On Saturday, a PhD who works outside academia commented on Twitter that she’s not experienced the kind of abuse that is so common in academia since changing careers.
And that totally tracks, because folks in positions of power elsewhere have a lot less direct influence over your life and career than they do in academia.
To me, this is stating the obvious. It is a critique of a system and culture; it is not a critique of any one individual person (though there are plenty of individuals to whom we could apply it, including one John Comaroff).
But then, a tenure-track professor replied with some snark about how the private sector is famously devoid of abuses of power. 🙄
This happened 5 days ago, and a LOT has happened since then on all this. Yet the professor’s reply still angers me. (I’m not trying to start something against this person because it’s not about them.)
The easy dismissal of a woman’s experience is part of it; another is ignorance of the nature of power in academia. Like, don’t we all know this? Are you being serious right now? 😠
We get nowhere by refusing to recognize what is actually happening in our midst. We get nowhere by simply waving away this reality as if it’s just how people are, everywhere.
There is a difference between academia and other sectors, and plenty of people who actually study this stuff have said smart things about it this week.
Yes, terrible people do work everywhere. No one could credibly claim otherwise. But the point is that abuse is systemically enabled in academia in ways it can’t be elsewhere. (See also the Eric Lander situation, also this week.)
Anyways, if you’re starting to think you won’t be able to build a joyful life and meaningful career for yourself as a professor but don’t know what else you should do, I want you to know that I’ve got you.
Here’s a nice thing to end: One of my good friends just (yesterday) got tenure. 🥳