No, James Watson was not a "complicated" person. He was a bad person, and also a bad scientist. These racist, sexist statements, his sincere beliefs, are both morally indefensible and scientifically absurd. With every year that passes, let his name fade and Rosalind Franklin's shine the brighter.
Ian Rose
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com
“Some anti-Semitism is justified” “Whenever you interview fat people, you feel bad, because you know you’re not going to hire them” “Japan should be bombed for d…
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
Terry McGlynn
“People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty,” he said in 2003. “I think it would be great.”
