Does “bringing your whole self to work” truly include everyone? One researcher reflects on speech, identity, and the professional consequences of discussing her own experiences in modern academia.
I really hope you and people who experience this start reporting to civil rights agencies or suing. It is great to write about, and helps with the process of developing your narrative, but lawsuits and legal pathways with real consequences are the only real resolution. It is an academic/ legal battle. The fake diversity and inclusion that preach tolerance yet meets others with severe intolerance is so dangerous. They are the master deceivers, or following, playing the victims while perpetuating abuse and a climate of fear. In the process we all must look at our own biases, recognize them and work on them. Thank you for sharing your story, I think many people are going through this unfortunately. Workplace abuse is prevalent.
Thank you for your comment! My essay presents a sanitized version of the emotional abuse I endured. I have reported to the DOE OCR and EEOC (got my right to sue), but I think all the agencies have been de-staffed to the point of ineffectiveness. I have tried to obtain legal representation, but I would first have to get myself formally fired. The lawyers I spoke with either have ties to the powerful university in the city, have been idealogically captured, or want a straightforward case with a big settlement.
The genocide is promised by the suicide cult indoctrination. Children are estranged from parents who are told that even the gentlest aversion to medicalizing is very likely to result in their child's death. All of this guarantees insurance coverage of risk-laden, often sterilizing, cosmetic treatments and procedures based on the terminal nature of the unhappiness. It must be a life or death scenario and genocide is invoked to trigger political outrage and government funding of the war on personal distress.
The irony is women ARE a discrete oppressed group based on our sex. Gender identity ideologues have banned even discussion of sex-based social hierarchies and inequities that continue to disadvantage women in our work lives as “hate”, in their effort to erase the sex category entirely. I was similarly witchhunted and ultimately fired from my job for asserting that I am a lesbian as traditionally understood (same sex attracted) and for stating, during a discussion of abortion rights initiated by the Executive Director, that restrictions on abortion harmed women as a sex. Banning a discussion of sexism is about as sexist as you can get.
On the topic of abortion, I believe that promoting excessive restrictions on abortion is sexist, but I would never try or even want to have a colleague fired for these views that I consider sexist! We don't have to try to get everyone we disagree with fired. Crushing the opposition is not a typically feminine trait, I think. So much for my boss being non-binary and therefore somehow more enlightened and able to overcome male socialization and privilege. The need for domination is masculine-coded.
I agree that no one should be fired for merely expressing their opinions even if these opinions are sexist, racist, or homophobic. Freedom of speech, belief, and conscience must be protected with only narrow exceptions for actual targeted harassment or acts of discrimination in the workplace.
You mentioned chemistry, which leads me to assume you are in the sciences. Science and post-modernism cannot co-exist. Science loses its ethos if there is no objective reality. So while initially it may feel kind to accept progressive delusions, it is contrary to reality. It is really sad to see how Progressive egocentricity is destroying the foundations upon which so much human progress has been made.
I thought that a scientific mindset involved questioning the things you've been told. This is more like a religion, but I think most religions at least encourage one to not center oneself and to be forgiving. There is no grace in this cult, only sadism.
Well, two Muslim colleagues were the only ones willing to speak to me by the end. A third chose to remain silent to avoid deportation and unemployment :).
I shouldn’t. I’m going off-topic and hijacking someone else’s comments thread but dammit, I just can’t help myself…
No one can blame you for dismissing post-modernism as simple-minded moral relativism hiding behind willfully obscure prose—I mean really, no one—but if you’re willing to push past the jibber-jabber, the aspects of it that focus on the social construction of linguistic meaning can be quite insightful. I’m a hard-science, AI programmer, tech bro (and a center-right classical Liberal to boot), and I find continental philosophy to contain echos of my contemporary work with large language models. It is weirdly prescient, and a source of inspiration.
So, I sympathize, but don’t be so quick to throw out the snotty French baby with the bathwater. There is a there there. Don’t believe me? Go up to my Substack and read the post under the picture of Jacques Derrida.
Hmm, I haven't thought of things that way. Will have to check out your post.
Based on my limited knowledge of the subject (based on Kaggle, 3b1b, Coursera, some lectures and short textbooks), I see AI as just a net of glorified linear regression, and post-modernism as mostly pretentious nonsense.
Thank you so much for your support! I truly appreciate it. I also appreciate your being one of the few brave free-thinkers in our field, showing that we don't all have to agree on everything but can still have civil discussions...and try to be truly inclusive instead of just performing.
I applaud your courage to leave academia. I hope you will find greener and less ideological pastures in the private sector.
I’m curious why you chose to use “they” pronouns when your supervisor, who is male, was personally offended by your observations about gender-based differences in higher education.
