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Academic investigated by university for wrongthink

(10 Posts)

RoyalCorgi Wed 24-Jun-20 15:05:33

A physicist at the University of Plymouth, Mike McCulloch, has tweeted that he has been reported to his university's equalities committee for his twitter thread:

twitter.com/memcculloch/status/1275399702314455042

If you scroll through his tweets, it's mostly innocuous (and to this lay person largely impenetrable) stuff about physics and dark matter, with the occasional retweet about the importance of free speech.

He says: "Someone anonymous sent a list of all the tweets I have liked to the Equality Team!"

So it's not even stuff he's tweeted himself, or retweeted. Someone has actually been keeping an eye on the tweets he "liked" and decided to report him.

What madness is this? When are other academics going to stand up and be counted?

I'm sick of the cowardice from people who should be defending the freedom of others to express opinions.

OP’s posts: |

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nauticant Wed 24-Jun-20 15:10:57

The tweets underneath his original one are worth reading:

twitter.com/memcculloch/status/1275698465780228098

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CuriousaboutSamphire Wed 24-Jun-20 15:22:59

Mmmm! Dark matter matters - indeed!! grin

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sergeilavrov Wed 24-Jun-20 16:01:15

It’s incredibly hard to speak up as an academic, where there is no transparency about funding decisions, anonymous reviews and a system that relies on letters of recommendation that you never see. We had a racist, sexist head of department who made us all attend his jazz band shows if we wanted tenure, funding etc. It was terrible. Speaking out is career ending, and leaves us without references to enter the private sector.

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BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted Wed 24-Jun-20 16:40:44

This doesn’t surprise me at all. I expect most academics are having their history of posts and likes scrutinised. Probably the same for everyone who isn’t anonymous.

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ScrimpshawTheSecond Wed 24-Jun-20 16:44:04

We had a racist, sexist head of department who made us all attend his jazz band shows if we wanted tenure

Forced jazz. That is inhuman.

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ControlPastControlFuture Wed 24-Jun-20 16:57:13

I agree that this is very tough.

I'm an academic. I am to worried to even "like" GC posts, let alone post anything myself. I might do it if I was in a group of people all doing the same... does this exist?

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ControlPastControlFuture Wed 24-Jun-20 16:58:09

*too worried

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Michelleoftheresistance Wed 24-Jun-20 17:03:39

Didst thou put the evil eye on Goody Whatzit and summon the forces of darkness against her?

Are you now or have you ever been a communist?

I'm reporting everything you've ever written to the Equalities Commission to check your thinking.

Plus ca change. What vile times we live in.

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Goosefoot Wed 24-Jun-20 17:53:36

ScrimpshawTheSecond
*We had a racist, sexist head of department who made us all attend his jazz band shows if we wanted tenure*

Forced jazz. That is inhuman.

It does actually sound odd and awful, but I feel it could be good material for a sitcom.