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Re: [AUDITORY] arXiv web of trust



Dear all,

I am glad to see a robust discussion about the role of privilege, bias discrimination, and harmful practices. I thank my colleagues who have chimed in so eloquently to raise awareness about these topics, whether bias is conscious or unconscious. This discussion is a long time coming and much needed. I reiterate the points made by others, urging us all to continue thinking about how it is our collective responsibility to act in ways that promote the careers of others, in particular colleagues from underrepresented minorities, women, and colleagues who have experienced barriers in their career paths.

I would like to draw our attention to the concept of White Fragility, from Robin DiAngelo’s book. This book discusses the observations that White people can be angry, defensive, or hostile when they are told that have played a role in systemic racism. White Fragility identifies how white society has failed to understand the structural nature of racism. More important, this book (and many other eloquent writings on this and related topics) powerfully argues for why White people must accept their individual and collective responsibility for racism, discrimination, and oppression.

Many of us believe that this applies to our role as scientists and educators.

The goal of this kind of a discussion is not to shame anyone into being embarrassed for their success. The goal is to raise awareness of our own biases, and to change the way that our field manages areas that are important for people’s careers. Science is fun but it’s also tough!  Success is measured through high bars, and our own creation of a peer review system that has many flaws. Much of the progress that we can make is through better mentoring systems, open conversation about the things that make us uncomfortable, actively diversifying scientists and scientific ideas, better processes for peer review and huge improvement in the policies and procedures that determine career advancement. Importantly, so many of us see huge value in continuing to build an inclusive and welcoming community.

 

Yours,

Ruth Litovsky

 

 

From: AUDITORY - Research in Auditory Perception <AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of Ken Grant <ken.w.grant@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Friday, June 9, 2023 at 11:15 PM
To: AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [External] Re: arXiv web of trust

Thank you Alexandria for expressing what it means to have systemic obstacles and barriers to success throughout our society. Folks got upset when the Black Lives Matter movement took off because they were wondering "don't White Lives Matter as well". Anyone who felt this way misunderstood the entire enterprise. Nobody ever claimed that white lives don't matter, or matter more, or matter less. A good friend suggested that, if the Black Lives Matter movement had printed signs that read "Black Lives Matter Too". While I understood his point and that I can see how this might have helped white male americans feel better, this too misses the point. Centuries of inequities do not get wiped away in an instant. Declaring racism over is a monstrous error. Some scientists rise to the top of their fields by working very very hard. But as the cartoon displayed, not all children, adolescents, or teens have the same opportunities. The cards are stacked in favor of those with privilege, and your comment that recognizing this fact might make us more willing and able to consider these systemic obstacles.

 

On Fri, Jun 9, 2023 at 12:15 AM Bernstein,Leslie <lbernstein@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

I disagree.  I think I understand the points and the reality quite well.

 

Les


From: "Lesicko, Alexandria" <Alexandria.Lesicko@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, Jun 8, 2023, 5:06 PM
To: "Bernstein,Leslie" <lbernstein@xxxxxxxx>, AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [External] Re: arXiv web of trust

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I think it's important to establish the DC-level, sea-level, the "reference level."  The societal inequities that exist are not because I and other "white guys" (i.e., the "Richards" in the cartoon) were given some undeserved privilege but, rather, because some minorities and cultures (i.e., the Paula's in the cartoon) have been unfairly denied their due.  I think it very much matters where one perceives the unfairness to be.

 

I think you are missing the main point of the cartoons that have been shared here. They are meant to illustrate the point that our gender, racial, etc. identities and economic realities shape our experiences and opportunities in science and in the world. This benefits some people and works against others. The “perceived unfairness” isn’t on one side of the coin or the other, it is all a product of the same system.

 

I find the self-loathing concept of "privilege" to be misguided folly  I will not apologize for what I have accomplished and for what I have.  It was not handed to me.  For those who still don't understand, I'll say it again.  The social injustice lies in the fact that the less fortunate (often minority cultures and ethnicities) have been denied the opportunity and dignity they deserve as human beings.  That is where we must focus our efforts for change.

 

I think this is also a misunderstanding - I don’t think that the concept of privilege invokes self-loathing. Nobody is asking you to apologize and hate yourself for whatever privileges you may have. Further, nobody is saying that you have not worked hard for your accomplishments. My understanding of acknowledging privilege is that it is about humility rather than self-loathing. For example, understanding that my path in life and in my career may have looked different and involved more obstacles if I were a person of color, queer, disabled, etc. You can still be proud of your accomplishments and your hard work while acknowledging this. I also don’t think acknowledging privilege is the end goal in these discussions or an exercise unto itself, but a necessary step in the process of beginning to tackle the social injustices that you mention above. If we cannot first admit that these factors play a role in our trajectories, then it is hard to get any further in enacting change - we are blind to what we are trying to tackle.

