Because context is important, and because pithy one liners are as insubstantial as they are utterly devoid of meaning, here's the fuller story:
Tim Hunt made that "nonapology" to BBC Radio before he knew the fallout.
Hunt got an inkling of the storm that was gathering when BBC Radio 4’s Today programme texted requesting an interview. He recorded a clumsily worded phone message. “It wasn’t an interview. It was 1am British time and I was just asked to record a message. It was a mistake to do that as well. It just sounded wrong.”
He didn't know that he was already cast into the harsh spotlight of the public eye; all he knows was that THE reception of his "joke" at the conference resulted in "polite applause." And yet he still apologized.
HE HAS GIVEN AN ACTUAL APOLOGY SINCE THEN.
HE DOES NOT STAND BY WHAT HE SAID.
“I am extremely sorry for the remarks made during the recent Women in Science lunch at the world conference of science journalists in Seoul, Korea”.
“I accept that my attempts at a self-deprecating joke were ill-judged and not in the least bit funny. I am mortified to have upset my hosts, which was the very last thing I intended. I also fully accept that the sentiments as interpreted have no place in modern science and deeply apologise to all those good friends who fear I have undermined their efforts to put these stereotypes behind us.
“In my own career I have always tried to treat my colleagues with respect and kindness, whoever they are, and am proud to have developed and mentored the careers of many excellent young scientists who will be tackling tomorrow’s biological problems long after I have left the scene. I would like to ask that people accept my apology as heartfelt and judge me on my record.”
Edit: He calls it self-deprecating because he met his wife... in a lab. And obviously fell in love with her. I think this underscores how he intended it as a joke, one the entire Internet took out of context.
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Derived from an earlier comment of mine:
This reminds me a little bit of Monica Lewinsky and our Culture of Shame. No one is saying that what these people did or said was a good thing. But perhaps... the public response is a little bit out of proportion. I think we should let him slip out of the limelight and go back to his studies. No female scientists have come out saying he discriminated against them; quite the opposite. Numerous female scientists have come out in support of his character, saying things like "It is quite clear to me that he is not a sexist in any way" and "During the time I worked with him he was always immensely supportive of the ERC’s work around gender equality." . Shouldn't actions speak louder than words?
Remember that one girl who tweeted "Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm White!"? Here's her side of the story.
I dislike how in our Internet age, literally one sentence, one bad joke can undo an entire lifetime of work. We're all human. Forgive. Forget. Don't participate in mob mentality. Don't circlejerk.
Link me where I said it excuses fault.
Your entire comment response was based on excusing fault. You even pulled the "he has women who agree with him" card; backpedaling isn't going to remove what's obvious to everyone else.
Misreading does not mean taken out of context.
It actually does, unless you're highly pedantic in definitions.
Link me.
This isn't you?
I think we should let him slip out of the limelight and go back to his studies.
Must be a different apologist, weird.
Reverse bullying does not solve bullying. Reverse sexism does not solve sexism.
So he is a bully and calling out a bully is bullying; racists and sexists use the same stupid logic, doesn't work.
Compared to less outcry?
You haven't shown how the overall response was out of line.
Which is a statement in favor of groupthink if you can get past the double negative.
No, it's a mockery of your siding with a sexist bully and chiding women in STEM and outside of it for calling him out. You and the rest of his supporters have your own groupthink going on; you're not quite the special snowflake of individualism and rational thought you seem to believe of yourself. You're guilty of taking sides to, just on the other end.