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There is a big difference between erasing someone from history and not naming something in someone's honor. It isn't like nasa is now going to scrub all the his

There is a big difference between erasing someone from history and not naming something in someone's honor. It isn't like nasa is now going to scrub all the history books of the name James Webb or outlaw mentioning his name. I would think there are enough people worth naming a telescope after after.

whatshisface 5y ago
The suggestion mentioned in the article, Harriet Tubman, might not be the most appropriate name for a space telescope, and if that's really what's being suggested it sounds a little pandering, almost to the point of being constructed.
- polytely 5y ago
  Aye, it would be better to name it after an astronomer, even if you would want a women there are enough names to choose from. for example: https://youtu.be/damkjiFNn5E https://youtu.be/damkjiFNn5E Caroline Herschel Telescope would be cool, she mapped the skies so it feels appropriate
  - belorn 5y ago
    I wonder, if one dig through her private journals or songs, could a person find an view or opinion that in modern standards would not be acceptable to have? If so, should we then erase her name from the telescope and try again with a new candidate?
    - polytely 5y ago
      Sure, if you want to spend your time/effort on that and are able to mobilize and convince enough people to get it changed then you can do that. Im convinced there are enough good candidates that ~didn't actively participate in rooting out queer people from NASA~ [not accurate, read thread], which is kind of a low bar. Nobody (I think) is saying that everyone that gets something named after them must have been perfectly 'woke' by todays standards, but when you are naming something and you have the entirety of history to choose from, maybe don't pick James Webb.
      - belorn 5y ago
        Interesting. You say he "rooting out queer people from NASA", but that is not what is found in the article. The question is not about James Webb time in the NASA, but rather during his time in the State Department as an undersecretary. He became an undersecretary in 1949, and started to work in NASA in 1961. The Lavender scare occurred between 1947 and "ended" around 1973. In particular it was the 1953 law signed by Eisenhower which barred homosexuals from working in the federal government. The four astronomers leading the renaming petition say that when Webb worked for the state department in the high-ranking position of undersecretary from 1949 to 1952, he passed a set of memos discussing what was described as “the problem of homosexuals and sex perverts” to a senator who was leading the persecution.
        polytely 5y ago
        I'm very tired and I misread it, I recently watched For All Mankind (a solid series if you like space stuff), where the looking for gay people in NASA (by the state department I think?) is a big plotpoint, I think that is the origin of the mental image I had while reading it. will edit it, thanks for the correction
  - bassman9000 5y ago
    what will happen when someone finds something they don't like? because they will The problem is not the lack of spotless characters. There is no such thing. The problem is the permanently outraged.
- sp332 5y ago
  olivermarks is talking about an Orwellian kind of erasing, where a person's existence is forgotten or minimized. Putting a bigot's name on a big project and then asking people not to think about their bigotry would be editing history.

whatshisface 5y ago

The suggestion mentioned in the article, Harriet Tubman, might not be the most appropriate name for a space telescope, and if that's really what's being suggested it sounds a little pandering, almost to the point of being constructed.

polytely 5y ago
Aye, it would be better to name it after an astronomer, even if you would want a women there are enough names to choose from. for example: https://youtu.be/damkjiFNn5E https://youtu.be/damkjiFNn5E Caroline Herschel Telescope would be cool, she mapped the skies so it feels appropriate
- belorn 5y ago
  I wonder, if one dig through her private journals or songs, could a person find an view or opinion that in modern standards would not be acceptable to have? If so, should we then erase her name from the telescope and try again with a new candidate?
  - polytely 5y ago
    Sure, if you want to spend your time/effort on that and are able to mobilize and convince enough people to get it changed then you can do that. Im convinced there are enough good candidates that ~didn't actively participate in rooting out queer people from NASA~ [not accurate, read thread], which is kind of a low bar. Nobody (I think) is saying that everyone that gets something named after them must have been perfectly 'woke' by todays standards, but when you are naming something and you have the entirety of history to choose from, maybe don't pick James Webb.
    - belorn 5y ago
      Interesting. You say he "rooting out queer people from NASA", but that is not what is found in the article. The question is not about James Webb time in the NASA, but rather during his time in the State Department as an undersecretary. He became an undersecretary in 1949, and started to work in NASA in 1961. The Lavender scare occurred between 1947 and "ended" around 1973. In particular it was the 1953 law signed by Eisenhower which barred homosexuals from working in the federal government. The four astronomers leading the renaming petition say that when Webb worked for the state department in the high-ranking position of undersecretary from 1949 to 1952, he passed a set of memos discussing what was described as “the problem of homosexuals and sex perverts” to a senator who was leading the persecution.
      - polytely 5y ago
        I'm very tired and I misread it, I recently watched For All Mankind (a solid series if you like space stuff), where the looking for gay people in NASA (by the state department I think?) is a big plotpoint, I think that is the origin of the mental image I had while reading it. will edit it, thanks for the correction
- bassman9000 5y ago
  what will happen when someone finds something they don't like? because they will The problem is not the lack of spotless characters. There is no such thing. The problem is the permanently outraged.
sp332 5y ago
olivermarks is talking about an Orwellian kind of erasing, where a person's existence is forgotten or minimized. Putting a bigot's name on a big project and then asking people not to think about their bigotry would be editing history.