From a faithful reader: “What is it about academic life that makes it so hard to be upfront and honest with others? Why all the mind-reading and second guessing?” I really do not know, and I would really like to. Can you explain? Hypothesize, at least?
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
My answers for today:
1. Being in kiddie-world … everyone picks up the bad habits of 19 year olds.
2. Not having a bevy of heavyweight TAs and instructors and a program director with heavyweight policies to protect one against such 19 year olds.
I think it is also about being in a bourgeois world. Academics are really remnants of the feudal era, when as scholars they used to serve the church. Now they are living in the air-tight bubble of the academy, whereby their ideas are hardly able to break out and have social relevance. So, what should be useful productivity that goes out into the world instead turns into useless bickering.
Yes and there’s a lot of scholarship on that, too, which I’d really like to take the time to read at some point.
tons of double binds
like “caring about students”
versus “maintaining standards”.
do either one well and get
punished for having done
the other badly. better to
pretend to believe there’s
no contradiction… binding
is liberating, war is peace…
and that everybody else…
though they’re *obviously* lying
when you’re *not* at work…
actually does *both* of these
well (and in exactly the balance
set by this year’s vague
management goalsetting
smokescreens). why make waves.
at least i still have some quiet
time where i can read and write
and how many people get that
these days really. i’m doing
great. i’m sure to get that
grant this time. smile!
OMG you are so right. The cognitive dissonance. Yes.
Also: the stress of pretending everything is all right / that there is not cognitive dissonance is very great.
And: management is often incompetent … and incompetent leadership can make an even more hostile work environment than does actual hostility.
Incompetent leadership which is lying to itself and making out that it is competent is the worst. Always, somebody’s head has to roll, and it is never going to be the heads that are in leadership.
YES indeed!
Chiming in late here. Good answers.