Read on Twitter
Seriously, let's evaluate this kind of work-culture thinking.
I call such work culture praxis "Plantation Politics" highered research, output & teams operate pretty much how antebellum Southern Plantations operated to produce crops w/ exploited labor & tiered oversight https://twitter.com/NAChristakis/status/960211767434665984
I call such work culture praxis "Plantation Politics" highered research, output & teams operate pretty much how antebellum Southern Plantations operated to produce crops w/ exploited labor & tiered oversight https://twitter.com/NAChristakis/status/960211767434665984
Plantations were more-or-less self sustaining agarian centers that produced cash crops to sell on the market.
Very successful plantations had a LOT of skilled (enslaved) craftspeople, ag, soils, tech, & food service, + low wage earning white overseers.
Very successful plantations had a LOT of skilled (enslaved) craftspeople, ag, soils, tech, & food service, + low wage earning white overseers.
Enslaved labor worked from sun up to sun down in the fields; & some slave narratives talk about working into the night on clear full moon nights.
Working long, working hard in the fields is often discussed romantically by nostalgic antebellum authors/historians
Working long, working hard in the fields is often discussed romantically by nostalgic antebellum authors/historians
Fear of coming up short - in the harvest or output - was an everyday concern for antebellum slaves. Missing the quota or even if you meet the quota, holding the LIGHTEST bag meant you might get a daily lashing - publicly flogged to instill fear of failure in the rest of team
Fear was such an ever-present part of the labor-extracting system of the Antebellum south that slaves made of point of always moving, looking busy. Even stretching & taking a breath for too long could result in physical reprimand.
Being ill, injured - all treated as excuses enslaved (then later poorly compensated) Black people made to "get out of work" that exploited them anyway. Working through pain/pregnancy was often celebrated as "devotion" & Christian virtue by Plantation owners to encourage others
So tell me how these "competitive-uber productive" science research labs don't sound like Plantations with their repeated calls for jr scholars to work long hours/weekends/holidays, celebrating their commitment to be in the lab following pain/loss or risk of personal injury
How are different are these long-lauded Labs from Southern Plantations with their tiered hierarchy of techs & post-docs who report on grad students to the PI or PIs who are constantly walking through the lab monitoring grad stus & postdoc micromanaging their time & personal time?
A question, every PI should ask themselves:
Am I running a LAB or am I running a Plantation?
Not sure? Ask yourself some questions.
#LaborPlantation
Am I running a LAB or am I running a Plantation?
Not sure? Ask yourself some questions.
#LaborPlantation
#LaborPlantation
Do you treat the labor/research output of the jr scholars as commodities that belong to you?
Do you disallow postdocs/grad students to work on personal/passion research projects - EVEN on their own time?
Do you treat the labor/research output of the jr scholars as commodities that belong to you?
Do you disallow postdocs/grad students to work on personal/passion research projects - EVEN on their own time?
#LaborPlantation
Say your grad student/postdoc has expertise at a lab technique and a colleague from another lab/institution wants to collaborate.
Do you expect them to ask you first?
Do you get final say on whether they can participate and at what level?
Say your grad student/postdoc has expertise at a lab technique and a colleague from another lab/institution wants to collaborate.
Do you expect them to ask you first?
Do you get final say on whether they can participate and at what level?
#LaborPlantation
Do you require your grad students/post-docs to get permission to travel out of town during academic breaks?
Do you expect students to work (nearly) full days on weekends, holidays & winter break - even when there isn't a special experiment happening?
Do you require your grad students/post-docs to get permission to travel out of town during academic breaks?
Do you expect students to work (nearly) full days on weekends, holidays & winter break - even when there isn't a special experiment happening?
#LaborPlantation
Do you make slick/snide comments about your students/postdoc productivity when you notice them enjoying themselves - in the lab or even "outside of work" (also known as microaggressions)?
Do you make slick/snide comments about your students/postdoc productivity when you notice them enjoying themselves - in the lab or even "outside of work" (also known as microaggressions)?
#LaborPlantation
Do you only allow time away to attend conferences or offer to pay for conference attendance IF they have "earned" it by way of meeting a productivity goal you have set?
Or do you (PI) present most of papers at conferences that come out of your lab?
Do you only allow time away to attend conferences or offer to pay for conference attendance IF they have "earned" it by way of meeting a productivity goal you have set?
Or do you (PI) present most of papers at conferences that come out of your lab?
#LaborPlantation
Beyond a special experiment setup or a time crunch (pending deadline/field season coming to a close), do you expect trainees to pull 60-80hr research work shift as normal sciencing?
Beyond a special experiment setup or a time crunch (pending deadline/field season coming to a close), do you expect trainees to pull 60-80hr research work shift as normal sciencing?
#LaborPlantation
Do you routinely talk about sleep/eating or spending time with family as research distractions?
Have you ever had a fit when a life emergency happens to you or someone in your lab because it compromises your research productivity?
Do you routinely talk about sleep/eating or spending time with family as research distractions?
Have you ever had a fit when a life emergency happens to you or someone in your lab because it compromises your research productivity?
#LaborPlantation
On diversity: Have you only considered URM students/postdocs because their stipends/pay were covered by grants OUTSIDE of your main funding?
On diversity: Have you only considered URM students/postdocs because their stipends/pay were covered by grants OUTSIDE of your main funding?
#LaborPlantation
On diversity Do you believe URM & international students/postdocs are 'better investments' because you find they work so hard to prove themselves?
Do you offer URM/international students/postdocs the lowest allowed compensation possible?
On diversity Do you believe URM & international students/postdocs are 'better investments' because you find they work so hard to prove themselves?
Do you offer URM/international students/postdocs the lowest allowed compensation possible?
#LaborPlantation
On diversity: Are you delaying the matriculation of URM & international students/postdocs in your lab bc you're scared you won't be able to replace their expertise? Or you don't want to compensate them at the full tech/consultant price if they graduate?
On diversity: Are you delaying the matriculation of URM & international students/postdocs in your lab bc you're scared you won't be able to replace their expertise? Or you don't want to compensate them at the full tech/consultant price if they graduate?
#LaborPlantation
When bragging about your lab/trainees do you primarily use ‘Extraction’ language to rank how much labor/intellect property/data generation-collection you get out of UG volunteers, grad students & postdocs?
When bragging about your lab/trainees do you primarily use ‘Extraction’ language to rank how much labor/intellect property/data generation-collection you get out of UG volunteers, grad students & postdocs?
#LaborPlantation
Another query submitted by ALC: https://twitter.com/AbbyLCannon/status/960649048318504960
Another query submitted by ALC: https://twitter.com/AbbyLCannon/status/960649048318504960
Another way some STEM programs are like plantations? I can’t count how often I’ve counseled other WoC to FINISH your projects & Get Free of toxic labs/PIs/depts/programs.
For some of us, a diploma or submitted manuscript IS FREEDOM PAPERS, literally.
#LaborPlantation
For some of us, a diploma or submitted manuscript IS FREEDOM PAPERS, literally.
#LaborPlantation
#LabOrPlantation
Another thread by an amazing scientist about how these unhealthy work/productivity expectation manifest in our spirit/psyche https://twitter.com/DrRubidium/status/960582511049949184
Another thread by an amazing scientist about how these unhealthy work/productivity expectation manifest in our spirit/psyche https://twitter.com/DrRubidium/status/960582511049949184
