Hall's Marriage Theorem: Math Student Rejected Thesis for "Offense

[bhobba]

Here is an interesting little theorem - called Hall's Marriage Theorem:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall's_marriage_theorem

Well I am sitting here - simply flabbergasted.

It's just a theorem - but guess what? A math student using it in a thesis at the University of NSW here in Aus had it rejected because - get this - marriage is offensive - it's not just political correctness - its generally offensive in society.

I thought mathematics was immune to this rubbish - the reporter couldn't keep a straight face - humanities students maybe - but math students? They even went and asked other math students were they offended - they sort of looked at the reporter strangely - you must be joking.

They asked the head of the department and he said the adviser that rejected it far exceeded their authority and would be spoken to. All he could suggest is mathematicians of all the STEM areas are a bit mad. First I heard that one - in my math student days it was the exact opposite - we were the first to laugh at the silliness of political activists in the student union activist area - I remember one time this girl speaking some rubbish student loans were sexist - in fact there were more females than males at the school - I had to get out of there fast it was so silly - me and my friends couldn't keep a straight face. But it seems some STEM areas are now affected by the same stupidity. As students you should question things - but this is simply - well unbelievable.

What is teaching, even in STEM where you would think such silliness is not an issue, coming to. Are they studying math or semantics. Amazing.

Thanks
Bill

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Wow! Just wow!

 

[Vanadium 50]

A math student using it in a thesis at the University Of NSW here in Aus had it rejected because - get this - marriage is offensive - it's not just political correctness - its generally offensive in society.

Can you provide a link?

 

[Mark44]

Can you provide a link?

A direct link brings up a pay wall, but do a Google search using this search string:

"daily telegraph" "university of NSW" marriage theorem

This will bring up the Daily Telegraph article.

 

[bhobba]

Can you provide a link?

I heard it on a current affairs program called The Bolt Report where the host interviewed the reporter concerned and showed the interview with the student.

Both the host and the reporter, as well as me, simply could not keep a straight face - its so utterly silly. Its obviously an isolated incident of political correctness run amok. I have zero doubt its not a general trend or anything like that, the vast majority of advisers, lecturers etc at UNSW (University New South Wales), or elsewhere in Australia (certainly at the institute I attended - the Queensland University of Technology) would not, regardless of views, be involved in anything like this, but that it happened, even though it is amusing, was deadly serious to the student concerned.

For what its worth I think the head of the department hit the nail on the head - you sometimes get the occasional nutter in any area and, even though I have never experienced it myself, of all the STEM areas math seems to be where they occcur more often.

I do not believe this is a widespread phenomena, just an isolated incident were someone let strong personal views interfere with professional judgement to the point it created a situation ripe for current affairs programs to make hay.

In practical terms its just a cautionary tale, regardless of things you personally believe, to in your professional academic life at all times behave that way - professionally - that goes for lecturers, advisers, professors and students.

I have no doubt it will be reported in the papers - its the type of thing they lap up - but as one poster said, and I have experienced this myself on this forum, they are likely behind paywalls. I am a subscriber to the digital edition of a local paper and I can easily see content a lot of others can't without even knowing they can't see it. So I can't post a link - but I am sure, if it's out there, others can locate some info about it.

Again I want to reiterate, despite being amusing, there is a cautionary tale here - try at all times in your professional and academic life to be just that - professional.

Added Much Later:

Here is a link to Sky News where I heard the story from:
http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/09/26/unsw-lecturer-deems--marriage--offensive.html

It pretty much speaks for itself - but again is not the full story I saw on the Bolt Report.

Thanks
Bill

 

[neilparker62]

Dang - I was just about to propose. Now what do I do if I can't pop the question

 

[mjc123]

Mind you, suppose somebody 100 years ago had come up with a theorem about a set of objects being reduced one by one, and called it the "Ten Little N****rs Theorem". Would it be acceptable to call it that today? (We now call the Agatha Christie novel "And Then There Were None".) I'm not saying I agree with the Australian idiot, but sensibilities do change.

 

[Ray Vickson]

Here is an interesting little theorem - called Hall's Marriage Theorem:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall's_marriage_theorem

Well I am sitting here - simply flabbergasted.

It's just a theorem - but guess what? A math student using it in a thesis at the University of NSW here in Aus had it rejected because - get this - marriage is offensive - it's not just political correctness - its generally offensive in society.

