One other benefit of speaking up is that you can "fill in the gap" so that people know exactly what you are objecting to and why. That makes it harder for people to make ominous claims about what might be motivating objections.
Another challenge though is making sure that the "collegiality" argument doesn't get used against you, especially in light of the ruling out of North Carolina that it's fine to punish a faculty member for statements made in the context of university service.
I agree with this: "the path to academic greatness has always run through pissing off powerful people."
My experiences are that many academics have little interest in "academic greatness" but rather are plenty happy with "academic comfortableness." So I agree that risk aversion is rife in this community, which is ironic because it is supposed to support risk taking.
I've got the Zoom up and you are about to speak -- Go get 'em.
One other benefit of speaking up is that you can "fill in the gap" so that people know exactly what you are objecting to and why. That makes it harder for people to make ominous claims about what might be motivating objections.
Another challenge though is making sure that the "collegiality" argument doesn't get used against you, especially in light of the ruling out of North Carolina that it's fine to punish a faculty member for statements made in the context of university service.
Both good points.
Great talk!
I agree with this: "the path to academic greatness has always run through pissing off powerful people."
My experiences are that many academics have little interest in "academic greatness" but rather are plenty happy with "academic comfortableness." So I agree that risk aversion is rife in this community, which is ironic because it is supposed to support risk taking.
I've got the Zoom up and you are about to speak -- Go get 'em.
You did it first! I continue to appreciate your mentorship!
Awesome. I feel like the path has diverged and the road ahead is open, though it has obstacles