On why is academe so mean?
I was recently asked why are academics so mean?
Because the stakes are so small.
Kissinger was a wise man.
When we fight over a small pie, the fights are meaner.
In the old days, a small pie was limited journal space. We all competed for pages.
In the present, the pie is unlimited. There is no limit on pages.
Even if a weak paper is accepted, it doesn’t stop a good one being published.
So why are faculty still mean?
Because they have not woken up.
They are worried about the indicators of status of the past and not the present.
They count pages and articles and make attributions of value and power.
They don’t get the young care about actions and not rhetoric.
They cling to power like a Gollum to the Ring.
Yet. The power a ring affords is ephemeral.and the power slips away as you progress in your life.
So what to do?
While accepted paper’s are nice, build moral authority. It will be your fulcrum to change the world.
Become a voice for reason.
Help the next group.
Step up and speak for everyone.
But don’t get stuck in the paper chase.
The small stakes don’t matter. The people playing nickel slots are mean.
Think big and change the world!
There are enough journal pages for all of us.
Help build a better academe!
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