This is definitely a self-tell. They will see an article or comments that only refers to her as a "scientist" with no gender and assume the article or person is referring to them as male because that's what they think when they see "scientist".

[–] Derpenheim@lemmy.zip 24 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

For context, there is a trend of correcting people saying scientists to "white man", because articles frame discoveries as "scientists discover x" when "x" had been widely known by the local population since that population got there.

However, this argument is fucking stupid because science has, famously, not categorized and described everything that exists, even if non scientists already know about it.

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

And most importantly, major publications are specifically not framing this as a discovery, but as a documentation.

[–] EvilHankVenture@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, they discovered that it was a new species. If I had a rock on my desk for 20 years then one day ran a test that discovered it was a new element, I could say I discovered a new element even though I knew the rock existed.

[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

That's kind of self-referential gaslighting. How can you tell if society is progressing in awareness (which it is) if every time you see "scientist" you think "white man" and justify it as assuming they were racist enough to put that? (Not you, the person we are talking about.)

That idea that "scientists discover x" being a substitute is correct, but is well-known today because it is a historical trend that was described by modern academics. Not a rampant current issue (despite single examples one might be able to find).

All I'm saying is that progress starts with the institution and the reader and should meet somewhere in the middle. The reader assuming this is what articles mean downright perpetuates the problem.

[–] Kind_to_Everyone@slrpnk.net 13 points 2 weeks ago

I simply do not accept people waste calories trying to gender titles that are irrelevant to the article or when the scientist's name is easily looked up. This reads as strawman ragebait and it's exhausting.

[–] Caesium@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

yeah I don't think I've heard of anyone confusing who the scientist is. I also don't get why anyone would think an event happening in Bolivia would include white people

[–] wieson@feddit.org 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's about the story: scientists discovered a new cat species and named it Tilcayo, after the name the locals call it.
Reactions were:

So it hasn't been discovered, just put on an official list
Do you mean discovered for white guys?
Finally someone asked the locals!

Second type of reaction is probably what caused OPs post

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 3 points 2 weeks ago

Besides, afaik, they only decided it's a new species after an extensive genetic test, so the fact that locals called it something doesn't mean that even locals knew it was different from similar cats. It feels more like naming a new cat species 'cat' in local language

[–] Kind_to_Everyone@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 weeks ago

I don't care to speculate on how people are racially classified as it's an irrelevant concept, but she may consider herself white.

https://explorers.nationalgeographic.org/directory/paola-m-nogales-ascarrunz