I was surprised not to see a thread about this man's death yesterday, guess he isn't very well known outside of the UK, or it may be because natural deaths late in life are less of a tragic loss than someone dying unexpectedly in their prime.
Patrick Moore was the inspiring and enthusiastic presenter of an astronomy show on British television for five decades called The Sky at Night. He started out like so:
His passionate and earnest treatment of all things astronomical led him to have an influence on budding scientists, just like Carl Sagan. And he once played a duet with Eistein, how about that! What I find most impressive is that he never received education in astronomy and taught himself everything, as he did with the xylophone which was an instrument he enjoyed playing even in public.
I always find that the world is starved of people with the genuine ability to communicate their love for things like this. A perfect combination of magnetic eccentricity and devotion to his subject.
Here is a nice retrospective video they made of the program not too long ago, presented by Patrick himself:
His political views and disgusting views against women and homosexuals will make him unmissed. It might be great what he did for astronomy in the public eye, but doesn't make him a good person. good riddance.
Thanks for this, Patrick Moore was very old fashioned, but he educated generations of Britons about space and astronomy (and actually made it interesting), and of course I'll always remember him as the Games Master! As a lil kid it was my favourite show. He was an important man for science and gaming RIP.
On December 10 2012 22:00 Destro wrote: His political views and disgusting views against women and homosexuals will make him unmissed. It might be great what he did for astronomy in the public eye, but doesn't make him a good person. good riddance.
Personally I like to separate political ideology from other achievements.
On December 10 2012 22:00 Destro wrote: His political views and disgusting views against women and homosexuals will make him unmissed. It might be great what he did for astronomy in the public eye, but doesn't make him a good person. good riddance.
Personally I like to separate political ideology from other achievements.
Golden shit is still shit, and I'm not gonna smell it.
On December 10 2012 22:00 Destro wrote: His political views and disgusting views against women and homosexuals will make him unmissed. It might be great what he did for astronomy in the public eye, but doesn't make him a good person. good riddance.
Personally I like to separate political ideology from other achievements.
No problem appreciating a good thing someone did, more of a problem celebrating a bad person who happened to do some good things.
Holy sugar, everyone seems out to get old Patrick. Tobberoth I think of it as celebrating a fantastic person with some unsavoury opinions. He didn't do anything bad, everything of note that he did was good. I guess this just becomes an argument on what makes a bad person: their deeds or opinions or a combination or something else entirely. People who had him pop up on their TVs now and again will probably find it easier to see the great side rather than the bad. It's kind of like the grandad in the corner who comes up with horribly conservative and backwards things but you forgive him because he's really quite harmless and besides he tells great stories...
On December 10 2012 23:01 sc4k wrote: Holy sugar, everyone seems out to get old Patrick. Tobberoth I think of it as celebrating a fantastic person with some unsavoury opinions. He didn't do anything bad, everything of note that he did was good. I guess this just becomes an argument on what makes a bad person: their deeds or opinions or a combination or something else entirely. People who had him pop up on their TVs now and again will probably find it easier to see the great side rather than the bad. It's kind of like the grandad in the corner who comes up with horribly conservative and backwards things but you forgive him because he's really quite harmless and besides he tells great stories...
I wouldn't call someone harmless if they are famous enough to get a whole memorial topic on TL. Might seem petty, but then again, a ton of people die every day, the vast majority of them are never mentioned here. This guy obviously had impact, which is never harmless if you go out and say "homosexuals are mainly responsible for the spreading of AIDS (the Garden of Eden is home of Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve)" or actively seed mistrust between England and other parts of Europe because of racist views.
I can accept my granddad having old values and an outdated outlook on life and equality... but at least he doesn't go on TV and spout that crap to a ton of people who actively watch and listen to him.
