his official email account to be a sexist clod. Don't see that every day.

I'm also frowning very heavily at SciAm for removing the blog post.

[Osama bin Bambi]

What the fuck is a "hip-hop maven"?

A maven is an expert or connoisseur. So I guess she's describing herself as a connoisseur of hip-hop.

[largeham]

Forgive me if im missing something. But why is some random dickhead calling a random scientist a whore for not doing something for free even remotely newsworthy

I guess in the same way that their have been backlashes against sexism in the gaming and atheist communities. In regards to science, what was the name of that Italian guy who made some comment about women scientists being too ugly?

[ironbite]

Wow.  Because she won't do it for free, and expects to get paid for her skills, she's a whore huh?  I get why he called her that btw but it's still disgusting.

Ironbite-what the fuck is wrong with getting paid for stuff?

[RavynousHunter]

Wow.  Because she won't do it for free, and expects to get paid for her skills, she's a whore huh?  I get why he called her that btw but it's still disgusting.

Ironbite-what the fuck is wrong with getting paid for stuff?

The only people who get paid anymore are sex workers?

[JohnE]

"If you're good at something, never do it for free."

Words of wisdom from your friendly neighborhood psycho clown.

[Sigmaleph]

Forgive me if im missing something. But why is some random dickhead calling a random scientist a whore for not doing something for free even remotely newsworthy

Most of its notoriety came from Scientific American deleting the blog post where Danielle Lee detailed the experience. It has since been restored.

By itself, it's, well, just another story of sexism in science, if one can qualify Biology Online as that. Worth discussing, if not exactly world-shaking news.

[RavynousHunter]

Or, to put it more succinctly: the small things matter, too.

[Witchyjoshy]

Actually, I'd venture to say the small things matter more.

You see, small things become big things.  But because they're small things, they tend to fly under the radar.  So people tend to think "Oh, there's this big problem, the small problems don't matter."

WRONG.  Ignoring small problems is a bad, bad, baaaaaad thing.  And as the gaming community has shown us, what we're seeing as far as sexism goes is not a small thing (just look at all of the people who hate Anita so much that they end up demonstrating why someone like her needs to exist.)

[mellenORL]

Reminds of; "The personal Is the political". "Take care of the little things, and the big things take care of themselves...because they are made up out of the little things".

She's a whore for wanting pay, huh? Biology-online.org has paid advertising on it. She's good enough they wanted her to blog on their site...and maybe drive up their readership. And advert fees. I'm sorry, who's the whore, here? 

[Canadian Mojo]

If she just gave it away she'd be a slut.

Women just can't catch a break.