from Hacker News

I’m a Scientist Who Spoke Up About Climate Change. My Employer Fired Me

by betolink on 1/10/23, 9:55 PM with 2 comments

• by legitster on 1/10/23, 10:05 PM

  > Oak Ridge said it was forced to fire me because I misused government resources by engaging in a personal activity on a work trip and because I did not adhere to its Code of Business Ethics and Conduct.

  Uh, yes. I would think using laboratory resources to stage a protest at your own organization's event would be grounds for punishment. I don't think this was an issue with the message itself.

• by thinking4real on 1/10/23, 11:52 PM

  “after urging fellow scientists to take action on climate change. At the American Geophysical Union meeting in December, just before speakers took the stage for a plenary session, my fellow climate scientist Peter Kalmus and I unfurled a banner that read “Out of the lab & into the streets.” In the few seconds before the banner was ripped from our hands, we implored our colleagues to use their leverage as scientists to wake the public up to the dying planet.”

  Wow that’s cringey.

  Let’s say whatever your ideology is is correct. You really think this juvenile form of attention seeking is how you’re going to sway PhD scientists and researchers to do what you want?

  It’s an appeal to emotion in a scientific setting. Someone doing this is either a) socially under developed or b) narcissistic and seeking attention.

  Not to mention “our dying planet” sounds like a pretty hard argument to justify rationally.

  And I say this as someone who’s never the most up to speed on the social cues…