I thought mathematics was immune to this rubbish - the reporter couldn't keep a straight face - humanities students maybe - but math students? They even went and asked other math students were they offended - they sort of looked at the reporter strangely - you must be joking.

They asked the head of the department and he said the adviser that rejected it far exceeded their authority and would be spoken to. All he could suggest is mathematicians of all the STEM areas are a bit mad. First I heard that one - in my math student days it was the exact opposite - we were the first to laugh at the silliness of political activists in the student union activist area - I remember one time this girl speaking some rubbish student loans were sexist - in fact there were more females than males at the school - I had to get out of there fast it was so silly - me and my friends couldn't keep a straight face. But it seems some STEM areas are now affected by the same stupidity. As students you should question things - but this is simply - well unbelievable.

What is teaching, even in STEM where you would think such silliness is not an issue, coming to. Are they studying math or semantics. Amazing.

Thanks
Bill

I wonder how they would feel about the fact that the ordinary (heterosexual) marriage problem possesses a polynomial-time solution, but the so-called homosexual marriage problem is NP-hard.

 

[WWGD]

Mind you, suppose somebody 100 years ago had come up with a theorem about a set of objects being reduced one by one, and called it the "Ten Little N****rs Theorem". Would it be acceptable to call it that today? (We now call the Agatha Christie novel "And Then There Were None".) I'm not saying I agree with the Australian idiot, but sensibilities do change.

Well, no reason to go from one extreme to the other.

 

[Buzz Bloom]

sensibilities do change.

Hi mjc:

It is certainly the case that in any culture there are words that are considered to be unsuitable for use with polite company and/or children. However, it is unreasonable to permit someone from insisting that an ordinary word in common usage should be treated in the same manner.

Regards,
Buzz

 

[WWGD]

Hi mjc:

It is certainly the case that in any culture there are words that are considered to be unsuitable for use with polite company and/or children. However, it is unreasonable to permit someone from insisting that an ordinary word in common usage should be treated in the same manner.

Regards,
Buzz

I think there tends to be a discussion going on in society about this, other issues ( to be pretentious, the wholethe is, antithesis thing of sorts, as in Hegel) but sometimes the prndulum goes far eide from one end t the other. From one unacceptable mode to another, different unacceptable mode.

 

[bhobba]

[

I think there tends to be a discussion going on in society about this, other issues ( to be pretentious, the wholethe is, antithesis thing of sorts, as in Hegel) but sometimes the prndulum goes far eide from one end t the other. From one unacceptable mode to another, different unacceptable mode.

That's it exactly. I have no doubt the person concerned genuinely believed their view was correct from the circles they frequented. But they forgot it may not reflect the general public's view and may even (as I and quite a few others did) find it laughable. When I penned it I was still laughing my head off, and did so purely as an amusing story about what happens when personal views get in the way of professional conduct. Public affairs programs make hay with this sort of stuff and can lead to embarrassment for the people concerned, as happened here - as I said both the reporter and host of the current affairs program could not keep a straight face. Beyond that though even if you believe in something very strongly (not scientifically of course - but a social issue like this) you can cause all sorts of problems by acting on it in doing things like rejecting thesis etc - it even raises serious academic freedom issues. Academics need to take their power and the professionalism associated with it quite seriously. I am sure the head of the department impressed this on the person concerned and it will not happen again. That is a serious look at the issue - however everybody I showed it to just roared with laughter - that was it's main purpose - simply an amusing story - but when examined beyond that was the moral to act professionally.

Thanks
Bill

 

[alan2]

Just my two cents worth but I find your reaction just as bizarre as the professor asking students not to use the word.

 

[Ray Vickson]

Just my two cents worth but I find your reaction just as bizarre as the professor asking students not to use the word.

I was attempting to inject a bit of levity; some people were amused, but you were not. I agree that what I wrote is bizarre, but the whole issue is bizarre. More bizarre, perhaps, was the attempts of "evangelicals" to use the computational complexity results to justify their anti-gay political stances. That actually happened some years ago.

 

[WWGD]

I was attempting to inject a bit of levity; some people were amused, but you were not. I agree that what I wrote is bizarre, but the whole issue is bizarre. More bizarre, perhaps, was the attempts of "evangelicals" to use the computational complexity results to justify their anti-gay political stances. That actually happened some years ago.

Hey, at least give them credit for (trying to) use science to back up their claims. A few steps above " The Bible said so".