I've been accused of many things-- being outspoken, outrageous, even out of my mind. But never, never, had I been called (a) moderate. Until yesterday, when Patti Cohen labeled me as such on the front page of the New York Times .
I'm still getting used to this publicity thing. I've been told it's all good. Even a bad picture is worth printing. So, I really can't complain. And in the spirit of the whole-truth and nothing-but, I kinda knew this was coming. Patti and I spoke numerous times over the last 3 or 4 months, and I had a sense that the complexity of what I was describing to her was going to (have to?) get boiled down.
So the readers missed a big part of the story: The intense pressures to publish or perish constantly, to get grants to support not only ourselves but our students, the ramping up of statistical standards, and the enormous benefits (and costs) of "specializing" very early in school. I declared my college major in the first semester of freshman year, and took nearly nothing but sociology courses for the next 6 years. Where did it get me? A BA in 3.5 years, and a PhD within 5 years after that. And I did learn a lot along the way-- but it was far from a classical experience. And the current reward structure provides little space for political activism -- indeed it leaves no time whatsoever for any real activism, if one wants to also have a family.
Equally important, the story missed my wonderful relationship with Mike Olneck, my friend and mentor at Wisconsin. Mike is one of the reasons I came here, and a prime reason why I stay. His departure this winter will be nothing less than depressing.
Now, enough complaining, since the front page of the Times is the freakin' front page of the TIMES! Tres cool. I've gotten some incredible emails from folks sharing their stories of injustice and inequality, and I plan to share some of them, gradually, over the next couple of days (in between selling my house and planning my move into a new one, plus finishing 2 long-delayed papers, and trying to celebrate this holiday with my kid & husband). So, stay tuned...
Friday, July 4, 2008
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3 comments:
That's the right idea! (Well, all of this, really, but enjoying the front-page mention.) DEFINITELY enjoy the holiday with your family...
I didn't like the Times story, although I felt you came across well. What serious investigator would claim so much from so little data, even if she had listened more carefully to what you told her? (By the way, if you'll accept advice from someone on the other side of the academic "generation gap": Never give a reporter the time of day unless she's willing to let you comment on anything she writes about it before publication. "I know I told her it was 9:05, not two minutes to midnight!")
It's another example of why, when someone expresses an opinion about the economy, the Iraq War, global warming (global cooling, if 1975), George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, or Barack Obama -- just to mention the first few topics that come to mind -- I usually ask, "How do you know that your news source is accurate and objective? Look at all the stories the media has messed up in your field alone."
Now there's a topic worth exploring by the New York Times.
I've got to disagree with S. Britchy in terms of media access: Russell Jacoby is right that academics should be public intellectuals, and part of building that role requires engagement with reporters. Sometimes you're going to get burned, but the benefits far outweigh the costs.
(Incidentally, recently when I've suspected I might be burned by a reporter who paid more attention to the ax edge she or he was burnishing than what I said, I've followed up the interview with comments in my blog, to provide a written record of my views before the piece comes out.)
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