I never once misgendered or dead-named this person (unlike their wife, who forgot some times). I was trying to be open-minded, polite, "live and let live." Just like I try to be respectful of everyone's different religions, I was not going to question my boss on the gender stuff. I thought my boss was my friend, and I indulge my kooky friends. And I was trying to keep my job--I knew from the beginning that anything less than obedience would lead to "swift and severe consequences!" For all my efforts, the same courtesies were not extended to me.
These people are crazy and should not be in positions of responsibility. Unfortunately they are all over and there is little accountability. It's all a bit of a joke at this point but won't be when it all comes crashing down. Unfortunately there's often little easy way to deal with them other than fight fire with fire, e.g. something like public shaming of how absolutely ridiculous they are. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish you fortune in the future and as you said you'll sleep better knowing you're doing the right thing. There are likely endless cases like this. It needs to stop, this is not healthy diversity.
"Speech", that is, an opinion that someone disagrees with, is considered "unsafe" because those who are upset by it are manipulative sociopaths and it disrupts the self-serving narrative they are pushing, I work with people like this and it always reminds me of the point in sci-fi movies where you look into the eyes of someone you know and you realize that their soul has been overtaken by aliens. Well, actually the people at work were already like this and that is why they were hired in the first place.
Wow. The condemnation and scorn shown toward white women started almost immediately after the same thing happening to cis-gender gay men and lesbians (do I even have their terminology right at this point? I mean gays that look like their gender and are attracted to the same… in other words no trans crossdressing… whoops did I just myself canceled for calling it crossdressing? It’s hard to keep track of this stuff, by design. Shifting goal posts and all that…) I don’t think it’s lost on anyone that if your supervisor was just an ordinary man (can I say ordinary? lol) shutting down and censuring your discussion of female issues would be ABSOLUTELY considered misogynistic. Almost makes one wonder if his transition is entirely sincere… or opportunistic.
So sorry you had to go through this. My experience is that when people experience a narcissistic injury, i.e., you say something that threatens the identity or image they have constructed for themselves - which is easy to do these days as there are a lot more constructed identities due to fervently held ideology - then the gloves are off, no matter how innocuous the matter. The only answer is to make you the bad guy, greatly twist or distort whatever you said or did, employ epithets, find ways to twist or misuse existing structures to "get" you, badmouth you to other people (praise to those Muslim colleagues who stood by you), even lie if pushed into a corner, and all with an air of righteous indignation, which today's DEI ideology and structures also encourage. All reconciliation attempts, attempts to sit down and resolve the issues in good will and good faith, are likely to fail (if good will and good faith are not there). Prior cordial relationships or even friendships including prior support and help on your part, also seem to count for naught in these situations. All of that was a huge shock for me. Then there is the grief you feel for the career or area of endeavor you were more or less forced out of. Fortunately, after it was all over, I got good therapy with a psychologist who was knowledgeable about these kinds of conflicts. (I had never heard of workplace mobbing.) And I too landed on my feet, found areas of endeavor that suit me well which are equally or even more satisfying, and have allowed other important facets of me to emerge. It was a horrific experience, and it wasn't easy to get over, but now I have no regrets and a great deal more wisdom than before. Two final thoughts: Jeremiah 29:11 is true. Despite zigs and zags and seeming detours. Secondly, even apart from DEI excesses, we all have a streak of narcissism, wanting to see ourselves and the world in a certain way and can react in untoward ways when this is threatened. I even have a suspicion that at least some of those who responded the way they did at the time look back at what they did with misgivings and may have achieved some growth as well. The whole conflagration may have served to shed some light. You may have achieved greater growth than anyone else involved if you've been able to happily move on, and that is a victory. (Not that i have anything against legal or procedural pushbacks if that seems right.) Best wishes and more power to you.
It is infuriating that this happened to you, I'm so sorry. However I do have to wonder if referring to your supervisor as "non-binary" and with "they/them" pronouns only serves to shore up the very gender ideology that led to your dismissal.
The supervisor, who essentially controls the future of their workers, has felt “unsafe” in a meeting with a distressed worker? Maybe the supervisor role is not for them
I really hope you and people who experience this start reporting to civil rights agencies or suing. It is great to write about, and helps with the process of developing your narrative, but lawsuits and legal pathways with real consequences are the only real resolution. It is an academic/ legal battle. The fake diversity and inclusion that preach tolerance yet meets others with severe intolerance is so dangerous. They are the master deceivers, or following, playing the victims while perpetuating abuse and a climate of fear. In the process we all must look at our own biases, recognize them and work on them. Thank you for sharing your story, I think many people are going through this unfortunately. Workplace abuse is prevalent.