Well he wrote the homosexual thing in a book and I guess he gave interviews where he stated his outdated opinions, but his TV show never contained politics...I suppose it might be better to remember, therefore, the shows he made rather than the man as a whole. Just like it's nice for many people to indulge in Wagner or Disney movies and to appreciate their impact on their respective mediums.
On December 10 2012 22:00 Destro wrote: His political views and disgusting views against women and homosexuals will make him unmissed. It might be great what he did for astronomy in the public eye, but doesn't make him a good person. good riddance.
What were his views then? I haven't really read about this guy at all.
On December 10 2012 22:00 Destro wrote: His political views and disgusting views against women and homosexuals will make him unmissed. It might be great what he did for astronomy in the public eye, but doesn't make him a good person. good riddance.
What were his views then? I haven't really read about this guy at all.
I knew nothing about person before i saw this thread. Checked the beliefs and political views on wiki. He is right winged, old fashioned, eccentric and a complex personality. Since i haven't seen him enough or heard himself personally say presumably offensive things, i can't make an opinion of that, really.
He doesn't seem as a guy to get easy along with, but the excerpts from the tv programm show that he definitely knew how to captivate audience.
Wow Team Liquid is ruthless... A lot of you are so morally pure though, it's really impressive. You guys should use your true moral compasses to make a difference in the world and route out evil, rather than posting on a forum!
Although he had archaic and unfair political views, he contributed a great deal to the world. Ya he was very sexist/homophobic, but he did a lot of good for society. More than most of us have.
On December 11 2012 00:18 BoX wrote: Wow Team Liquid is ruthless... A lot of you are so morally pure though, it's really impressive. You guys should use your true moral compasses to make a difference in the world and route out evil, rather than posting on a forum!
Because having moral values means not enjoying internet forums?
On December 11 2012 00:18 BoX wrote: Wow Team Liquid is ruthless... A lot of you are so morally pure though, it's really impressive. You guys should use your true moral compasses to make a difference in the world and route out evil, rather than posting on a forum!
Although he had archaic and unfair political views, he contributed a great deal to the world. Ya he was very sexist/homophobic, but he did a lot of good for society. More than most of us have.
Nah, I'm satisfied by just actively not being racist or homophobic.
As others have said, a terrible person who does a good thing is still a terrible person. Nothing he did for astronomy should eclipse his disgusting personality.
In the UK we are as a nation recovering from the revelation that Jimmy Saville, a good TV memory for many people who grew up in the 80's, was a rampant and vicious predatory paedophile. The knowledge that Patrick Moore had expressed some rather distasteful views about women and homosexuals isn't even remotely on the same level of magnitude and it's something I don't believe makes a blind bit of difference to the legacy he had as an inspirer of scientists and astronomers.
His views are mixed in my view. The comments on homosexuals and women I obviously don't agree with but the majority of his political beliefs were fine (based on that Wiki entry). Being against immigration doesn't make you racist, I don't know those early political parties he associated with but UKIP is a mainstream party in the UK. I consider myself English rather than British too, nothing is wrong with that sentiment. As for his distrust for "Germans and French", well I think it is easy to judge but don't forget that people who lived through WW2 all have a mark left on them which nobody today would understand. Lastly, I think him campaigning to outlaw animal hunting for fun is admirable. He didn't use his TV show to promote these views, simply answered questions when asked in other mediums. I am not saying he is a saint, who is? Just this witch-hunt isn't needed.
On December 11 2012 00:24 Mortal wrote: As others have said, a terrible person who does a good thing is still a terrible person. Nothing he did for astronomy should eclipse his disgusting personality.
Not true. He had a huge effect on the world of astronomy. There are countless top scientists today who say that the reason they got into astronomy was Patrick Moore. He could have used this platform for political ends but never sought to push his views on to people using his TV show. You have no evidence to say that his personality was disgusting, all you have are his opinions. Opinions do not make a personality. I have never seen anything to suggest he had anything but a weird and funny personality. A man should be entitled to his views.
