Golden Fleece Award Explained

The Golden Fleece Award (1975–1988) was a tongue-in-cheek award given to public officials in the United States for squandering public money. Its name is sardonically taken from the actual Order of the Golden Fleece, a prestigious chivalric award created in the late 15th century. It is a play on the transitive verb fleece, or charging excessively for goods or services.

United States Senator William Proxmire, Democrat from Wisconsin, began to issue the Golden Fleece Award in 1975 in monthly press releases.^[1] In 1988, The Washington Post referred to the award as "the most successful public relations device in politics today".^[2] Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, referred to the award as being "as much a part of the Senate as quorum calls and filibusters".

Award

William Proxmire, a United States Senator who represented the Democratic Party from Wisconsin, issued the award monthly from 1975 until 1988. He issued 168 Golden Fleece Awards. Though some members of the United States House of Representatives asked Proxmire's permission to continue the award, he declined, saying he might continue to issue them as a private citizen. Other organizations patterned their own "Golden Fleece Awards" after Proxmire's.^{[3] [4]} Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan federal budget watchdog organization, gave Proxmire their lifetime achievement award in 1999,^[5] and revived the Golden Fleece Award in 2000. Proxmire served as an honorary chairman of the organization.^[6]

Reception

One "winner", behavioral scientist Ronald Hutchinson, sued Proxmire for $8 million in damages in 1976.^{[7] [8]} Proxmire claimed that his statements about Hutchinson's research were protected by the Speech or Debate Clause of the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled, in Hutchinson v. Proxmire,^[9] that the protection of speech and debate of lawmakers in the Constitution did not shield Proxmire from liability for defamatory statements made outside of formal congressional proceedings. The case was later settled out of court.^[10] Proxmire continued to present the award following the suit.^[11]

In 2012 several organizations created the Golden Goose Award, celebrating federally funded scientists doing basic research with benefits to society or humanity.

In his 2014 book Creativity, Inc., Pixar President Ed Catmull wrote of the "chilling effect on research" the Golden Fleece Award exerted. He argued that when thousands of research projects are funded, some have measurable, positive impacts and others don't. It is not possible to predict what the results of every research project will be or whether they will have value. Catmull further argued that failure in research is essential and that fear of failure would distort the way researchers choose projects, which would ultimately impede progress.^[12]

Award winners

Winners of the Golden Fleece Award included governmental organizations like the United States Department of Defense,^[13] Bureau of Land Management,^[14] and National Park Service;^[15] research projects have been particularly well represented.^[16] Many of the projects have been characterized as junk science that "lack substance" and were "marginal or useless scientific research".^[17]

The National Science Foundation (NSF) won the first Golden Fleece Award for spending $84,000 on a study on love. Proxmire reasoned that:^[18]

The Federal Aviation Administration was named for spending $57,800 on a study of the physical measurements of 432 airline stewardesses, including "distance from knee to knee while sitting", and "the politeal [sic] length of the buttocks."^[19]

Proxmire gave the award to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for their search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) program, supporting the scientific search for extraterrestrial civilizations.^[20] Proxmire later withdrew his opposition to the SETI program.^[21]

It is widely believed that Proxmire gave the award to a study of the sex life of the screwworm fly, the results of which led scientists to create sterile screwworms, which were released into the wild and eliminated this major cattle parasite from North and Central America, and reduced the cost of beef and dairy products across the globe.^[22] However, there is no evidence for this claim in the archives of the award held by the Wisconsin Historical Society.^[23] Furthermore, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded research on the sex life of the screwworm fly took place in the 1930s through 1950s,^[24] long before the Golden Fleece era of the 1970s and 80s, when Proxmire largely targeted contemporary research. The erroneous claim seems to stem from a speech by a former director of the National Science Foundation, who stated that Proxmire gave the award to an NSF grant titled "The Sexual Behavior of the Screwworm Fly," and later "freely admitted that the study of the sex life of the screwworm fly had been of major significance to progress in this important field."^[25]

Other award winners included:

• Paul Ekman's research that led to the development of the controversial Facial Action Coding System.^[26]
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded project by psychologist Harris Rubin for $121,000, on developing "some objective evidence concerning marijuana's effect on sexual arousal by exposing groups of male pot-smokers to pornographic films and measuring their responses by means of sensors attached to their penises".^{[27] [28]}
• National Science Foundation for spending $103,000 to compare aggressiveness in sun fish that drink tequila as opposed to gin.^[29]
• National Institute for Mental Health for spending $97,000 to study, among other things, what went on in a Peruvian brothel; the researchers said they made repeated visits in the interests of accuracy.^[1]
• Office of Education for spending $219,592 in a "curriculum package" to teach college students how to watch television.^[5]
• United States Department of the Army for a $6,000 study on how to buy Worcestershire sauce in 1981.^{[5] [30]}
• United States Department of Commerce (Economic Development Administration) for spending $20,000 to build a 10-story replica of the Great Wall of China in Bedford, Indiana.^[31] Begun in 1979, the money proved insufficient and the site is currently abandoned.^[32]
• United States Department of Defense for a $3,000 study to determine if people in the military should carry umbrellas in the rain.^[1]
• United States Department of Justice for conducting a study on why prisoners want to escape.^[5]
• United States Postal Service for spending over $4 million on an advertisement campaign to make Americans write more letters to one another.^[33]
• Executive Office of the President of the United States, for spending $611,623 to restore a room in the Old Executive Office Building with gold trim.^[34]
• Ronald Reagan's 1985 inaugural committee, for spending $15.5 million of taxpayer money on the planned second inauguration of Reagan.^[35] (Most of the events could not be held outdoors due to extreme cold.^[36]) The outdoor events were cancelled in the interest of safety because the noon temperature was with wind chills, making it the coldest inauguration on record. Frostbite can occur in as little as 30 minutes in these conditions.

See also

• Ig Nobel Prize
  • Pork barrel

External links

• Proxmire, William. Golden Fleece Awards, 1975–1987 (Wis Mss 738, Box 158, Folders 1–5).
• What Proxmire's Golden fleece Did ForAnd ToScience at The Scientist
• "Against the "Golden Fleece" Award" at Washington Monthly