Thank you for your comment! My essay presents a sanitized version of the emotional abuse I endured. I have reported to the DOE OCR and EEOC (got my right to sue), but I think all the agencies have been de-staffed to the point of ineffectiveness. I have tried to obtain legal representation, but I would first have to get myself formally fired. The lawyers I spoke with either have ties to the powerful university in the city, have been idealogically captured, or want a straightforward case with a big settlement.
Genocide has only one meaning, and should not be used flippantly in other contexts.
I think so.
The genocide is promised by the suicide cult indoctrination. Children are estranged from parents who are told that even the gentlest aversion to medicalizing is very likely to result in their child's death. All of this guarantees insurance coverage of risk-laden, often sterilizing, cosmetic treatments and procedures based on the terminal nature of the unhappiness. It must be a life or death scenario and genocide is invoked to trigger political outrage and government funding of the war on personal distress.
It also turned out upon closer examination there was nothing to it. Trans kids are no more likely than any other at-risk kid to attempt suidice.
Exactly. It is medical fraud.
I agree. It has been weaponized as a means to stifle disagreement
Genocide has only one meaning but there is more than one genocide going on at present
The irony is women ARE a discrete oppressed group based on our sex. Gender identity ideologues have banned even discussion of sex-based social hierarchies and inequities that continue to disadvantage women in our work lives as “hate”, in their effort to erase the sex category entirely. I was similarly witchhunted and ultimately fired from my job for asserting that I am a lesbian as traditionally understood (same sex attracted) and for stating, during a discussion of abortion rights initiated by the Executive Director, that restrictions on abortion harmed women as a sex. Banning a discussion of sexism is about as sexist as you can get.
Very true and relatable.
On the topic of abortion, I believe that promoting excessive restrictions on abortion is sexist, but I would never try or even want to have a colleague fired for these views that I consider sexist! We don't have to try to get everyone we disagree with fired. Crushing the opposition is not a typically feminine trait, I think. So much for my boss being non-binary and therefore somehow more enlightened and able to overcome male socialization and privilege. The need for domination is masculine-coded.
I agree that no one should be fired for merely expressing their opinions even if these opinions are sexist, racist, or homophobic. Freedom of speech, belief, and conscience must be protected with only narrow exceptions for actual targeted harassment or acts of discrimination in the workplace.
You mentioned chemistry, which leads me to assume you are in the sciences. Science and post-modernism cannot co-exist. Science loses its ethos if there is no objective reality. So while initially it may feel kind to accept progressive delusions, it is contrary to reality. It is really sad to see how Progressive egocentricity is destroying the foundations upon which so much human progress has been made.
I thought that a scientific mindset involved questioning the things you've been told. This is more like a religion, but I think most religions at least encourage one to not center oneself and to be forgiving. There is no grace in this cult, only sadism.
How ironic that Progressivism and Islamism are essentially the same mindset.
Well, two Muslim colleagues were the only ones willing to speak to me by the end. A third chose to remain silent to avoid deportation and unemployment :).
“Progressive egocentricity” in this case is just another way of saying “lunacy.” Good God, what a hellish mad house you’ve escaped. Keep running.
I shouldn’t. I’m going off-topic and hijacking someone else’s comments thread but dammit, I just can’t help myself…
No one can blame you for dismissing post-modernism as simple-minded moral relativism hiding behind willfully obscure prose—I mean really, no one—but if you’re willing to push past the jibber-jabber, the aspects of it that focus on the social construction of linguistic meaning can be quite insightful. I’m a hard-science, AI programmer, tech bro (and a center-right classical Liberal to boot), and I find continental philosophy to contain echos of my contemporary work with large language models. It is weirdly prescient, and a source of inspiration.
So, I sympathize, but don’t be so quick to throw out the snotty French baby with the bathwater. There is a there there. Don’t believe me? Go up to my Substack and read the post under the picture of Jacques Derrida.
Hmm, I haven't thought of things that way. Will have to check out your post.
Based on my limited knowledge of the subject (based on Kaggle, 3b1b, Coursera, some lectures and short textbooks), I see AI as just a net of glorified linear regression, and post-modernism as mostly pretentious nonsense.
"I see AI as just a net of glorified linear regression, and post-modernism as mostly pretentious nonsense."
Nailed it.
This is heartbreaking. And damming - putting the hypocrisy of DEI in full display. Be strong and do not give up!
Thank you so much for your support! I truly appreciate it. I also appreciate your being one of the few brave free-thinkers in our field, showing that we don't all have to agree on everything but can still have civil discussions...and try to be truly inclusive instead of just performing.
I applaud your courage to leave academia. I hope you will find greener and less ideological pastures in the private sector.
I’m curious why you chose to use “they” pronouns when your supervisor, who is male, was personally offended by your observations about gender-based differences in higher education.
Good question...
