As a comment on The Thesis Whisperer's blog essay "Academic assholes and the circle of niceness", which has been recently shared in facebook by several postgraduate friends, I wrote the following sentiment on my facebook wall on April 18:
Unfortunately and fortunately, I've also seen and experienced both the 'nasty' and 'nice' sides of the academia. Sadly, however, the trauma that the nastiness of pseudo-academic assholes inflict on young academic dreamers oftentimes overwhelms the profession's niceties.
In addition to witnessing nasty academic assholes cleverly maneuvering their way up to promotion, what is heartbreaking as well is to see these tenured/secured senior academics with so much feeling of insecurities in their hearts and minds. That's "kicking away the ladder" in the supposedly ivory tower of integrity and professionalism — that is, the academia!
I join The Thesis Whisperer in her appeal here: "Ultimately we are all diminished when clever people walk away from academia. So what can we do? It’s tempting to point the finger at senior academics for creating a poor workplace culture, but I’ve experienced this behaviour from people at all levels of the academic hierarchy. We need to work together to break the circle of nastiness."
Another harsh reality though is that insecure assholes do not like clever people around and they are just so ecstatic seeing clever people walk away not just from their own department or group or university but from the academic profession itself!
I am one of those who long for the old-fashioned academic culture of generosity, encouragement, and inspiration.
All the nice academics, unite! We have nothing to lose but the assholes!!!
And here's my related blog post some months ago - "Academic Profession: A Sad Reality".
* * *
My friend, Nikki Briones Carsi Cruz, succinctly shared her insights into this sentiment of mine which must continue to remind me of hope in the academe and goodness in many academics:
Thanks for sharing this Bonn - I have an inkling about this sad/harsh reality, but I must say though, that thankfully, there are also many mentors who make the effort to protect and inspire young blood. Two years ago, upon acquiring my Ph.D., I reached a crossroads and I wondered whether to leave the academe for good, but inspiring people I look up and respect reached out to me, and I can testify, that the culture of generosity, encouragement, and inspiration still exists. I found lifelines being flung at me from near and far... enough to keep me afloat, and tethered to the academe.
I agreed and replied:
Indeed, Nikki, there are many decent people around, too, who we could work and ally with. I also believe that for our generation, time is on our side so this thought should keep us going and hopeful.
I'm currently at what you refer to as a 'crossroads'. Yes, a PhD degree gives so much options in life and career. But I believe that more important than the professional pressures of having a PhD degree is the personal sense of leading a happy, content, purpose-driven, and dignified life. To me, this personal goal comes with the constant search of associating ourselves with as many soul-mates as possible in work and in life.
Cheers from Copenhagen!