 

It is trivially true to say that, in any field, in any vocation, in any hierarchy, there are biases that come into play.  That's because they are all human endeavors.  Matters of degree count!  In our field of auditory science-- and this is after all the Auditory List-- others here have asserted that discriminatory factors must be at play to a substantial degree. I think that is patently false and my observations across decades support that belief.

 

You cannot say that because you have not experienced or witnessed discrimination in this field that it does not exist. All you can say is that you have not experienced or witnessed it. Other people on this thread are telling you that their experiences have been different (and citing literature that points to the existence of bias and discrimination at large). Again, it is important to listen to and acknowledge the experiences of other people if we want to address social injustice. People from different demographic backgrounds can have radically different experiences of the same community. You can simultaneously take pride in your field and your community and want to make it better.

 

Some of you have acted as "scientists" drawing conclusions on the basis of essentially no evidence when you have implied that I, personally, must have a myopic view because you assume that I'm just another fairly successful old white guy.  Shame on you.  You know nothing of my history and that of my family.  You commit the genetic fallacy, that of evaluating an idea on the basis of who generated the idea, rather than on the merits of the idea, per se.  In so doing, you commit the very sin that you decry so vociferously in self-righteous fashion!

 

It seems that most people are replying directly to what you said, point-by-point, not assuming that you must be myopic because you are, as you describe, a “fairly successful old white guy”. 😊

 

I suggest that you read this excellent work by the brilliant linguist, John McWhorter.

 

This began as a discussion of open-access dissemination of scientific results.  I hope, if this thread continues at all, it will return to that topic, a topic that is most appropriate for the Auditory List.

 

I don’t think that these topics are inappropriate and are actually very important and beneficial to discuss.

 

Les

 

 

From: AUDITORY - Research in Auditory Perception <AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of Les Bernstein <lbernstein@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 12:10 AM
To: AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [External] Re: arXiv web of trust

I think it's important to establish the DC-level, sea-level, the "reference level."  The societal inequities that exist are not because I and other "white guys" (i.e., the "Richards" in the cartoon) were given some undeserved privilege but, rather, because some minorities and cultures (i.e., the Paula's in the cartoon) have been unfairly denied their due.  I think it very much matters where one perceives the unfairness to be.

I find the self-loathing concept of "privilege" to be misguided folly  I will not apologize for what I have accomplished and for what I have.  It was not handed to me.  For those who still don't understand, I'll say it again.  The social injustice lies in the fact that the less fortunate (often minority cultures and ethnicities) have been denied the opportunity and dignity they deserve as human beings.  That is where we must focus our efforts for change.

It is trivially true to say that, in any field, in any vocation, in any hierarchy, there are biases that come into play.  That's because they are all human endeavors.  Matters of degree count!  In our field of auditory science-- and this is after all the Auditory List-- others here have asserted that discriminatory factors must be at play to a substantial degree. I think that is patently false and my observations across decades support that belief.

Some of you have acted as "scientists" drawing conclusions on the basis of essentially no evidence when you have implied that I, personally, must have a myopic view because you assume that I'm just another fairly successful old white guy.  Shame on you.  You know nothing of my history and that of my family.  You commit the genetic fallacy, that of evaluating an idea on the basis of who generated the idea, rather than on the merits of the idea, per se.  In so doing, you commit the very sin that you decry so vociferously in self-righteous fashion!

I suggest that you read
this excellent work by the brilliant linguist, John McWhorter.

This began as a discussion of open-access dissemination of scientific results.  I hope, if this thread continues at all, it will return to that topic, a topic that is most appropriate for the Auditory List.

Les

On 6/4/2023 9:24 PM, Svirsky, Mario wrote:

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I have a small contribution to the very interesting conversation between Matt Winn and Les Bernstein.

 

I recommend those of you who are also interested in this conversation watch “Picture a Scientist”, which is on Netflix in the U.S. until June 12. It is a fascinating description of some of the obstacles faced by women in general and black women in particular, in academia.

 

I agree with Les that, ideally, status as a researcher should be earned by a person’s contributions to their field. The problem is that in the real world women get fewer resources and less recognition than men given the same intellect and productivity. Ditto for minorities. “Picture a Scientist” doesn’t even get into the issues of class, nationality, or able bodiedness, which are also important.

 

Or instead of watching Picture a Scientist (which, after all, will take you 103 minutes), you could invest just two minutes in reading the cartoon below. About the concept of having things handed to you on a plate (or “being born on third base and thinking you hit a triple”, a quote attributed to Barry Switzer, 1986).

 

 

 

Mario A. Svirsky, Ph.D.

Noel L. Cohen Professor of Hearing Science,

Professor of Otolaryngology (School of Medicine) and Neural Science

Vice-Chairman for Research

Department of Otolaryngology

 

 

Address:

Dept. of Otolaryngology                     Phone (direct):    212-263-7217

NYU Langone Medical Center              Fax:                    212-263-7604 or 212-263-8257

550 First Ave., NBV-5E5                                                           

New York, NY 10016

 

Pronouns: he, him, his

 

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