Dear Sirs!
Saida Grundy, who is apparently still on track to become an assistant professor at Boston University in the Department of Sociology (plus another appointment even!), is known for making racist and sexist comments. It has now come to light that Grundy even told a female rape survivor of a certain race to “go cry somewhere.” Attacking females, rape victims to boost, rather than just males, now also liberal progressives start to get uncomfortable, but given today’s reality and given the particular race attacked by her, it is effectively beyond what is left of academic free speech to remark on such without fearing repercussions, so I will also not.
However, as a scientist and academic, I may be allowed to point out certain parts of Grundy’s remarks that went seemingly unnoticed because they seemingly pale in relevance next to her racism, which are however especially relevant to academics and scientists and which are without a doubt noticed by most people, if just unconsciously (which makes it worse), for example:
“I take the time to explain to you some s**t that is literally $82,000 below my pay grade?”
“… my name is *Sai*, but you can call me Dr. Grundy.”
Such an attitude, dismissing and emotionally enraging by dangling academic positions and titles in front of what seems in Grundy’s eyes to be “mere working class” maybe, reflects extremely badly on academics and scientists in general; it feeds widespread anti-intellectual tendencies directly by obvious, terribly bad example, and it thus afflicts us personally. This is not how serious academics view their own status. This is not how proper scientists ever argue, and sociology is a social science. ‘Argumentation from authority’ and ‘trolling’ undermines all scientific discourse. That the remarks were made on social media takes nothing away; proper scientists never think in such ways, not anywhere, not drunk.
Moreover, Grundy somehow attained a PhD in social science and is supposed to teach in the field of sociology, where even a beginning student should be expected to be more aware and thus sensitive about the role of academic status. Therefore, her display shows not only insufficient sophistication and responsibility required for academia generally, but it is unacceptable in the very field she is about to be allowed to embark on.
According to Grundy, arguing properly is “$82,000 below my pay grade.” It would be beneficial to everybody including Grundy if she does no longer receive $82.000, not only since it is obviously undeserved and unfair to all those who actually work hard for their income (rather than mainly play social media games and promote racist and sexist nonsense), in and outside of academia, but also her thinking will improve much if the “I am an established and entitled person more worth than you” attitude does no longer cloud her mental capacities.
Perhaps she would also do better if her PhD title is reviewed and revoked, so that Grundy is no longer in the position of not being able to handle such a status, so that she can concentrate on sociology as a social science, which is critical of the scientific and academic communities as social structures and thus usually especially elevated above boasting with academic titles.
Sincerely,
My name is Dr. Vongehr, but you can call me Sascha
[BTW: If Boston University is desperate to give away $82.000, I am an established interdisciplinary scientist who is by now relatively widely known for being critical (not the nowadays convenient pseudo-critiques of the likes of Grundy) and who is thus still not paid such amounts; I can teach an interdisciplinary course that fits well into social science curriculums as necessary general scientific base education (limits on empirical science, error calculations, etc.), so feel free to contact me.]
Email Boston University president Robert A. Brown at rabrown@bu.edu or president@bu.edu, or give him a call at (617) 353-2200.
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