On December 11 2012 00:41 Aristodemus wrote: His views are mixed in my view. The comments on homosexuals and women I obviously don't agree with but the majority of his political beliefs were fine (based on that Wiki entry). Being against immigration doesn't make you racist, I don't know those early political parties he associated with but UKIP is a mainstream party in the UK. I consider myself English rather than British too, nothing is wrong with that sentiment. As for his distrust for "Germans and French", well I think it is easy to judge but don't forget that people who lived through WW2 all have a mark left on them which nobody today would understand. Lastly, I think him campaigning to outlaw animal hunting for fun is admirable. He didn't use his TV show to promote these views, simply answered questions when asked in other mediums. I am not saying he is a saint, who is? Just this witch-hunt isn't needed.
It's not so much a witch-hunt as it is people reacting to the honoring of someone who they don't really see as worthy of being honored.
I'm not saying people should be ashamed for honoring him, I just think it's worth considering that it can be a bit controversial to honor someone with those kind of views. An extreme example would be to make a topic "In memoriam: Hitler died 50 years ago". Now, I'm not comparing Moore to Hitler, at all, just explaining how it can be a bit of a loaded subject.
On December 11 2012 00:18 BoX wrote: Wow Team Liquid is ruthless... A lot of you are so morally pure though, it's really impressive. You guys should use your true moral compasses to make a difference in the world and route out evil, rather than posting on a forum!
Although he had archaic and unfair political views, he contributed a great deal to the world. Ya he was very sexist/homophobic, but he did a lot of good for society. More than most of us have.
Sorry but anyone who is a self-admitted misogynist and homophobic shouldn't be celebrated. It's not like he was from the 1800's and he never once changed his opinions to match the times. Fuck him and everyone like him.
Deflecting to a pedophile seems pretty cheap, although it doesn't diminish the fact that his archaeic views on women/gays and bigotry are inexcusable, regardless of what era he was a part of. I didn't want to come here to shit on someone's childhood/adulthood hero or someone they looked up to, I just have a hard time looking past a shitty person despite the fact that he had a nice little show for quite some time (much longer than I've been around, so I'm not ignorant to the fact that he clearly did something right). To claim his death was righteous or something ridiculous like that would be back-handed of me, so I'll just leave it with a RIP.
I can't believe this is happening on TL. No person is perfect, every great person has a bad side. I doubt anyone on TL can name someone who was truly great that actually had nothing wrong with that person. This man was an old-aged rightwing conservative, and apparently that is not only an illegitamate view but so bad that we should curse him after his death, and just like most people born in the age during the beginning of the cold war and the end of WWII. Most people his age have some form of the "ancient regime" / "golden age is over now" feelings of what was. What he was talking about were things that were accepted in his time and are no longer accepted now. If you all hate him because he clings to the time he loves and remembers as best, you all are no less hateful than he. I'm not condoning it, but I don't condone this baseless hatred either.
1) What negative impact did his sexist/homophobic views have on the culture of the UK at large?
2) What positive impact did his shows have on the culture of the UK at large?
Answering those questions shows why people like the guy. Condemning a person for political views that had no impact on the actual state of the culture after he's dead is fucking pointless and shameful.
On December 11 2012 01:02 docvoc wrote: I can't believe this is happening on TL.
Yeah I'm in agreement with you. I mean, I see exactly why these guys don't like him, but meh, they could have just ignored the thread and let those of us who want put an RIP and say a few words. A little too sanctimonious for my liking too. If I were asked the question: would you like another like Patrick Moore to appear and present a TV program like The Sky at Night? I would say yes in a heartbeat, because with the exception of Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins I'm not a fan of any of the 'popular science' people around right now...
"no everyone is perfect" ...please... you cannot downplay a homophobic, racist, and sexist just because he was old. he used a well earned public platform to spew his utter bullshit that is cancerous to society/humanity. if you don't want to hear people condemn someone for being those things, then dont start a thread about a person who was openly guilty about all of them.
