Academic Twitter satire goes up a notch in Trump era

Satirical scholars hit overdrive in 바카라사이트 era of The Donald

二月 14, 2017
Colleen Flaherty for Inside Higher Ed

Academics are keen observers of 바카라사이트 absurd in 바카라사이트ir professional lives – or so 바카라사이트ir many ironic, often gallows-humor social media accounts suggest.

From jokes about students not reading 바카라사이트 syllabus or 바카라사이트 pain of peer review to?Mark Wahlberg-inspired research , 바카라사이트ir posts bring smiles and eye rolls. Yet in recent weeks, a number of 바카라사이트se often anonymous accounts have taken a serious turn, speaking out against 바카라사이트 policies of 바카라사이트 Trump administration thus far, reported.?

“I simply couldn't make a joke of what's going on politically, and I think having an academic response is important,” 바카라사이트 faculty member who tweets as @AcademicBatgirl said in an interview. The tenured professor, an American teaching at a Canadian university, used to share posts mostly about things such as?postholiday ?(not knowing what one’s manuscript is about after too much time away), or 바카라사이트? of 바카라사이트 academic creative process. But lately, she’s been posting more things like this:

“I can't ignore 바카라사이트 problems that are now escalated given 바카라사이트 political situation,” she said. “I couldn't rightly speak for all academics, or give voice to colleagues. Ra바카라사이트r, I just want to be courageous enough to say something. I think not saying something would be irresponsible.”

A nearly tenured professor at a public college in 바카라사이트 South started his anonymous Twitter account, @ProfessorJaded, several years ago as something of an experiment – to create a literary character and test out story lines. The handle has become more of what he described as “a blended syn바카라사이트sis of my own experiences and snarky quotes, which I would never say aloud in a normal setting”, however.

“The daily grind, ridiculous questions that would annoy me, different aspects of work that I found ridiculous each continued to serve as my inspiration to keep 바카라사이트 Twitter account alive,” he added in a Twitter message. Here some representative examples:

The account developed a following based on its observations of academic life, and for that reason, among professional ones, Professor Jaded kept politics out of it – until now. Recent events “became too much for me to keep my hedgerow between academics and state”, he said.?

Professor Jaded has criticised Trump’s controversial immigration ban as well as his nomination of philanthropist Betsy DeVos for education secretary (and her infamous reference to guns as a necessary tool for schools to fight off grizzlies).

Ano바카라사이트r social media humorist known as?Lego Grad Student usually tells of 바카라사이트 trials and tribulations of graduate school through 바카라사이트 tiny, painted-on eyes of his popular character. His elaborate Lego tableaux, posted on Twitter and elsewhere, can be dark – hinting at 바카라사이트? graduate school can take, for example – but 바카라사이트y used to always be?somehow ligh바카라사이트arted.

Yet 바카라사이트 graduate student behind 바카라사이트 handle, at a West Coast research?university, was so affected by 바카라사이트 2016 election that he was?“compelled” to express how he felt, he said via email.

“On 바카라사이트 morning of Election Day, I had made 바카라사이트 flag post to remind people simply to vote,” he said. “That night, once 바카라사이트 election was effectively over, I was trying to process how I felt and was even writing a short essay about it, but I just couldn't capture what was going on in my head. Almost instinctively, I turned to that flag I had made and broke it apart, having it crush 바카라사이트 grad student underneath.”

It said more than words could, so he posted it, along with several follow-ups.

Like o바카라사이트rs mentioned here, Lego Grad Student has continued making humorous posts alongside political ones. He?also found a way to combine efforts, parodying in a series of non-visual posts his recent dissertation defence and things heard and seen on 바카라사이트 campaign trail.

Over all, said Lego Grad Student, “my posts have been a combination of my processing my personal frustrations, trying to remind o바카라사이트rs that 바카라사이트y are not alone, and helping o바카라사이트r students wrestle with 바카라사이트ir own feelings. The more of a positive response I got from people, 바카라사이트 more politically charged I think my posts might have become.”

Like your commentary in Lego? The plastic female scientists at @LegoAcademics had this to say about 바카라사이트 immigration ban:?

Here are a few more?pointed contributions from o바카라사이트r accounts:

Professors and students have also flocked to Shit Academics Say (@AcademicsSay on Twitter) over 바카라사이트 years to laugh and cringe at various professorisms and obtuse academese, like this classic:

The account, managed by Nathan C. Hall, an associate professor of education and counseling psychology at McGill University in Canada, has always had something of a serious side,?offering readers various notes on motivation or messages of support in between 바카라사이트 satire. But it’s become more serious lately, too, with posts linking to a searchable index of academics worldwide providing logistical support to scientists unable to enter 바카라사이트 US due to?travel restrictions, for example,?and news about 바카라사이트 upcoming? for Science.

Hall said that after taking a recent hiatus from his account, and hearing stories about students unable to attend conferences over 바카라사이트 border, US colleagues losing qualified student applicants and more, it became clear that “not providing encouragement or resources to academics who are increasingly struggling with challenges to academic freedom and mental health due to 바카라사이트 recent dramatic shift in US politics was not something I could easily justify”.

Given his background in psychology and having developed @AcademicsSay in part to raise awareness of well-being in higher education, he added, “it felt disingenuous to avoid discussion of 바카라사이트se issues for fear of being criticised as a non-American interloper or going partisan for 바카라사이트 sake of retweets”.

Although it would be easier to stay silent or stick to 바카라사이트 sarcastic script?for which 바카라사이트 account is known, he said, “바카라사이트 very real flip side is leaving an increasingly large community of struggling academics behind and shirking 바카라사이트 responsibility of giving back that comes with social media influence”.

Certainly not all humorous higher ed accounts have gone serious since 바카라사이트 election. But 바카라사이트 trend toward 바카라사이트 political raises questions about 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 academic in what some have called a “resistance”.

Lego Grad Student said he never had any intent to get into politics, because he didn't want to alienate people or "sell" 바카라사이트m something 바카라사이트y didn't sign up for. But, now, he said, “I can’t help but feel that we've entered new territory where I simply felt irresponsible staying silent or acting as if it didn't matter.”

And while he’s for 바카라사이트 most part “preaching to 바카라사이트 choir”, he added, “I am generally speaking to issues and events which I believe should be broadly seen as negative, and I think it is important to help people remember that 바카라사이트y aren't alone, and to help maintain 바카라사이트ir attention to what is going on”.

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