I have said and will continue to say most people have zero idea what it's like for scientists in the US right now.

[kentnavalesi@mstdn.social]

@grimalkina

This country has never been a fan of expertise.

[mrundkvist@archaeo.social]

@Doug_Bostrom @grimalkina
All the old heartfelt words about protecting #democracy ring hollow. Democracy is the system of government that put 4547 in the White House. Twice.

[calbearo@convo.casa]

@grimalkina it is really, really bad. I do think something has been fundamentally broken, which was of course the complete intent. People, careers unalterably damaged and so much important knowledge discarded. #Science

[kkarhan@c.im]

@grimalkina Yeah...

I've stumbled upon folks that got their position axed from one day to the other.

- I hope that one radio astronomer from NRAO was accepted at Max-Planck - Institute for Radio Astronomy...

[doug_bostrom@scicomm.xyz]

@mrundkvist @grimalkina

Not democracy but ignorance in enlisted service of self-interest.

If a radio isn't receiving the station one wants, one tunes (or repairs it) it as opposed to claiming "radio is a hoax."

[barbramon1@mas.to]

@Doug_Bostrom @mrundkvist @grimalkina
Well put. Thank you. Some want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[mrundkvist@archaeo.social]

@Barbramon1 @Doug_Bostrom @grimalkina
I don't know of any better system of government than #democracy. But the past ten years have convinced me that it's really bad. It's a system that insists that morons must be allowed to vote for crooks. Only the other systems are even worse.

[barbramon1@mas.to]

@mrundkvist @Doug_Bostrom @grimalkina Democracy has worked for a long time. Without the Electoral College and Citizens United it would function a lot better.
If you can come up with a better system, work to make it happen. For now we must use what we have, and refine it so that it benefits all of us.

[neilk@xoxo.zone]

@grimalkina The concept of undercover DEI boggles my mind. Like, what could be harder to hide than visible minorities

“Oh, uh, actually we don’t have that many women and nonwhite folks. Jake, Connor, and Brad are just working from home today”

[grimalkina@mastodon.social]

@neilk what I mean is that people are having to remove any associated terms from their websites, grants, and records to avoid being targeted because they did that type of work.

[neilk@xoxo.zone]

@grimalkina Sorry to have made light of a tragic situation

EDIT: Also, same going underground here. I am not a scientist. At a past employer I spearheaded a DEI initiative. It actually worked and I was pretty proud of it. Off the CV now.

[toxomat@social.tchncs.de]

@grimalkina
I do understand that they do that on a personal level, but it is also a symptom of the reason for this carnage being possible at all. A "community" that doesn't know solidarity.
@neilk

[grimalkina@mastodon.social]

@neilk oh no it's all good, I smiled at your joke! I just was responding quickly to try to clarify

[grimalkina@mastodon.social]

@neilk I've been very scattered today, did not mean to be abrupt. Sending appreciation for that work, and solidarity!

[grimalkina@mastodon.social]

@toxomat @neilk in this case I was actually referring to folks who are protecting their *programs* -- they're still doing the work, they're just trying to make sure the students in them and programs themselves don't become targets of attack.

[grimalkina@mastodon.social]

@toxomat @neilk which i think is a really justified strategic move at this point, more important that the work keeps happening than that it's called a certain thing. But yeah, the research faculty types who are trying to distance themselves from anything to do with this, that's pretty infuriating