On December 11 2012 01:06 deth2munkies wrote: Condemning a person for political views that had no impact on the actual state of the culture after he's dead is fucking pointless and shameful.
He's not being condemned for his political views. Political views are akin to Conservative/Liberal ideologies, NOT discrimination of women and gays. The only thing shameful are his outdated and hateful beliefs.
On December 11 2012 01:25 Destro wrote: "no everyone is perfect" ...please... you cannot downplay a homophobic, racist, and sexist just because he was old. he used a well earned public platform to spew his utter bullshit that is cancerous to society/humanity. if you don't want to hear people condemn someone for being those things, then dont start a thread about a person who was openly guilty about all of them.
Haha canceruous to society. With words like that you'd think he raped babies for a living or something instead of just having different values than you
This guy isn't Malcolm X or Che Guevara. He wasn't a revolutionary or a genius political thinker. He wasn't a conflicted man who is misunderstood, or a victim of circumstances. He was a bitter hateful old douche who liked science. Joseph Mengele liked science too, and his studies brought us a lot of medical information, should we overlook the fact he murdered and experimented on people?
On December 11 2012 01:25 Destro wrote: "no everyone is perfect" ...please... you cannot downplay a homophobic, racist, and sexist just because he was old. he used a well earned public platform to spew his utter bullshit that is cancerous to society/humanity. if you don't want to hear people condemn someone for being those things, then dont start a thread about a person who was openly guilty about all of them.
Haha canceruous to society. With words like that you'd think he raped babies for a living or something instead of just having different values than you
On December 11 2012 01:32 Klipsys wrote: This guy isn't Malcolm X or Che Guevara. He wasn't a revolutionary or a genius political thinker. He wasn't a conflicted man who is misunderstood, or a victim of circumstances. He was a bitter hateful old douche who liked science. Joseph Mengele liked science too, and his studies brought us a lot of medical information, should we overlook the fact he murdered and experimented on people?
On December 11 2012 01:25 Destro wrote: "no everyone is perfect" ...please... you cannot downplay a homophobic, racist, and sexist just because he was old. he used a well earned public platform to spew his utter bullshit that is cancerous to society/humanity. if you don't want to hear people condemn someone for being those things, then dont start a thread about a person who was openly guilty about all of them.
Haha canceruous to society. With words like that you'd think he raped babies for a living or something instead of just having different values than you
On December 11 2012 01:32 Klipsys wrote: This guy isn't Malcolm X or Che Guevara. He wasn't a revolutionary or a genius political thinker. He wasn't a conflicted man who is misunderstood, or a victim of circumstances. He was a bitter hateful old douche who liked science. Joseph Mengele liked science too, and his studies brought us a lot of medical information, should we overlook the fact he murdered and experimented on people?
On December 11 2012 01:31 Solarist wrote:
On December 11 2012 01:25 Destro wrote: "no everyone is perfect" ...please... you cannot downplay a homophobic, racist, and sexist just because he was old. he used a well earned public platform to spew his utter bullshit that is cancerous to society/humanity. if you don't want to hear people condemn someone for being those things, then dont start a thread about a person who was openly guilty about all of them.
Haha canceruous to society. With words like that you'd think he raped babies for a living or something instead of just having different values than you
Different values =/= Misogyny and Homophobia.
You think Che Guevara was a good person?
Absolutely.
"I have yet to find a single credible source pointing to a case where Che executed 'an innocent'. Those persons executed by Guevara or on his orders were condemned for the usual crimes punishable by death at times of war or in its aftermath: desertion, treason or crimes such as rape, torture or murder. I should add that my research spanned five years, and included anti-Castro Cubans among the Cuban-American exile community in Miami and elsewhere."
— Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
On December 11 2012 01:32 Klipsys wrote: This guy isn't Malcolm X or Che Guevara. He wasn't a revolutionary or a genius political thinker. He wasn't a conflicted man who is misunderstood, or a victim of circumstances. He was a bitter hateful old douche who liked science. Joseph Mengele liked science too, and his studies brought us a lot of medical information, should we overlook the fact he murdered and experimented on people?
On December 11 2012 01:31 Solarist wrote:
On December 11 2012 01:25 Destro wrote: "no everyone is perfect" ...please... you cannot downplay a homophobic, racist, and sexist just because he was old. he used a well earned public platform to spew his utter bullshit that is cancerous to society/humanity. if you don't want to hear people condemn someone for being those things, then dont start a thread about a person who was openly guilty about all of them.
Haha canceruous to society. With words like that you'd think he raped babies for a living or something instead of just having different values than you
Different values =/= Misogyny and Homophobia.
You think Che Guevara was a good person?
Absolutely.
"I have yet to find a single credible source pointing to a case where Che executed 'an innocent'. Those persons executed by Guevara or on his orders were condemned for the usual crimes punishable by death at times of war or in its aftermath: desertion, treason or crimes such as rape, torture or murder. I should add that my research spanned five years, and included anti-Castro Cubans among the Cuban-American exile community in Miami and elsewhere."
If you quote something please leave a source for the quote
"Dont believe all thats on the internet" - Abraham Lincoln
On December 11 2012 01:39 Sated wrote: I don't mind Moore having different views to my own since he pursued those views through the same legal, non-violent political channels as everyone else. Comparing Moore to people like Mengele is ridiculous...
I mostly remember this guy from GamesMaster, to be honest. Important part of my childhood. Rest in peace.
Once again: different views =/= misogyny and homophobia. Those aren't view points, they're simply terrible ideologies that serve no purpose other than to propagate hate and instigate violence against other people.
Comparing the crimes of Mengele to Moore is absolutely ridiculous, which is why I didn't do that. I asked the question: Given all of the scientific information we gained because of Mengele's work, should we overlook his actions? Most sane people would say no, and to a lesser extent the same is true for Moore. He is a human and he is allowed his own beliefs, but when he uses his position and power to influence public opinion and try and lower the value and humanity of others, he is no better than the Nazi's. For every child he inspired to study astronomy, how many did he convince gays and women were sub-human?
On December 11 2012 01:06 deth2munkies wrote: Let me ask you 2 questions:
1) What negative impact did his sexist/homophobic views have on the culture of the UK at large?
2) What positive impact did his shows have on the culture of the UK at large?
Answering those questions shows why people like the guy. Condemning a person for political views that had no impact on the actual state of the culture after he's dead is fucking pointless and shameful.
Well said, sums up my entire opinion on the matter.
On December 11 2012 01:32 Klipsys wrote: This guy isn't Malcolm X or Che Guevara. He wasn't a revolutionary or a genius political thinker. He wasn't a conflicted man who is misunderstood, or a victim of circumstances. He was a bitter hateful old douche who liked science. Joseph Mengele liked science too, and his studies brought us a lot of medical information, should we overlook the fact he murdered and experimented on people?
On December 11 2012 01:31 Solarist wrote:
On December 11 2012 01:25 Destro wrote: "no everyone is perfect" ...please... you cannot downplay a homophobic, racist, and sexist just because he was old. he used a well earned public platform to spew his utter bullshit that is cancerous to society/humanity. if you don't want to hear people condemn someone for being those things, then dont start a thread about a person who was openly guilty about all of them.
Haha canceruous to society. With words like that you'd think he raped babies for a living or something instead of just having different values than you
Different values =/= Misogyny and Homophobia.
You think Che Guevara was a good person?
Absolutely.
"I have yet to find a single credible source pointing to a case where Che executed 'an innocent'. Those persons executed by Guevara or on his orders were condemned for the usual crimes punishable by death at times of war or in its aftermath: desertion, treason or crimes such as rape, torture or murder. I should add that my research spanned five years, and included anti-Castro Cubans among the Cuban-American exile community in Miami and elsewhere."