I never once misgendered or dead-named this person (unlike their wife, who forgot some times). I was trying to be open-minded, polite, "live and let live." Just like I try to be respectful of everyone's different religions, I was not going to question my boss on the gender stuff. I thought my boss was my friend, and I indulge my kooky friends. And I was trying to keep my job--I knew from the beginning that anything less than obedience would lead to "swift and severe consequences!" For all my efforts, the same courtesies were not extended to me.
These people are crazy and should not be in positions of responsibility. Unfortunately they are all over and there is little accountability. It's all a bit of a joke at this point but won't be when it all comes crashing down. Unfortunately there's often little easy way to deal with them other than fight fire with fire, e.g. something like public shaming of how absolutely ridiculous they are. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish you fortune in the future and as you said you'll sleep better knowing you're doing the right thing. There are likely endless cases like this. It needs to stop, this is not healthy diversity.
Sounds like some old fashioned patriarchy wearing nonbinary clothing.
Can we call that being an Ally As A Service? That is, being an AAAS?
"Speech", that is, an opinion that someone disagrees with, is considered "unsafe" because those who are upset by it are manipulative sociopaths and it disrupts the self-serving narrative they are pushing, I work with people like this and it always reminds me of the point in sci-fi movies where you look into the eyes of someone you know and you realize that their soul has been overtaken by aliens. Well, actually the people at work were already like this and that is why they were hired in the first place.
Using the term genocide so loosely is a form of Holocaust denial.
It's a form of genocide denial in general.
That's MISTER non-binary.
Wow. The condemnation and scorn shown toward white women started almost immediately after the same thing happening to cis-gender gay men and lesbians (do I even have their terminology right at this point? I mean gays that look like their gender and are attracted to the same… in other words no trans crossdressing… whoops did I just myself canceled for calling it crossdressing? It’s hard to keep track of this stuff, by design. Shifting goal posts and all that…) I don’t think it’s lost on anyone that if your supervisor was just an ordinary man (can I say ordinary? lol) shutting down and censuring your discussion of female issues would be ABSOLUTELY considered misogynistic. Almost makes one wonder if his transition is entirely sincere… or opportunistic.
So sorry you had to go through this. My experience is that when people experience a narcissistic injury, i.e., you say something that threatens the identity or image they have constructed for themselves - which is easy to do these days as there are a lot more constructed identities due to fervently held ideology - then the gloves are off, no matter how innocuous the matter. The only answer is to make you the bad guy, greatly twist or distort whatever you said or did, employ epithets, find ways to twist or misuse existing structures to "get" you, badmouth you to other people (praise to those Muslim colleagues who stood by you), even lie if pushed into a corner, and all with an air of righteous indignation, which today's DEI ideology and structures also encourage. All reconciliation attempts, attempts to sit down and resolve the issues in good will and good faith, are likely to fail (if good will and good faith are not there). Prior cordial relationships or even friendships including prior support and help on your part, also seem to count for naught in these situations. All of that was a huge shock for me. Then there is the grief you feel for the career or area of endeavor you were more or less forced out of. Fortunately, after it was all over, I got good therapy with a psychologist who was knowledgeable about these kinds of conflicts. (I had never heard of workplace mobbing.) And I too landed on my feet, found areas of endeavor that suit me well which are equally or even more satisfying, and have allowed other important facets of me to emerge. It was a horrific experience, and it wasn't easy to get over, but now I have no regrets and a great deal more wisdom than before. Two final thoughts: Jeremiah 29:11 is true. Despite zigs and zags and seeming detours. Secondly, even apart from DEI excesses, we all have a streak of narcissism, wanting to see ourselves and the world in a certain way and can react in untoward ways when this is threatened. I even have a suspicion that at least some of those who responded the way they did at the time look back at what they did with misgivings and may have achieved some growth as well. The whole conflagration may have served to shed some light. You may have achieved greater growth than anyone else involved if you've been able to happily move on, and that is a victory. (Not that i have anything against legal or procedural pushbacks if that seems right.) Best wishes and more power to you.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment! "Workplace mobbing" is definitely an apt description.
The incident has, in fact, spurred me to pivot to a potentially more meaningful new career with better work-life balance and geographical flexibility.
Let me guess. The non-binary boss was a man.
It is infuriating that this happened to you, I'm so sorry. However I do have to wonder if referring to your supervisor as "non-binary" and with "they/them" pronouns only serves to shore up the very gender ideology that led to your dismissal.
If a future coworker or student wants me to use "they/them" pronouns, I'll have to comply if I want to stay employed.
I could be exposed as the author of this article, be labeled a TERF, and never work again. My Title IX complaint is still under legal review.
The supervisor, who essentially controls the future of their workers, has felt “unsafe” in a meeting with a distressed worker? Maybe the supervisor role is not for them