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Dear friends and colleagues,
Thank you, Perry, for starting this important discussion.
As a European who is no longer young and will soon be a senior scientist with strong family ties to the US, I am also deeply concerned about the situation, both emotionally and intellectually.
I agree that we should not wait quietly and see. And this is despite the threat. Today, I read that a French scientist was banned from entering the US for a conference because he exchanged some opinions against Trump with colleagues in private messages.
You can read about it here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/world/europe/us-france-scientist-entry-trump-messages.html
For some other personal reasons, I am not planning to travel to the US in the coming months. Nevertheless, I am glad, as I wouldn't have been comfortable going to a country where some of my colleagues can't enter because of their political views or simply because
of where they lived.
https://www.reuters.com/world/countries-considered-trumps-potential-new-travel-ban-2025-03-15/
I would like to propose to our community to consider relocating all US conferences to venues in more welcoming countries, like Canada, Mexico, France or anywhere else beside Russia. It will cost more for our US colleagues to travel outside the country, but
I am sure that the difference could be made up just by bringing back a couple of packs of eggs.
All the best to my dearest US friends for the coming years.
#AROinTijuana
Jeremy
PS: If you are a US customs agent reading this message and trying to decide if you would like to let me into the country, please send me back, as I think that Trump is a heartless piece of shit who has no empathy for any human being except himself.
From: AUDITORY - Research in Auditory Perception <AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of Petter Kallioinen <000001c5645d28b7-dmarc-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2025 9:25 AM To: AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Silence from leaders in auditory science
Dear Auditory list,
I am writing from Stockholm following what I take to be the fall of American democracy. My advice is to not the resist the urgency of this situation and not hope for the best. What I would suggest is for everyone to minimize their ordinary work on a stable
level and put as much effort as possible into organising resistance to this coup. Everyone!
My experience with activism tells me that rather than waiting for a perfect plan, leaders etc, you should activate yourself immeadately, organize in dedicated groups and try different routes. Use existing platforms of authority and organisation such as the
universities, find allies, take part in mass mobilisation, write opinion pieces, be loud and disruptive, consider civil disobedience. In short take a strong stand going outside of ordinary norms in a way that communicates the urgency and abnormality of the
situation. Research on uprisings (Erica Chenoweth) suggests that the size of mobilisation is crucial.
Don't be too afraid of repression even if it is likely coming your way. Complying in advance and being silent won't be rewarded.
It is weird to write these things to the Auditory list, but these are the times. I wish you the best of luck with stopping Trumpism and we will do our best in Europe to support you.
/Petter Kallioinen, cognitive neuroscientist and climate activist
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