Opposing Pluto's Demotion Does Not Equal "Whining"

The distant Planet PlutoAdam Frank’s April 28 Forbes column, “Quit Whining: Pluto’s Not a Planet” is not just written in a very condescending, patronizing tone. It also includes outdated information and lacks important data based on which many planetary scientists consider Pluto and all dwarf planets to be a subclass of full planets. Words matter, and the words Frank uses are unprofessional, disrespectful, and downright insulting to those who don’t share his view and support a geophysical planet definition over the IAU’s dynamical one. Using terms like “wailing, “whining,” and “crying” to describe the reaction of those who oppose the IAU vote sets the wrong tone for the article and amounts to putting down those with whom he disagrees with defamatory language. Frank invokes the strawman argument that accuses Pluto supporters of being motivated by emotion. This completely dismisses the genuine objections by some of the world’s leading planetary scientists to the IAU definition that…