Take a good look at who is speaking out. Grad students are running the biggest science protest because no one else would. Institutions are going to be targeted no matter what we do. Might as well go down fighting. - ThreadSky

mikefeigin.bsky.social • 16 hours ago

Take a good look at who is speaking out. Grad students are running the biggest science protest because no one else would. Institutions are going to be targeted no matter what we do. Might as well go down fighting.

Reposted from Jeremy Berg

Thank you!

I, too, am shocked that so many are so quiet as if they think it will protect them from the worst of this. I don't think it will.

Comments

dynlachtlab.bsky.social•15 hours ago

Irma Sánchez PhD : I will be in DC as will other reps of our lab.
Yes, lets go down FIGHTIN !

mikefeigin.bsky.social•15 hours ago

Glad to hear it!!

micheome.bsky.social•15 hours ago

I’m going down swinging for sure

williamslauram.bsky.social•15 hours ago

My sense is that it’s new muscle for a lot of folks in the sciences. In the 90s, we had trouble getting science grad students to walk picket lines during contract negotiations at Univ. of Michigan, but humanities and social sciences were out in force…

williamslauram.bsky.social•15 hours ago

In part, we had the crappiest stipends and were most dependent on good contracts. Lots of science grad students had larger NSF stipends, were afraid to piss off their lab directors, or (in comp sci & engineering) were candid that they could jump to industry if things went south.

williamslauram.bsky.social•15 hours ago

So, yeah, channel your crankiest English or Philosophy major friends and rise up!

mikefeigin.bsky.social•12 hours ago

Since this is doing numbers, and I don’t have a SoundCloud to promote, perhaps you haven’t heard about the Buffalo rally for science on March 7??

https://bsky.app/profile/mikefeigin.bsky.social/post/3ljdlap3cnk2x

bita137.bsky.social•15 hours ago

In all my years in academia and in multiple institutions, I have found that there are two kinds of tenured professors: those who speak out and those who virtue signal

northernthrux.bsky.social•15 hours ago

There are those who say nothing as well. That’s the majority.

bita137.bsky.social•15 hours ago

I meant in all contexts and not just social media (faculty meetings, conferences, etc)

northernthrux.bsky.social•15 hours ago

Me too! The vast majority are silent in my experience. Silence signaling a desire to not rock the boat.

resdevbcch.bsky.social•14 hours ago

What I often notice is that they don’t speak up in meetings but then walk away together deep in convo.

rauschermri.bsky.social•12 hours ago

I'd say >30% are sycophants and 40% are afraid (one could use a stronger word here).

northernthrux.bsky.social•14 hours ago

“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

- Albert Einstein

bita137.bsky.social•14 hours ago

Maybe folks in my field are more talkative but some have argued that silence consent is a form of virtue signaling so perhaps we are on the same page

bdau.bsky.social•15 hours ago

Public universities in Red states are in a double clinch which (sadly) perhaps explains their dead silence...

chasingmicrobes.bsky.social•3 hours ago

mikefeigin.bsky.social•3 hours ago

Exactly. This was on a different topic, but I was talking to a senior prof about a problem we were having and he was like, someone should do something about that. I’m like, yeah dude, YOU!!!!

sgoulopoulou.bsky.social•2 hours ago

I was also told to focus on my science because in 4 years, when all this is done, I will still need grants and papers. This convo was a few weeks ago though, 🤞🏼 they understand better now

mikefeigin.bsky.social•2 hours ago

Yeah, let’s just hold out for 4 years. That’ll work. 🙄🙄

sgoulopoulou.bsky.social•2 hours ago

Yup! I responded: I don’t think we’ll be around in 4 yrs if we don’t stop this now.

chasingmicrobes.bsky.social•2 hours ago

A bit of a broken record on this, but in the US we have grown a bit complacent because for a long time these things resolve after some time to some resemblance of what they were before. But there's never a guarantee of that.

lindacphd.bsky.social•34 minutes ago

Some didn't speak out until they were directly impacted when the study sections were canceled. Some are in denial. Some think silence will protect them. Whatever is happening is bigger than us.

yddraigarian.bsky.social•12 minutes ago

Science/academia version of this...

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