Regrettable Reviews & Cutting Critique
Disclaimer: The views expressed here do not reflect the position of the University of Minnesota.
Do you find critical feedback hard to take? Denial, indignation, excuses, and blaming others come more easily to academics like me. But when the criticism accumulates, it might be signaling something worthy of attention. Could we be part of the problem after all? If you are ready to admit that you are powerless over Academia and your life has become unmanageable, read on that you may find hope.
"This course was extremely stressful and unfair...I felt disrespected by Dr W's lack of preparation and empty promises."
"This class was the most disorganized class I have taken in my entire college career. It seemed like he was making it up as he went...I do not feel like [Dr. W] should be teaching...This class was not a priority to him which made going to lecture almost painful."
"How can a field naturalist...instantly become a genomics cloner of metabolomics? With much difficulty this reviewer imagines...[Dr. W] will be simply blowing smoke rings in the dark. Embarking on this experimental plan is far more ambitious than slinging on a backpack for another six-month hike..."
"I agreed to review this paper even though I had many other reviews to do, because the title looked exceptionally interesting...I really wanted to like this paper. However, after prolonged puzzling over the present manuscript, I conclude with dissappointment that it is not good...What I guess I am most irritated about is the exceptional level of sloppy language and reasoning, including blatant logical inconsistencies, in a manuscript that was presumably scrutinzed by four authors. I'm pretty sure that I worked harder than they did at trying to understand this paper."
"The paper is a hell of a lot more interesting than the title suggested."
"...[Dr. W] makes several seriously flawed claims about the contents of our manuscript...these flawed claims suggest a combination of a very superficial reading...a lack of understanding of some fairly basic genetics, and a lack of objectivity, if not a conflict of interest."
"I write to express my dismay at your conduct...while this incident is relatively minor, it is part of a trend of disrespectful activity...It is my opinion that your actions are creating a hostile and unpleasant environment...I believe it is my right and responsibility...to speak out to you about these issues, but I am not so naive as to believe that there is no risk of retaliation against me."
"I question your right to temper my speech and exclude me...Is this because you are worried I cannot behave? ...Is this retaliation for the letter I sent last year or other times I have complained about your behaviour? ...I do not think this situation can be fixed. This is just one more instance where you have treated me with disrespect or tried to control my speech....I wish I had words to describe how hurt, bitter, and angry I feel. "
"...a committee, apparently chaired by [Dr. W]...has purported to have the authority to award funds that are more properly in the purview of [redacted] ...[Dr W] has not consulted with me in any meaningful way...I strenuously object to [his] involvement in the awarding of these funds...I have informed [Dr. W] that [redacted] will be administering the...funds effective immediately."
"I know you sent this foolish email just to piss me off. You're a hack. Go back to AA and get more help."
Could the antidote be Academics Anonymous? After all, we deal with Academia- cunning, baffling & powerful. The first step might be to admit that we are powerless over Academia. We desire the serenity that some non-academics have found. If you seek what they have there is but one requirement to explore the possibility- a desire to stop behaving like an academic. Paraphrasing Henry Kissinger, "University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small."