If you quote something please leave a source for the quote
"Dont believe all thats on the internet" - Abraham Lincoln
— Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
On December 11 2012 01:06 deth2munkies wrote: Let me ask you 2 questions:
1) What negative impact did his sexist/homophobic views have on the culture of the UK at large?
2) What positive impact did his shows have on the culture of the UK at large?
Answering those questions shows why people like the guy. Condemning a person for political views that had no impact on the actual state of the culture after he's dead is fucking pointless and shameful.
I think this is probably the most important thing. Sure he had some archaic political views that kind of make a dick, but the good he did vastly outweighs the harm his political views did.
People seem to think this guy is being hunted down and insulted. The fact is that this is a thread attempting to celebrate a guy. Many people feel there is little to celebrate about a homophobic racist, despite their scientific achievements. They are not trying to say that he had no value to astronomy, rather they are saying that it is wrong to only look at the good and ignore the bad. The man did more than one thing in his life and I don't think there is anything wrong with scrutinizing the many values he held. Just because he was old or lived through a war does not erase the fact that he held views that are looked down upon in today's society. I could theoretically go find a white supremacist from the southern US and you could say "oh, well they're from the deep south, there are lots of racists there." Though this may be an explanation to you, it does not make it suddenly acceptable to be racist. Obviously he was not some horrible rapist or murderer, and he held many admirable political views, but the fact remains that he was far from perfect, and there's nothing wrong with pointing that out.
On December 11 2012 01:39 Sated wrote: I don't mind Moore having different views to my own since he pursued those views through the same legal, non-violent political channels as everyone else. Comparing Moore to people like Mengele is ridiculous...
I mostly remember this guy from GamesMaster, to be honest. Important part of my childhood. Rest in peace.
Once again: different views =/= misogyny and homophobia. Those aren't view points, they're simply terrible ideologies that serve no purpose other than to propagate hate and instigate violence against other people.
Comparing the crimes of Mengele to Moore is absolutely ridiculous, which is why I didn't do that. I asked the question: Given all of the scientific information we gained because of Mengele's work, should we overlook his actions? Most sane people would say no, and to a lesser extent the same is true for Moore. He is a human and he is allowed his own beliefs, but when he uses his position and power to influence public opinion and try and lower the value and humanity of others, he is no better than the Nazi's. For every child he inspired to study astronomy, how many did he convince gays and women were sub-human?
Actually intolerance was more akin to the ideology of the Nazi's. Somethong you seem well versed in. He didn't hate women, that is a misogynist. By your rationale most muslim countries are all misogynistic. He simply answered questions on his beliefs when asked, he didn't "use his position and power to influence public opinion and try and lower the value and humanity of others". I am done with this guy and thread.
On December 11 2012 01:06 deth2munkies wrote: Let me ask you 2 questions:
1) What negative impact did his sexist/homophobic views have on the culture of the UK at large?
2) What positive impact did his shows have on the culture of the UK at large?
Answering those questions shows why people like the guy. Condemning a person for political views that had no impact on the actual state of the culture after he's dead is fucking pointless and shameful.
But that assumes that people should only value a person based on how popular what they did was, or scale back their distaste for the person based on how unknown his controversial personal views were.
If you're remembering the person, its because you like what he personally did and his personal beliefs, not how popular or influential those points of view have become over time. The only exception is if he preached his views, and willingly tried to convert people to his view that homosexuals were evil or women were less than men.
Certainly it can be seen as a good thing that his hatred for gays (I still think homophobia, implying fear of gays, is the incorrect term to use regardless of what wikipedia says), and sexist views weren't as influential as his scientific views were, but I don't think celebrating a person's life is about how popular/unknown his views became after the fact.
