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I stand with DNLee

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Come correct or step to. Presumptuous blog editors, you don't want none of DNLee.
Image credit: DNLee
For background, check out Sean Carroll's excellent overview over at Cosmic Variance. The gist is that a minority woman postdoc (DNLee) was asked to contribute to a biology blog. When she turned down the invitation, things got all nonlinear:
[A]n editor named “Ofek” at Biology-Online.org asked DNLee to provide some free content for him. She responded with: 
Thank you very much for your reply.
But I will have to decline your offer.
Have a great day. 
Here’s what happens less often: the person asking for free content, rather than moving on, responds by saying 
Because we don’t pay for blog entries?
Are you an urban scientist or an urban whore?
Read those two sentences from Ofek again. There's a lot rolled up in there. It's almost like fine wine. A full-bodied set of isms: sexism, classism, racism. You don't get that explicit taste in modern isms, with all their subtleties and subdued, implicit textures. Modern isms are like flavored water. This here, this is the real deal. Ofek's statement has a rich aroma of insecure frustration that assaults your palate before the first sip. Once on your lips you realize: oh my! This is a big one. Complex, seductive in its simplistic reductionism (she only wants that cash money!). The juxtaposition of "urban scientist" and "urban whore" all in one line. How does it fit?! It's almost overwhelming if it weren't for how short the statement was. And the finish! What flourish as you think on it a bit more. Do I taste citrus? Lemons? No, that's the presumptuousness you only get with the angry hurrumph of an entitled old man. So complex, this one. Savor it while you can, because it's going underground again, only to reemerge over colloquium dinner as a jumble of microaggression and bad assumptions.

You know, I almost admire Ofek for just tossing it out there in the open where it can be addressed head on. Whether it was a slip of the tongue (keyboard) on a bad day, or a cry for help, at least he was honest, unlike most of the remaining sexist/racist thoughts in people's heads. Note to self: I'm not exempted.

DNLee writes:
My initial reaction was not civil, I can assure you. I’m far from rah-rah, but the inner South Memphis in me was spoiling for a fight after this unprovoked insult. I felt like Hollywood Cole, pulling my A-line T-shirt off over my head, walking wide leg from corner to corner yelling, “Aww hell nawl!” In my gut I felt so passionately:”Ofek, don’t let me catch you on these streets, homie!”
Fortunately, she pulled it together and wrote a beautiful retort. Sean Carroll reproduces her full blog entry. I highly recommend that you mosey on over there and check it out. As for my part, I'll repost her video response below.

I sincerely hope that I could respond with such maturity and eloquence if this happened to me. I stand with you, gurl, and I'm learning from your example. I also subscribe to her blog now. Check out this entry on camel crickets.

I <3 DNLee!

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