Academia isn't one place.
Academia is many institutions across the world. It is different disciplines with hierarchical structures and cultures of interaction. It is departments. Supervisors, mentors, teams, office mates. Committees. Inside an institution and outside, too. 1/
Academia is many institutions across the world. It is different disciplines with hierarchical structures and cultures of interaction. It is departments. Supervisors, mentors, teams, office mates. Committees. Inside an institution and outside, too. 1/
There is toxicity. You have to tell us, however, where you've observed it & what kind. A cross-continental brush doesn't work well.
In other words, no. My handful of threads does not prove academia's toxicity.
As an aside, please consider the below, initial interactions.
2/
In other words, no. My handful of threads does not prove academia's toxicity.
As an aside, please consider the below, initial interactions.
2/
Aside I. First part is what was, I believe, my second longer, direct interaction with Colin Wright.
(The first was about what the terms TERF and transphobic mean. It was a fair back-and-forth.) 3/
(The first was about what the terms TERF and transphobic mean. It was a fair back-and-forth.) 3/
Aside II. Second part is me documenting Colin Wright's accusations against me as he voiced them in the first conversation. He didn't respond to this thread; I believe he'd locked his account at this point (which is a fair thing to do). 4/
You know what impression I got? Colin Wright accuses others of not understanding something, of misrepresenting him, of being unable to read, of muting & blocking accounts that disagree with them.
But if you point out when Colin does the same? He maybe doesn't take it so well. 5/
But if you point out when Colin does the same? He maybe doesn't take it so well. 5/
To return to the question of toxicity, it is a shame that someone as well-trained in his field as Colin Wright seems to be (in my non-biologist eyes) cannot secure a non-limited position despite two or more intensive and draining years of job searching. 6/
It is terrible for all doctoral graduates & post-doctoral fellows that there is such a brutal mismatch of supply and demand.
It is terrible that so much research & teaching work has shifted to non-permanent positions that leave people struggling for years for secure jobs. 7/
It is terrible that so much research & teaching work has shifted to non-permanent positions that leave people struggling for years for secure jobs. 7/
It is bad that there are cases of fraud & falsification of data, incl. in Colin's field biology. It is a shame that if it is a high-profile, networked researcher committing such misconduct, that brings down whole research teams and impacts young scholars in particular. 8/
These, I humbly submit, are key aspects of why Colin Wright did not get a permanent position during his past year of active job searching. 9/
There will be other aspects that made him lose out in relation to other candidates, aspects about his file and the details of the positions he applied to. These aspects are disciplinary and specific to positions. I cannot comment on those. 10/
But my threads about him? The threads where I disagreed with the public positions he takes, where I showed problems with his public commentary on trans rights? My criticism where I brought evidence? The criticism he did not respond to?
These threads were not part of it. 11/
These threads were not part of it. 11/
My threads are part of public debate. And in that, I have as much a right to participate as does Colin Wright. 12/
@threadreaderapp unroll