Notes and References

1. News: Severo . Richard . William Proxmire, Maverick Democratic Senator From Wisconsin, Is Dead at 90 . . December 16, 2005 . November 17, 2018.
2. News: Guardian dragon will doze: 'Golden Fleece' award is about to go into the attic . Mike . Mills . Toledo Blade . B2 . October 16, 1988 . November 17, 2018.
3. News: A 'Golden Fleece' Award for LIRR Workers . . Bill . Bleyer . May 13, 1986.
4. News: Library initiative wins top 'Golden Fleece' award . . Ray . Huard . April 16, 1999.
5. News: Proxmire honored for sharp eye on $: Taxpayers' group gives founder of Golden Fleece an award of his own . . Frank A. . Aukofer . 3A . December 8, 1999 . November 17, 2018.
6. News: Golden Fleece award returns in watchdog role . . A1 . July 6, 2000 . November 17, 2018.
7. News: Proxmire 'Fleeced' Of His Immunity . The Daily Union Democrat . 2 . June 26, 1979 . November 17, 2018.
8. News: Proxmire Award Now a Court Issue . The Milwaukee Journal . 3 . January 21, 1979 . November 17, 2018.
9. , 61 L.Ed. 2d 411, 99 S.Ct. 2675 (1979).
10. News: Senator Proxmire Bars Race in 1988 . The New York Times . David . Johnston . August 28, 1987 . November 17, 2018.
11. News: Golden Fleece: Award Goes To Study Showing Pot, Scuba Diving Don't Mix . Associated Press . The Evening Independent . 3–A . July 20, 1979 . November 17, 2018.
12. Book: Creativity, Inc. . Edwin . Catmull . Amy . Wallace . 978-0552167260 . 2014 . Transworld Publishers Limited . November 17, 2018.
13. News: Proxmire takes aim at Defense . The Milwaukee Sentinel . 4 . December 21, 1988 . November 17, 2018.
14. News: And You Have Cash Trouble?. Robert . Stiff . The Evening Independent . 1 . November 22, 1975 . November 17, 2018.
15. News: Slush Fund of US Parks Wins Fleece . Associated Press . The Milwaukee Journal . 9 . June 26, 1979 . November 17, 2018.
16. Web site: Steven . Schimmrich . Frivolous Research? . Hudson Valley Geologist . March 23, 2011 . November 17, 2018.
17. Book: Williams, William F. . https://books.google.com/books?id=vH1EAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22pseudoscience+is+not%22+%22junk+science%22&pg=PT12 . Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience: From Alien Abductions to Zone Therapy . 2013-12-02 . Routledge . 978-1-135-95522-9 . en . Ethical Issues in Pseudoscience: Ideology, Fraud, and Misconduct.
18. Book: Elaine . Hatfield . G. William . Walster . A New Look At Love . 1978 . University Press of America . 978-0-8191-4957-2 . viii . registration . November 17, 2018.
19. News: Senator's August Golden Fleece: Stewardesses' Shape Survey Just One Big Bust To Proxmire . Sarasota Herald Tribune . N.Y. Times News Service . 10–B . August 22, 1975 . November 17, 2018.
20. News: NASA searches for extraterrestrial dollars . Art . Levine . 4 . The Michigan Daily . October 5, 1978 . November 17, 2018.
21. News: Astronomy; Listening To The Stars Gets Respect . . David L. . Chandler . June 25, 1984.
22. Yager . Mariana . Emmett . Michael . How worms' sex behavior can have a major impact on understanding human disease . Proceedings (Baylor University Medical Center) . 25 . 4 . 395–396 . October 2012 . 23077397 . 3448588 . 10.1080/08998280.2012.11928890 .
23. Web site: Golden Fleece Awards, 1975-1987 -- Turning Points in Wisconsin History . November 17, 2018.
24. Web site: 1930s -- STOP Screwworms: Selections from the Screwworm Eradication Collection . Special Collections Exhibits . November 17, 2018.
25. The Golden Fleece, Science Education, and U.S. Science Policy . Richard C. . Atkinson . Colloquium Series on the History of Science and Technology . University of California, Berkeley . November 10, 1997 . PDF . November 17, 2018.
26. Web site: He's Inspired the Latest Crime Series by Decoding the Traits of Liars . Bill . Carter . The New York Times . January 20, 2009 . November 17, 2018.
27. News: Proxmire criticizes drug program . Associated Press . The Southeast Missourian . 7 . August 27, 1975 . November 17, 2018.
28. Constance . Holden . House Chops Sex-Pot Probe . . April 30, 1976 . 192 . 4238 . 450 . 10.1126/science.192.4238.450 . 17731076 . 31636430 .
29. News: Proxmire's Golden Fleece made him a hit with voters . . Jay . Horning . March 8, 1992 . 12.A . November 17, 2018.
30. News: Golden Fleece Award to $6,000 Army Sauce Study . United Press International . July 10, 1981 . August 13, 2021.
31. News: Proxmire Fleeces Bedford Wall . Logansport Pharos-Tribune . Logansport, Indiana . September 11, 1981 . 3 . newspapers.com . November 17, 2018.
32. Book: Amy . Wallace . David . Wallechinsky . Irving . Wallace . The People's Almanac Presents the Book of Lists #3 . 1983 . Bantam . New York . 978-0553278682 . 399–402 . 15 Winners of the Golden Fleece Award . https://books.google.com/books?id=UPAAPzPUgTUC . November 17, 2018.
33. News: Mail service gets 'fleeced' by Proxmire . United Press International . 10A . Eugene Register-Guard . July 25, 1977 . November 17, 2018.
34. News: White House gets 'fleece' award . The Miami News . 2A. June 15, 1987.
35. News: Proxmire hits Reagan inaugural spree . Reuters . April 1, 1987 . . 38 . November 17, 2018.
36. Web site: The 50th Presidential Inauguration: Ronald W. Reagan . November 17, 2018.