Blog Post #2 - Academic assholes and the circle of niceness

Before I write my post, I have a difficult time spotting the "racey language". Perhaps I missed it, but there are assholes everywhere in the world. It isn't just a North American thing.

This article was a nice wake-up call and made me realise how academia is run by self-centered jerks. I can recall a few situations where the professor (during my undergraduate) would be-little the students for not thinking a certain way. He would hand out certain grades on the basis of not liking someone's opinion. When I think about it coldly, it even happens in my Master's program. (I hear stories)

This article reminds me of a conversation I had in my wednesday night class: The discussion about being published. I do not recall the specifics, but the conclusion was that it was incredibly difficult to get published because your colleagues would "destroy" or "decline" your paper based on three things:

1. Your thoughts and opinions are not shared by others.
2. They don't like your writing style
3. Proper APA citation

Perhaps I can relate to this article just as I relate to my daily horoscope. My own perception of a situation resembles the circumstances of this article. However, as a hot head myself, I tend to clash with teachers and professors who impose their own preferences and opinions onto their students. Sometimes they do it unintentionally, in which case a single round in the ring will suffice and make them realise how they are behaving.

Other times, the fight will last ten rounds, with both parties left in disagreement with one another.