I decided to take the original post I wrote here down, because though I stand by all of it (especially the Dr House gifs), I simply do not wish to be in dialogue with the individuals with whom I very stupidly engaged before I wrote it.
I generally ignore things like this/it/that (sorry for the vagueness, but the minor disagreement to which I refer has already gotten far too much traffic and attention as it is), but due to current health concerns that make me rather testy on some days, I exhibited the poor judgment of engaging. A few snarky comments became a “meltdown,” very mean things were said on both sides, dumbness was dumb, etc.
I regret this interaction immensely, and if you are here to give me hard time about something, please go do something else. In the meantime, here is a little bit about me and here are the top ten posts on this site, in case you have never been here before.
Best blog title post ever.
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Grad students are ridiculous, speaking as one. Navel-gazing, cognitive dissonating, special snowflakey dummies. They’ll learn. They will go through the job market craziness, end up as some short term sabbatical hire, be unemployed, experience the despair that comes along with the realization that the profession doesn’t love you, and they will accept the truth and see that you were right.
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NOT YOU, Lonely. Sorry, we know each other now, and you’re a very nice person. SUCKAAAAAAA.
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Ha, I figured you were not referring to me, I mean, I think you’re rad, so, I’m by definition not a hater. I see this sort of attitude a lot, tho, in non-ABD or freshly ABD students in my program. I can feel the pity emanating from them when I say I don’t have a job, that my diss is not finished, etc. I shrug and think, “Just you wait til you’re in my shoes. You’ll see.” And they will.
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Oh, they will.
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I know how you feel, Rebecca. Keep up the good work, because you’re not just helping them: you’re helping everyone. They will come around, most of them: in fact, probably about 80% of them. And don’t downplay the tool factor, the brownnose factor, the sycophant factor, and the “I’m demonstrating from the beginning that I’m EXACTLY the kind of unprincipled schlub that you want voting in faculty meetings because I not only unable to think for myself, but unwilling, and I know that’s the best thing I have going for me.”
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ha
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I prefer the Foo Fighters.
“Yeah it’s alright / Easy for you to say”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i0iBs-J5BU
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Well, c’mon if it wasn’t for these suckers, where would the system be? The state legislature might have to pay for actual instructors instead of TA naïfs.
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adjuncts are even cheaper, though…grad students you usually have to insure.
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True. When I was a graduate research assistant, I got bit by a dog and needed the 28-day rabies series. I won insurance THAT year!
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AAAUGH ow ow ow ow ow ow ow
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People have to arrive at truth/perspective in their own time. I’ve tried to counsel a few grad students about the harsh and unpleasant realities of the profession and even one-on-one it’s really hard to cut through the layers of grad school cult and wishful thinking. You are doing good work, even if some don’t have the perspective to see that.
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I experienced this recently, while speaking to several dozen soon-to-be PhDs and postdocs. There was a lot of seeming LALALALALALALA. Frustrating!
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Oh dear. I should have saved your original post, because it boosted me at a difficult time working with graduate students. I hope that you are feeling better.
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I’m going to re-work and re-vamp that post into an awesome real essay that is going to be published in an edited volume! EVERYBODY WINS.
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