This is ... a bit of a poor excuse.
I agree.
Perhaps my mention of programmers and social awareness threw everyone off, it was a misleading example. Or perhaps its not clear why I chose "social awareness" and not communication, or empathy.
Social awareness is NOT communication, empathy or introversion/extroversion. Aspects of social awareness can include all these things, but its about understanding how one fits into society, from interpersonal relationships, including work relationships, to global politics. Its the complete picture, including both the small and large views of society.
Most of us fail at the big picture. I am 54 and I am still learning. It does not help that a lot of social awareness is not particularly rational.
@JaimeS came close to pointing it out when she wrote about Tim Hunt possibly being surrounded by a culture of people who are always agreeable. Insular subcultures that have their own values and are disconnected from society are socially unaware. One individual made the blunder, but I suspect you will find many more that haven't publicly blundered yet, from that same subculture.
My experience of those working in science is that they are often poor at social awareness. This does not make them bad communicators, or lacking in empathy, or introverts. My experience is mainly limited to academic scientists working in my state in Australia. Maybe its different elsewhere.
Putting groups of others down is something that arises in these subgroups, but its also about power and control. You demonize some group and all of a sudden its more OK to act unfairly toward them, and make derogatory statements. Indeed we are seeing this at play with the disabled in the UK. Its such a broad phenomenon that I think we can describe most -isms under one single -ism, culturalism. Their subculture is better, so yours is worse.
This is my opinion, I am not aware of others discussing it this way. It does however strike me that prejudice against women, or some ethnic or racial groups, or religion, or age, or work status or disability, all operate in similar ways. None of them are acceptable to me.
It is ironic that I have welcomed a new neighbour, who I think may be Islamic. I didn't ask, its not particularly important to whether or not they are a good neighbour. What is ironic to me is that I did this in the week there was a large community meeting about what to do about all the moslems arriving in my area. I suspect my answer would not go over well. My answer is to say hello and be friendly.
People react when power and control are under threat. They do not always react rationally or fairly.That can include whole societies after bad times.