The only thing that matters in that regard, is that one came to know the person because of their popularity/infamy, but how you perceive those views that led to his/her popularity/infamy is a different matter entirely.
And in conclusion, I suppose some people find that his personal views were a lot more unattractive than his scientific aspect was attractive, so overall he's not someone to celebrate.
--------------- Personally...I think back then homophobia and sexism were more common. I still think its wrong, but its more understandable. In certain time periods, its very hard not to be something that we perceive today as being negative. So I will give him a little slack there.
Still I don't think I would celebrate him as a person, even if it is more understandable. I will simply say, I am happy he inspired people in the sciences, rather than try to weigh his views and characteristics to see whether I like him overall or not.
I only knew of him through the xylophone video, but why anyone feels the need to defend a bigot against public pinion is beyond me. Sure, maybe some of you appreciate his contributions to astronomy, but that doesn't preclude others from judging him differently. In other words, if the fact that some might not lament the death of a bigot surprises you, be angry at the sun for rising.
On December 11 2012 01:32 Klipsys wrote: This guy isn't Malcolm X or Che Guevara. He wasn't a revolutionary or a genius political thinker. He wasn't a conflicted man who is misunderstood, or a victim of circumstances. He was a bitter hateful old douche who liked science. Joseph Mengele liked science too, and his studies brought us a lot of medical information, should we overlook the fact he murdered and experimented on people?
On December 11 2012 01:31 Solarist wrote:
On December 11 2012 01:25 Destro wrote: "no everyone is perfect" ...please... you cannot downplay a homophobic, racist, and sexist just because he was old. he used a well earned public platform to spew his utter bullshit that is cancerous to society/humanity. if you don't want to hear people condemn someone for being those things, then dont start a thread about a person who was openly guilty about all of them.
Haha canceruous to society. With words like that you'd think he raped babies for a living or something instead of just having different values than you
Different values =/= Misogyny and Homophobia.
You think Che Guevara was a good person?
Absolutely.
"I have yet to find a single credible source pointing to a case where Che executed 'an innocent'. Those persons executed by Guevara or on his orders were condemned for the usual crimes punishable by death at times of war or in its aftermath: desertion, treason or crimes such as rape, torture or murder. I should add that my research spanned five years, and included anti-Castro Cubans among the Cuban-American exile community in Miami and elsewhere."
— Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
i quote stuff because it makes me feel like i'm right
His political views don't mean jack, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and ideologies under the law and despite what you think is wrong or right you absolutely cannot refute how much importance he had in the world of Astronomy. And that importance alone is what we are saying farewell to in this thread.
On December 11 2012 02:52 Schlootle wrote: His political views don't mean jack, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and ideologies under the law and despite what you think is wrong or right you absolutely cannot refute how much importance he had in the world of Astronomy. And that importance alone is what we are saying farewell to in this thread.
It is not your place to dictate how others are to go about remembering this man (in fact, via this medium, that job explicitly belongs to the mods). If the fact that others are not so singularly engaged with his astronomy work upsets you then I'm not sure what to tell you other than "welcome to the real world".
On December 11 2012 02:52 Schlootle wrote: His political views don't mean jack, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and ideologies under the law and despite what you think is wrong or right you absolutely cannot refute how much importance he had in the world of Astronomy. And that importance alone is what we are saying farewell to in this thread.
Political views: I think the government should have a bigger say in how companies conduct business. BS: Homosexuality is wrong.
On the one hand we normally keep RIP topics to respectful stuff but on the other hand he is clearly a pretty divisive figure. I'm going to lock this. If you want to mourn the death of a popular astronomer then do so privately, likewise if you want to curse the memory of a sexist homophobe then do so privately. If you want to collectively debate whether or not an individuals achievements can be separated from a distasteful personal life then a general topic can be made for that.
EPT![[image loading]](http://www.itslikereally.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/806eb_patrick-moore.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02373/patrickMoore_2373364b.jpg)
